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10 FOODS AND DRINKS TO AVOID IF YOU ARE ON A DIET, DESPITE THEIR SO-CALLED HEALTHINESS

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Today’s blog subject is dedicated to one of my friends in Pilates class.  She brought up a subject that is important to discuss in my blog because it comes up all of the time when people ask me how I keep the weight off.

Eating healthy doesn’t mean eating large amounts of sugar and carbs!  I do eat very well.  Salads twice a day.  Four servings of veggies a day (small ones), 2 small fruits a day, 6 protein-based foods per day, water, etc.  But, keep in mind that I want to keep my carbs between 50g to 100g per day.  Also keep in mind that it takes about 4g of sugar/carbs per 1 sugar cube.

We get conned into eating and drinking things based on their nutritional qualities, but in fact, they are LOADED in “unhealthy” amounts of sugar and carbs.  Trust me, I know.  I gained over 40 pounds at one time just eating “healthy foods”, without knowing the secrets behind their fat-causing carbs!

If you want to lose weight, you want to eat six protein-based “small” meals per day.  Here are 10 items to stay away from, but I mention how to do it with low-carb or replacements for them.  I am letting you in on my found-out secrets!

10 FOODS AND DRINKS TO AVOID IF YOU ARE ON A DIET, DESPITE THEIR SO-CALLED HEALTHINESS

1.  SMOOTHIES or JUICE:

If you have a smoothie, it has to be more vegetables than fruits (fruits have a lot of sugar and carbs) and the size you drink has to be small.  Depending on what you put in your smoothie, perhaps about 4-6 ounces is enough.  Are your smoothies bigger than that and has a combination of high carb/sugar fruits in them?  A few berries, citrus–that is ok….but loaded in apple, banana–you are looking at a lot of carbs.  Some of the smoothies at a regular juice place, like Jamba Juice, have 67g of carbs (This is over 20 sugar cubes–would you eat 20 sugar cubes?)  in a basic 16 ounce smoothie.  If you are only supposed to have between 50-100g of carbs per day to stay thin, that is a lot for one drink.  There goes the rest of the carbs for the day!  Instead, I personally recommend eating real veggies and two small fruits a day.  Smoothies are really for people who can’t stand eating veggies and it is the only way to get it into your diet.  Don’t drink orange juice–eat an orange.

2.  ACAI BOWLS/ MUFFINS/CEREAL:

Loaded up with granola (NOT A HEALTH FOOD–way too much sugar.  Use plain nuts instead).  I never eat granola.  A lot of people see it as a health food.  NOT!  It has 38g of carbs in just half of a cup!   An Acai Bowl has about 125g of carbs between the granola and the banana, etc.  These are not diet foods.  WATCH OUT FOR NUTS:  20g or so in carbs per cup.  Limit them or measure and bag them in advance when used for a snack.  My snacks usually consist of a few nuts and cheese (little to no carbs in cheese).  Western Bagel has a low carb bagel called the Perfect Ten, that is usually a special breakfast item for me out of my usual eggs.

Stay away from cereal.  Mostly carbs, sugar and chemicals.  Try oatmeal instead, but keep it to a small serving because it is high in carbs.  Read the labels.

Also, muffins have grains.  Grains are higher in carbs.  I don’t care if it is a bran muffin or a blueberry muffin–it is still a muffin. It wiIll add to a muffin top, if you know what I mean.

3.  DRIED FRUIT:

Has a lot of sugar and carbs.  Instead, eat fruit.  2 small amounts of fruit per day.  If you eat a banana, one serving is HALF of a large banana.

4.  RICE:  

High carb, little nutritional quality–even the brown stuff.  Quinoa is better, but it is also high carb, so limit it to a few spoons worth in a serving.  A cup of Quinoa is over 100g of carbs.  As high as rice.  Also, rice has arsenic in it.  Yuck!  ALSO RICE CAKES ARE HIGH IN CARBS TOO!

5.  WRAPS:  

Bread products of all kinds are high in carbs.  I don’t eat sandwiches either.  A slice of bread can be around 30g of carbs. Some of the lower carb breads like Ezekiel, is about 10g EACH slice.  But, a medium sized wrap is about 22g of carbs.  I eat salads with meat and other proteins on them or a sandwich or burger that is wrapped in lettuce and not a bun or wrap.  Watch out for tortillas too, unless they are the specific low-carb ones, which you can see at any store, even Trader Joes.  A regular tortilla can be over 30g of carbs, but a low carb one can be about 5g net carbs, once you factor in the fiber.

Watch out for JUICE.  It is just liquid sugar.

6.  PROTEIN DRINKS/SPORTS DRINKS?PROTEIN BARS

All laden with high carbs.  Only get ones that are low carb.  Less than 20g of carbs is best.  Or you can factor in fiber.  Look at the total carbs and subtract the fiber and you have net carbs.

