"A man who is too busy to take care of his own health is like a mechanic who is too busy to take care of his tools."
-Spanish Proverb
WEBSITE: Life is busy, we don't always have time to cook up healthy, gourmet meals but that doesn't mean we have to give up on our health goals. Check out some great health tips for the busiest of us http://www.shape.com/weight_loss/diets/diet_tips_healthy
There are so many falsehoods out there about what is the healthiest choice for you. There is a huge trend to "eat healthy" nowadays, pushing food companies to trick you into eating some pretty horrible things. This list could be miles long to break some myths about foods, but these are a few of the common mistakes.
1. Salads
I can't count the number of times I have eaten dinner with someone who ordered a cesear salad and immediately followed it up with "Oh, I'm on a diet". Let's just say CESEAR and DIET should never be in the same sentence. At some restaurants, cesear salads can have more than 1,000 calories, 75 grams of fat, and 2,000 mg of sodium (check out the nutrition facts on the Chili's cesear salad...1,010 calories!!) Likewise, don't switch out that cesear salad for the taco salad...this is EVEN WORSE! Crazy but a taco salad from On The Border has...drumroll please...1,680 calories, 121 g fat, and 2,260 mg sodium. This salad is not only top of the list for worst salads, it is in the top 20 list for the worst foods in America! So throw out your old belief that salad=healthy and read the ingredients. Look at the nutrition facts before you go to eat so you don't get trapped into believing that you are saving calories by getting a salad (when in reality a bacon cheeseburger might be LOWER in calories than some of these crazy salads)
INSTEAD-at home try mixing up a grilled chicken salad with lots of vegetables and a little bit of vinegrette dressing.
BETTER CHOICES-Jack in the Box Southwest Chicken Salad (310 calories), Denny's Grilled Chicken Salad (290 calories), McDonald's Premium Asian Chicken Salad (300 calories)
2. Bran Muffins
So it says bran, it has to be healthy right? Unfortunately, no. Bran muffins have high levels of sugar and refined flour which does nothing for the body but spike your blood sugar, cause your body to store levels of fat and bring about a mid-morning crash. They contain 400 calories and 20 grams of fat and only small amounts of fiber.
INSTEAD-ham, eggs and low-fat cheese on an English muffin (yes, it's hard to believe but this IS better for you). Besides having around 300 calories and 12 grams of sugar, this breakfast contains 20 grams of protein which is crucial to jumpstart our metabolism in the morning
3. Granola Bar
I personally LOVE granola bars and not all options are terrible for you, so before you eliminate them know what you are getting. Read the label and focus on the sugar content...try to get one that has less than 7 grams of sugar. They are held together by high fructose corn syrup which can cancel out the nutritional content, raise the sugar content, and make them highly caloric
INSTEAD-low fat cheese and triscuits...you will switch out sugar and calories for protein and fiber.
BETTER CHOICES-Kashi TLC granola bars have high levels of protein and fiber, 7 WHOLE grains and are sweetened with wildflower honey and brown rice syrup instead of processed white sugar
4. Yogurt with fruit on the bottom
Yogurt AND fruit...what more could you want?? Might as well pop the tab on a coke and chug this for breakfast because it has less sugar than the pre-packaged yogurt and fruit. The fruit within the container is nothing but high fructose corn syrup posing as a fruit. This mistaken health food can cost you 30 grams of sugar
INSTEAD-Try plain low fat yogurt and mix in your own fresh fruit. Yes, yogurt and fruit are great for you so this is an easy switch!
5. Bagels
So unless you are running a marathon in a few hours (which I would say is a rare occurrence for many of us) bagels are bogus. Load up the cream cheese and you are better off eating a whopper. 300 calories and 60 grams of carbohydrates are not necessary for any healthy diets. Yes, the high carbs will give energy for highly-intense workouts, on a regular basis they are better options!
INSTEAD-whip up an omelet to save 300 calories and boost the metabolism with some fantastic levels of protein
6. Dried Fruit
This should be explained as having the possibility of being bad for you. Yes, it is fruit and provides many health benefits, obviously better for you than a bag of potato chips, but these are often far from a harmless mid-morning snack. First, the drying process removes much of the volume from the fruit so you eat multiple servings without feeling any fuller. Dried fruit (such as craisins...which I am guilty of loading up on) can contain as much as 45 grams of sugar!! They don't need to be cut out completely but be careful and enjoy in moderation.
