3 Diet Foods that Undermine Your Weight Loss Efforts and Health

Thinking about going on a diet and have stocked up on diet foods? Don’t let them fool you! Keep on reading this article, to understand how these foods may undermine your weight loss efforts and overall health.

No matter what the season is, whether it is summer, winter or autumn, we always want to be in good shape and health. About 1 in 3 adults are overweight and overanxious about losing some extra pounds of fat.

Have you ever had the sensation that no matter how hard you try and the efforts you put in, you just can’t seem to reach your weight loss goals? This situation may become a real trap for those who wish to lose weight, causing feelings of frustration, inadequacy and anxiety.

Not only do you work hard, trying to take as much physical exercise as you can, but you also follow a strict diet, depriving yourself of the pleasure food may give you. Despite all this, you can’t get the transformation you wish. Expectations are high, but the journey is not downhill.

Does this situation sound familiar to you? What is, in your opinion, the reason why you can’t lose weight?

What Happens?

This problem most of the time doesn’t have anything to do with motivation or dedication. If you don’t suffer from specific pathologies, which may undermine your weight loss journey (such as endocrine disorders), the best explanation possible might be you are actually eating the wrong foods. Foods that you think are suitable for dieting might not be diet foods at all.

The weight loss industry is part of a very large business and, unluckily, food companies sell their products passing them off as healthy, even though they contain ingredients that may undermine your attempt to lose weight.

What are these so-called diet foods? Here are the three foods you must avoid if you want to give your metabolism a boost and start losing weight.

3 Diet Foods to Avoid

#1 Fruit Yoghurt

Lots of people who are on a diet like these yoghurts, as they are delicious and practical. Yet, people don’t see them as what they really are: small sugar bombs, containing harmful artificial additives. These yoghurt pots become less and less healthy, even though their reputation as diet foods still survives.

Next time you buy your favorite yoghurt, check on the its sugar content. You will be amazed to see it might contain more than 15 grams of sugar per portion.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a day are:

• For men: 150 calories per day (37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons);
• For women: 100 calories per day (25 grams or 6 teaspoons)

The World Health Organization recommendations are: sugars should not exceed 10 percent of your daily calorie intake. For an adult of a normal body mass index (BMI), that works out to about 6 teaspoons (25 grams) of sugar per day.

As you can see one single pot of fruit yoghurt covers more than a half of the daily sugar intake recommendations.

Clearly, you may buy the sugar-free versions, though in this case you have to be careful, as sugar-free yoghurts contain artificial sweeteners and other additives, that may harm your health and metabolism just the same.

Choose Greek yoghurt instead, and personalize it with the flavor you want by adding fresh fruit or honey.

#2 Fat-free Foods

Be wary of all those foods with the indication “fat-free”. These companies proudly pass their foods off as fat-free, and sometimes it may be true.

But the question is, if they are really fat-free, do they contain any harmful additives? In this case as well, the fat content may be replaced by something as unhealthy as, or even more unhealthy than fat.

It often means loads of sugar and, if you are trying to lose weight, sugar doesn’t help. What is more, a fat-free diet doesn’t help you lose weight. Fats are necessary to the good functioning of the body and to a healthy metabolism, and in order to be able to lose weight you have to learn how to choose the right ones. Read more about how to start a diet and how to choose the right macronutrients HERE.

#3 Protein Bars

The last wrong food you have to be careful of are protein bars, even though you will find them in many diet plans and they are very much advertised. They may seem like the perfect option, since they are packed with protein, yet in this case as well you’d better check on the food label.

First of all, you have to check on the sugar content. Many protein bars are packed with more than 15 grams of sugar each. Some of them even contain 30 or 40 grams!

You may want to buy bars with a low sugar content (5 grams or even less per bar), or those without added sugars, though they are not easy to find and you have to be sure they are not packed with artificial additives.

Another option is to try to make them at home, by using genuine and healthy ingredients, such as oats and seeds.

Unluckily, many people who decide to go on a diet are unaware that these 3 so-called diet foods might undermine their efforts.

And what do you think about dieting? What foods are part of your present diet plan?

If you want to know what are the 2 essential foods that will help you return in good shape, you have to take a look at this diet guide. This e-book contains the best advice you need in order to correct the wrong information you were given in the past, not only about nutrition, but also about the proper workout you need if you want to reach your weight loss goals faster. You will get an entire set of manuals, including a Mindset & Motivation Manual, which can help you overcome moments of frustration and stress related to any weight loss journey.

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