7.  VEGGIE BURGERS/FROZEN FOODS:

Very high in carbs if you pick the wrong one.  Buyer beware.  Some of them are only 10g of carbs.  So choose wisely and look at the nutritional labels.

Most of the low-cal frozen foods are high carb and will put weight on you.  Just look at the labels.  They are also loaded in sodium (as is canned soup) and are not good for your heart.

8.  YOGURT/FROZEN YOGURT:  

Some of them are so high in sugar and carbs, it should be illegal.  You could be looking at 20-30g of carbs per cup.  Greek yogurt has better options and if you choose the ones that are unflavored, there are hardly any carbs. There are a few products like Danon Lite and Fit Greek Yogurt flavored,  with only about 10g or less of carbs per cup.

Frozen yogurt is laden in sugar, carbs and a lot of really nasty chemicals.  There is nothing “yogurty” about it.  You are better off having a no-sugar added scoop of Dreyers or Breyers ice cream.  Breyers Carbsmart ice cream bars are delish and low in carbs.  I get them at Ralphs, Smart and Final, and Wal-Mart.

9.  BEANS:

Yes, they are good for you–in small amounts.  A tablespoon is about 8g of carbs.  A cup of them is about 120g of carbs.  So, your burrito with the high carb shell, high carb beans and high carb rice will easily top you over 100g of carbs for your one very healthy organic Chipotle burrito.  I always do a salad version, limit the beans, no rice.

10.  AGAVE!

Syrup

One of the more popular “natural” sweeteners is Agave nectar, also called agave syrup.You will find this sweetener in all sorts of “health foods,” often with attractive claims on the packaging.

The problem with Agave is that it is no better than sugar. In fact, it is much, much worse…

One of the main problems with sugar is that it has excessive amounts of fructose, which can cause severe metabolic problems when consumed in excess.

Whereas sugar is about 50% fructose and High Fructose Corn Syrup about 55%, Agave contains even more… up to 70-90%.

Try Stevia or just use natural sugar, in moderation, because sugar is not good for losing weight.  And if you are putting fruit in your smoothie (and I don’t recommend smoothies and I don’t do them anymore), then you have enough fructose sugar from the fruit, so why add more?  Stop being a sugar junkie!

PREPARE Your Daily Protein: For Weight Loss and Reduce Cravings

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During the day at home or at the office, you might find yourself getting hungry.  You are supposed to eat breakfast, (about 3-4 hours apart from your meals)lunch and dinner, but you are supposed to have three healthy snacks in-between and after dinner (about 3-4 hours apart from your meals).  SIX PROTEIN MEALS IN ALL PER DAY!

Healthy protein snacks/meals can help normalize your blood-sugar levels at crucial points in the day. If you reduce  swings in blood sugar, it helps to curb cravings and keep you on a successful weight-loss track.

I try to keep between 50-100g of carbs a day to lose/maintain weight.  Most meats and cheeses have barely one carb in them.  Nuts, Greek Yogurt and protein bars too have carbs.  Look at labels….

 

10 Suggestions for protein snacks

 

  1. Raw veggies, such as celery, green or red bell pepper strips, cauliflower, and broccoli florets. Use hummus or 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter for dipping (2 tablespoons).
  2. Lean, reduced-sodium deli meats (turkey or chicken breast, roast beef, boiled ham), about 4 ounces.
  3. Part-skim mozzarella cheese sticks (no more than 2 sticks or low-fat mini Baby Bells).
  4. Nuts (15 almonds, 20 peanuts, or 30 pistachios, or about 1/4 cup of any nut, is a serving), but be sure to stick to one serving and count it toward your daily protein. OR Sunflower seeds (3-tablespoon serving; count these toward your daily protein.
  5. Low-Carb Protein bars or drinks.  Look at the labels.  Try not to go higher than 20g of carbs.
  6. Cottage cheese (1%, 2%, or fat-free varieties) with salsa, or one of your two small servings of your fruit for the day,or chopped cucumber added
  7. Dry-roasted or boiled, ready-to-eat edamame (green soybeans) or a hard-boiled egg
  8. Greek yogurt (plain, nonfat) (again you can add one of your two small servings of fruit
  9. Low-sodium tomato juice or vegetable-juice blend, single-serving can for the day)
  10. Water-packed light tuna or salmon (individual cans or pouches)

Do not eat on the run.  Go shopping on the weekend if you are too busy and buy stuff for the week and put what you need for each day aside the night before and have it ready to go for the morning.  You can have stuff to eat in the car if you have to do it that way, but PREPARE and don’t buy crap at drive-thru places, where you are likely to succumb to cravings or smells.  Learn to do this daily and it will become habit, a way of life and you are more likely to get and stay skinny!

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Costco brought back my favorite yogurt! Dannon Greek Light and Fit!