INSTEAD-easy, switch DRIED fruit for FRESH fruit
7. Turkey burger
Well, this is a shock! Turkey is often the lean and healthy source but this is not always true for ground turkey. Again, this varies from brand to brand, but there are many varieties that has as many calories and fat as a beef burger. Up to 850 calories and 50 grams of fat, turkey burgers are not always the smart choice
INSTEAD-7 oz. sirloin steak...it is one of the leanest cuts of meat and contains 350 calories and only 20 g of fat
BETTER CHOICE-99% Lean Jennie-O Ground Turkey (only 120 calories, 15 grams of fat), 95% lean ground beef (164 calories, 6 grams of fat)
8. (Many) Fruit Smoothies
MANY is the key word here! No, not all fruit smoothies are bad for you and I LOVE them, cutting them out completely is not required! Let's glance at why some of these smoothies made the list. A lot of these smoothies have insane levels of sugar and high fructose corn syrup...high enough to be classified as more of a milkshake than smoothie. A smoothie should be made with 100% fruit and low-fat yogurt/skim milk. On Smoothie King's Smim-Down menu is the Passion Passport smoothie which contains 592 calories, 144 g carbs, and 138 g of sugar-that level of sugar is far from helping to slim down!!
INSTEAD-blend up your own smoothie at home so you know exactly what is in your smoothie
BETTER CHOICE-If you want a smoothie while running errands try the Smoothie King Slim-n-trim Orange Vanilla Smoothie at only 322 calories and 1.5 grams of fat
9. Frozen Dinners
This includes all of the health options like the weight watchers and lean cuisines. Don't let them fool you, they really are an all-too often mistaken health food that girls stock up on to slim down. Plastered all over the box is the low calories contained in the meal, but what they don't emphasize is the crazy levels of sodium and sugar in this less-than-filling food choice. A frozen option is often the quick fix for a busy lifestyle but read the package before you stock up on these boxed meals, focusing on the sodium especially
INSTEAD-Always think ahead on your week. Have extra time on a Sunday night? Cook for your week and stick it in the freezer. When life gets busy you can pull out a meal, all the while your conscious can stay clear because you know what you are eating!
10. Diet Sodas
Don't let the diet in the title fool you. Yes, you are saving on calories but making many compromises on the way. The artificial sweetners in the can have been linked to cause you to crave fatty foods throughout the day. Many studies have proven that, while they are zero calories, they cause hunger and cravings that lead you to eat more.
INSTEAD-Water is always the best choice! If you are looking for a pick-me-up, water has been shown to be one of the best ways to wake you up. Caffeine driven? Pick up one of crystal light's focus options that contain caffeine at only 10 calories and lots of flavors.
11. Low-Fat/100 Calorie Packs
This largely focuses on the hugely popular 100 calorie packs. They are not bad when eaten alone but in order to make them low fat and low calories the filling aspect of them is removed. Hunger strikes, you grab those 100-calorie pretzels for your snack, and are left just as hungry as you were prior to eating them. This will lead you to turn to another snack, and are left with little nutrition but 100 extra calories.
INSTEAD-for a little mid-day snack try some fresh fruit that is high in fiber (esp. apples) which are hugely FILLING
BETTER CHOICE-100 calorie pack Emerald Nuts Almonds
12. Fat Free/Reduced Fat Salad Dressings
Who knew choosing the healthier option might not be the better option?! First, when the fat comes out the sugar goes in to keep the flavor. You are left with either lots of sugar or lots of artificial sweetner, both of which are not what your body needs. Also, the majority of vegetables are fat soluble, which means removing fat from your dressing will reduce the amount of nutrients that are absorbed into the body from the vegetables in your salad.
INSTEAD-choose a salad dressing made with olive oil or use plain olive oil and vinegar as your salad dressing
You can't believe everything you read...a claim of being healthy doesn't always mean healthy! Be smart and leave time at the grocery store to check the food label! Your body will thank you :)
Megan
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