Uncovered: Six ‘healthier’ foods that can lead to rapid weight gain, as suggested by leading dietitians
If you want to lose weight, it’s likely you’re avoiding chips, pizza and anything sweet like the plague.
But you should also add some more, less obvious foods to the mix.
Dietitians have warned that some of the most calorific foods that are common causes of surprise weight gain are often thought of as ‘healthy’ alternatives.
In a new report, nutrition experts from the diet analyst website, Eat This Not That, have highlighted a handful of ‘sneaky’ foods that are well-known for sabotaging weight loss, or weight maintence plans.
As some items pose as healthy, dieters think eating plenty will make little difference to their waistline. But they’d be wrong.
Some of the most common culprits of this trickery include fruit juice, yogurt, energy bars, and dried fruit, according to nutritionists like Yelena Wheeler, a registered dietitian nutritionist with fitness advice firm, Endomondo.
Here are six foods you’re eating that are probably piling on pounds without you knowing…
A SNACK OF NUTS EASILY ADDS UP TO 800 CALORIES
Many dieters think nuts are a healthy snack, but they fail to realize that they’re packed with calories – and it’s easy to eat a large quantity in no time at all.
We’ve long been told that snacking on nuts is far better than ultra-processed alternatives like chips and chocolate.
But, from a weight loss perspective, this is not exactly true.
While nuts are packed with helpful micronutrients, moderation is key, Kimberley Gomer, a registered dietitian who runs a private practice told Yahoo. And crucially, they’re very easy to overeat, she said.
For example, ‘there are 826 calories in one cup of almonds, and it is very easy to eat one cup.’ For comparison, there’s an estimated 156 calories in a bag of potato chips. Which means you’d have to eat about five and a half bags of the classic junk food to reach the calories in a cup of almonds.
THE ‘HEALTHY’ FATS IN NUT BUTTERS THAT ARE ANYTHING BUT
It’s easy to put away tablespoon after tablespoon of peanut butter, which adds 200 extra calories to your diet with couple of mouthfuls.
Wellness gurus on social media love adding it to their beautifully crafted breakfast bowls – and claim it’s full of ‘healthy’ fats.
However, the creamy consistency of nut butters means it’s easy to eat a lot – and that means a shed load of calories. Many people exceed recommendations, Gomer said.
‘There are 188 calories in two tablespoons of peanut butter, and you will likely eat double or triple that amount just dipping an apple in it,’ Gomer said.
These items are high in fat. For example, there are 16 grams of fat in one serving size of peanut butter and 13 grams of fat in one Hershey’s milk chocolate bar.
GRANOLA FOR A 500 CALORIE BREAKFAST…AND THAT’S BEFORE COFFEE
Granolas are often seen as healthy breakfast choices, but dietitians warn they are packed with extra sugar and fat.
The recommended serving of cereal is about 1 cup, according to the American Heart Association.
But nutrition experts say that, with some cereals, a reduced portion size is necessary to prevent weight gain. But too few dieters know this.
For example, the label on Nature’s Path Organic Gluten Free Coconut and Cashew Butter Granola states that a serving only 1/3 of a cup, which is 150 calories.
However, nutritionists say it is unlikely Americans will serve themselves such a small portion – as they’re used to larger servings with other cereals.
And if you were to eat a cup of the product, you’d be consuming 450 calories before even adding milk.
Many different brands have tried to rebrand cereal into a healthy breakfast option but in general, this product tends to lack in nutritional value, Wheeler said.
‘Many are low in fiber and high in sugar,’ Wheeler said.
LOW SUGAR ICE CREAMS THAT MAKE YOU OVEREAT
Studies show that artificial sweeteners in low-calorie sweet snacks can ‘trick’ your tastebuds into extreme cravings for sweet food, causing you to overeat.
While low-sugar, ‘healthier’ ice creams may be lower in calories or sugar, they can trick you into overeating other foods, Sheri Berger, registered dietitian nutritionist told Yahoo Lifestyle.
When you’re craving sweets and try to fulfill that craving with a ‘healthier version,’ you may eat more of it in order to satisfy your craving, Berger said.
Studies show that artificial sweeteners in these types of products can interfere with our natural hunger signals and lead to excess cravings of sweet food.
‘When a food we all know and love is reduced in fat or sugar, we identify the taste we are used to as not there, and we may eat more, thinking we’ll eventually get that taste,’ said Berger.
IF YOU CAN, STICK TO COW’S MILK TO AVOID ADDED FAT
Don’t be fooled by milk alternatives. They often contain less calcium than cow’s milk and added fats and sugars.
If you’re lactose intolerant, do not despair. In moderation, dietitians say nut milks are fine.
However, they ‘contain plenty of items that make them otherwise a challenge to the waistline,’ Wheeler said.
Also, some of these items contain added sugars and fats in order to enhance the flavor of the product and stop it from separating over time, according to Vox.
Though these items are deemed safe by national food safety organizations, some researchers link these products, particularly carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate 80, to gut problems.
One serving of Oatly extra creamy contains nine grams of fat, which is more than three times the amount of fat in one percent milk.
FREE FROM GLUTEN…BUT HIGHER IN CALORIES
You might be reaching for gluten-free goods under the assumption that they’re healthier than their gluten-containing cousins.
‘However, they still contain sugar, fat and ingredients that are substituted for gluten,’ Wheeler says, which can drive up the overall calorie count.
She detailed that some gluten-free versions are more calorically dense than the regular ones.
For example, Tate’s, the bakery brand well-known for their crisp cookies, has gluten-free and regular versions of many of their treats. In their coconut crisp flavor, there are 150 calories in the regular version and versus 170 calories in the gluten-free version.
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