6 ‘Diet’ Foods Sabotaging Your Weight-Loss Goals

6 ‘Diet’ Foods Sabotaging Your Weight-Loss Goals | XpertsReviews.com

When you search the Internet for weight loss tips, you will likely come across a few common suggestions. This often involves reducing calories, increasing your protein intake, eating more vegetables, and limiting your carbohydrate intake. By putting these suggestions into practice, you may also come across so-called “diet” foods that claim to satisfy your cravings with fewer calories, sugar and fat. At first glance, you may feel like you’ve hit the jackpot of nutritious and delicious foods, but many of these diet foods can actually sabotage your weight loss efforts.

Although marketed as foods and drinks that aid weight loss, many diet options make weight loss more difficult for a variety of reasons. Some contain ingredients that seem to increase appetite and cravings, while others may be so devoid of nutrients that you end up overeating to feel full. Just because a product has fewer calories than similar foods and drinks doesn’t automatically mean it’s a healthy or ideal food for weight loss. Read on to learn about six diet foods that make weight loss more difficult.

Unhealthy Diet Foods Hurt Your Weight Loss Efforts:

Diet drinks

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Regular sodas and juices are high in sugar and can contain almost 200 calories in a single container. So diet drinks that contain zero calories may seem like a good choice for weight loss, but in reality, they can have the opposite effect. This is due to the no-calorie sweeteners used to sweeten these drinks.

In fact, a study noted increased activity in brain regions responsible for cravings and appetite after consuming sucralose (which you may see under the brand name Splenda). So even though you don’t consume any calories or added sugar when you drink diet soda, your body reacts as if you do, leaving you hungry and craving more sugar.

Whether you see sucralose or Splenda in the ingredient list of your favorite diet drink, think again before taking a sip. Healthy stevia-based sodas are great alternatives to traditional diet sodas.

14 “diet” foods that are actually unhealthy for you

Low-fat yogurt

Flavored yogurtFlavored yogurt
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In the 1990s, a wave of low-fat manufactured products hit the shelves. You can find low-fat cookies, ice cream, chips and much more. One of the most popular products was low-fat yogurt. Although removing most of yogurt’s natural fat makes it a lower-calorie option, many manufacturers add sugar to yogurt to compensate for the loss of flavor by reducing the fat content.

Even with added sugar, low-fat flavored yogurt can be a lower-calorie option than full-fat yogurt; However, added sugar can slow weight loss. Research noted a positive association between increased added sugar consumption and weight gain. Other low-fat yogurts may be sweetened with sucralose instead of sugar, which brings its own weight loss issues.

Instead, choose plain yogurt and add the natural sweetness of fruit or honey. If you prefer a sweetened yogurt, choose an option with less than 5 grams of added sugar or one sweetened with stevia.

The 11 Best Yogurts for Weight Loss, According to Dietitians

Vegetarian chips

vegetable chipsvegetable chips
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These popular chips, often with slight green, red and orange hues, have gained popularity as a healthier alternative to regular chips. Although they may provide fewer calories per serving than traditional chips, they may not satisfy your craving either. This could lead to overeating when seeking satisfaction from your food, resulting in high calorie intake.

Additionally, veggie chips and other low-fat options aren’t as filling as regular chips because they contain few grams of fat. While veggie chips and similar products aren’t inherently unhealthy, it may be best to consume just one serving of the real deal when you’re craving something salty. For healthier chips for weight loss, look for options with at least 1 gram of fiber per serving and portion out your serving instead of eating straight from the bag to reduce your chances of overeating.

Protein bars

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Sometimes marketed as a convenient meal replacement, protein bars can also be a source of hidden sugar and a surprisingly high number of calories. It may be true that protein bars can make a convenient meal or snack, but replacing whole ingredient foods with a processed bar may not be the best option for weight loss. Packing the caloric equivalent of a meal into a food that requires only a few bites can be much less satisfying than a smaller meal that includes a variety of flavors and textures and a larger volume of food. This is in addition to the added sugar and low fiber often seen in protein bars.

If you like the convenience of protein bars, look for options that promote weight loss with fewer than 200 calories and minimal added sugar. Pair them with a fruit or vegetable to incorporate more nourishing fiber into your meal or snack.

10 Protein Bars That Are Actually Unhealthy

Low-fat peanut butter

peanut butter jar with spoonpeanut butter jar with spoon
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This superfood is high in protein and healthy fats, but it has received a bad reputation over the years for being “fattening.” For this reason, manufacturers began making low-fat peanut butter to appeal to those trying to lose weight. However, there is only a few calories difference between low-fat peanut butter and regular peanut butter. This is because low-fat options often contain more added sugar to compensate for the loss of flavor.

This is another case where it’s better to have the real deal. Look for healthy nut butters with no added sugar and watch your serving size to make it work for your weight loss diet.

22 Healthiest Peanut Butters, According to Dietitians

Pre-made smoothies and shakes

Glass of fresh strawberry milkshake, smoothie and fresh strawberries on pink, white and wooden background. Healthy food and drinks concept.Glass of fresh strawberry milkshake, smoothie and fresh strawberries on pink, white and wooden background. Healthy food and drinks concept.
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Packaged smoothies and shakes may provide a reasonable number of calories, but their nutrient balance can make weight loss more difficult. This is especially true for options with added sugar and minimal protein, fat and fiber. The sugar content (associated with weight gain) combined with the lack of nourishing nutrients in these smoothies can make weight loss more difficult.

Luckily, there are balanced, pre-made smoothies that can help you on your weight loss journey. Look for options with at least 15 grams of protein per serving and less than 5 grams of added sugar. Better yet, options with fiber promote satiety and keep you feeling full.

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Melissa Rifkin, MS, RDN, CDN

Melissa is a Connecticut-based dietitian with over 15 years of experience, including clinical and outpatient settings, and manages the popular nutrition education Instagram account, Confessionofadietitian. Learn more about Melissa

#Diet #Foods #Sabotaging #WeightLoss #Goals

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