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I just came back from Costco and I am so happy.  Less than $10 for a box of 12.  Only 8g of carbs per container.  Only 80 calories and 12g of protein (more than double than that of just regular yogurt) and half the carbs!  A win-win!

danon dannon

The price is great, the protein content is great and the carbs are excellent.  What a great breakfast, snack, lunch or dessert.  Put a few strawberries or blueberries in it and it is a true filling, delish dessert.  It is so creamy and tangy compared to plain boring ole yogurt.

IT IS ALL GREEK TO ME! Greek Yogurts!

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In the past year or two, Greek Yogurt has been taking over as “the” yogurt of choice.  It is tangier, less sweet and creamier.

Is Greek Yogurt healthier?  Better for you diet?

Both Greek and regular yogurt, in their plain, nonfat or low-fat forms, can be part of a healthful diet. They are both low in calories,  and a great source of calcium and live bacterial cultures. But our Mediterranean friend—which is strained extensively to remove much of the liquid whey, lactose, and sugar, giving it its thick consistency—does have an edge.It can be about the same amount of calories (although I have noticed that regular yogurt tends to have more carbs), it can pack up to double the protein, while cutting sugar content by half.   All that, and it tastes great too.

What is so good about it?  

(The following will explain how Greek Yogurt has half the sodium, more calcium and protein and less carbohydrates than regular yogurt.)

PROTEIN:

Greek yogurt is high in protein, which helps promote fullness.

A typical 6-ounce serving contains 15 to 20 grams, the amount in 2 to 3 ounces of lean meat. That makes it particularly appealing to vegetarians, who sometimes struggle to get enough of the nutrient. An identical serving of regular yogurt, on the other hand, provides just 9 grams, meaning you may feel hunger pangs sooner.

CALCIUM:

Regular yogurt provides 30 percent of the federal government’s recommended daily amount. Greek yogurt loses some of its calcium through the straining process, but still packs a wallop. A 6-ounce cup typically supplies about 20 percent of the daily recommendation. If you’re still worried about calcium intake, load up on milk, seeds, and almonds, says Sarah Krieger, a registered dietician and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

Be wary of Greek yogurt’s fat content. In just 7 ounces, Fage’s full-fat Greek yogurt packs 16 grams of saturated fat—or 80 percent of your total daily allowance if you’re on a 2,000-calorie diet. (That’s more than in three Snickers bars.) Dannon’s regular full-fat yogurt has 5 grams of saturated fat in an 8-ounce serving. Saturated fat raises total and “BAD” LDL choesterol, increasing the risk for heart disease. Read nutrition labels carefully. If you’re going Greek, stick to low-fat and fat-free versions.

SODIUM:

A serving of Greek yogurt averages 50 milligrams of sodium—about half the amount in most brands of the regular kind. (Low-sodium versions of regular yogurt are available.) Too much salt can boost blood pressure and increase the risk of other heart problems. The federal government’s 2010 Dietary Guidelines urge Americans to cap sodium at 2,300 milligrams a day or 1500 if 55 plus.

CARBOHYRATES:

 Going Greek is a smart choice for low-carb diets. It contains roughly half the carbs as the regular kind—5 to 8 grams per serving compared with 13 to 17. Plus, the straining process removes some of the milk sugar, lactose, making Greek yogurt less likely to upset the lactose-intolerant. However, some of the Greek Yogurts are flavored and do have high amounts of carbs.  Fage is a good example of different choices and different amounts of carbohydrates.  If you get the plain, non-fat, there are 7g of carbs.  But, as soon as you add a flavor, it goes up to 17g or more carbs.  http://www.fageusa.com/products/fage-total-0-percent/.

However, I like Danon Lite and Fit (get it in bulk at Costco).  It has only 8g of carbs per tub and it is flavored.

You have to look at all of the choices and look at the labels yourselves.  I noticed online that Dannon has one with less sugar for diabetics, Dannon – Diabetic Friendly Light & Fit Carb & Sugar Control Yogurt.  It is only 3g of carbs…however, the store locator said it was not selling around my house and I would have to travel 18 miles to get it.  So, for now, I am stuck with 8g of carbs until I can perhaps get my local market to order it.  http://www.dannon.com/storelocator.aspx

 

CONCLUSION:

It also has many uses.  Mix it in some berries or high-fiber granola. You can also substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream for example.  It’s an acceptable replacement for fatty ingredients like cream cheese, mayonnaise, and butter. Its texture makes it an excellent swap for mayonnaise on sandwiches, or in dishes like potato salad, egg or pasta salad, and coleslaw.

But, the great news is that it tastes great and Greek yogurt seems to have a nutritional edge over regular yogurt.  But both kinds of yogurt help you lose weight by keeping you full on fewer calories. The key is sticking to plain, nonfat, or low-fat varieties and LOOK at labels.