8 ‘Healthy’ Foods You Should Avoid

Your breakfast could well be the reason why you’re not losing weight, why you’re having cravings later in the day and why you are simply not getting the results that you want. The reason is more than likely that you have been relying on foods that you were suckered into believing were actually helping you to lose weight. The reality is that they are doing just the opposite.

3 Breakfast Foods to Avoid

Cereal

They are promoted as heart healthy, energy giving and sustaining. The reality is that cereals are simply carbs and sugar. There is no protein and there are no healthy fats. Yet proteins and healthy fats are the things that will keep you fuller for longer. They will also keep you satisfied and fuel your muscles.

You need a breakfast that will fill you up. The last thing you want is to be craving for food an hour or so after your breakfast. Nor do you want a breakfast that will jack up your energy level only to have it come crashing back down a couple of hours later.

You need to get out of the breakfast cereal habit. Replace it with a cup of plain oatmeal with Greek Yogurt added with protein and fresh fruit.

Breakfast Bars

A breakfast bar provides you with the convenience of a meal on the run, but there is a price to pay. They are loaded with sugar and preservatives. Despite the fact that they are promoted as the healthy alternative for busy people, breakfast bars often contain more saturated fat than conventional biscuits. They typically have more sugar in them, as well.

Breakfast bars are also deceptively short of fiber. A four serving of Belvita’s Muesli bars will give you 228 calories, 8 grams of fat and just 2 grams of fiber.

A far better option if you are in a hurry in the morning is a protein shake, fortified with fresh fruit.

Flavored Yogurt

Yogurt is promoted as a smart, healthy way to start your day. But did you know that many popular yogurts contain more sugar than a comparable quantity of ice cream? Most yogurts are packed with filler carbs and lack any fiber. As a result, they lack satiety, not being able to fill you up. Many yogurts are also filled with artificial sweeteners.

Artificial sweeteners have been linked to neurotoxicity (killing your brain cells) and are generally going to inhibit your weight loss. Artificial colors add to the toxic effect of these ‘healthy’ breakfast yogurts.

By the way, when you see words like “Lite” or “Fit” on the packaging of a product, it is usually a red flag that it is actually an unhealthy product – this is especially true when it comes to yogurt.

The right type of yogurt will actually aid your weight loss. Yogurt assists your digestive system and stops the growth of harmful bacteria in the gut. It also gives you plenty of protein in a low calorie, high nutrient snack. You should opt for all natural unsweetened, Greek Yogurt, which contains twice the protein of most other varieties. Add fresh fruit rather than buying yogurt with added fruit.

5 Other ‘Healthy’ Foods to Avoid

There are a number of foods out there that the weight loss industry has convinced us are good for us that are actually curtailing your weight loss efforts. Avoid these at all costs!

Fruit Juice

As kids, we are all taught that fruit juice is good for us. It’s portrayed as the good alternative to sodas and soft drinks. But fruit juice is a deceptive beverage. Not only is it loaded with sugar, but it contains absolutely no fiber – unlike the fruit it is supposed to be made from.

A glass of juice gives you the equivalent of about 6 oranges, but with all of the nutritional goodness removed. A glass of juice will contain as much, and often more, sugar as an equivalent amount of soda. In fact, many of the so-called juices on the market are nothing more than fruit-flavored sugar water.

Do your body a favor and stick to all natural water.

Granola

Granola is promoted as healthy cereal for athletes and people on the go. Yet this favorite sports fuel is packed with fat, calories, sugars and carbs. Granola does have definite health benefits for athletic performance. But if your main goal is weight loss, this one deserves to be on your banned list.

Replace granola for breakfast with all natural oatmeal. Just stay away from Instant Oatmeal – it is packed with sugar chemicals that your body does not need.

Sports Drinks

You see your favorite athlete on TV promoting them as the answer to fitness and sports performance. However, sports drinks are made for athletes, not regular people like you and I. Athletes burn a ton of energy, and they need the energy in the sports drink to balance it out and avoid muscle loss.

For normal people, the extra energy in a sports drink will go straight to your fat stores. In addition, many energy drinks contain caffeine in very high doses, not to mention all that sugar – up to 13 teaspoons in one can. Energy drinks also contain a variety of exotic-sounding compounds such as guarana, taurine, and ginseng. Within the same can, you have stimulants, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety agents. The result is that people often perform less optimally on energy drinks than without them. Studies by the US Navy have shown that both mental and physical performance was impaired while using energy drinks and they have banned them from their naval bases.

White Chocolate

In its raw state, chocolate is very good for you. But when it gets stripped down and processed the beauty of the food is taken away. That is what has happened with white chocolate.

If you are going to indulge yourself, go with as dark a chocolate as possible. Organic cacao keeps all of the key nutrients inside of it and is a far smarter choice.

Canned Tomatoes

There is a resin in your can of tomatoes that brings synthetic estrogens into your body. These will start to play havoc with your hormones, which is going to cause it to start hoarding fat.

Rather than getting your tomatoes out of a can, look for glass or a tetra pack. Better still, shop in the grocery section and stick with whole tomatoes.