| It's easy to let yourself be fooled into thinking the | | | | Wait, don't grab a bowl of your favorite cereal |
| things you eat are healthy. Foods dressed in | | | | along with your skinny jeans just yet. |
| crafty packaging lead you to believe they will help | | | | It's dangerous to think that any food item will |
| you lose weight. | | | | promote weight loss, especially a food item that is |
| But do they? | | | | high in simple carbohydrates. In the fine print you |
| The truth is that most of the time the only thing | | | | will see that the cereal claims to help lose weight |
| special about the so-called healthy food product is | | | | when incorporated with a very low calorie diet, |
| the clever marketing. Have you been fooled by | | | | and that the cereal itself has no weight loss |
| the following foods? | | | | inducing power. |
| So-Called Healthy Food #1: | | | | Making the Healthy Choice As a rule of thumb |
| SALAD Who doesn't get a self-righteous feeling | | | | ignore the bold claims on food packaging-the |
| when ordering a salad, right? Salads are healthy, | | | | information you really need is listed on the |
| and salads equal weight loss. Unfortunately, not | | | | nutrition label. Finding healthy food is simple when |
| anymore. | | | | you use the following guidelines. |
| Salad in and of itself is a wonderful, healthy food. | | | | Eat Fresh: The healthiest food in the world is |
| It is filled with nutrients and untouched by artificial | | | | fresh, unprocessed whole foods. This includes |
| additives. If only we left it at that. | | | | fresh vegetables and fruit, whole grains and |
| Most salads on the menu today are loaded with | | | | legumes, and raw seeds and nuts. These fresh |
| fat laden extras. Croutons, tortilla strips, nuts, and | | | | foods supply your body with vitamins, minerals |
| even fried chicken (not the best source of | | | | and enzymes that are priceless to your health. |
| protein). And let's not forget the salad dressing. | | | | When it comes to meat, poultry and dairy choose |
| While you know that salad dressing isn't very | | | | products that are grass fed and hormone and |
| healthy, you may not be aware of the staggering | | | | antibiotic free. |
| number of fat calorie packed in these dressings. | | | | Set Limits: Let's be honest. Just because |
| Most people add between a quarter to a half a | | | | something is edible doesn't mean you should eat it. |
| cup of dressing to their salad, and with the | | | | A key to healthy eating is to identify which items |
| average creamy salad dressing weighing in at 8-12 | | | | to limit or even eliminate from your diet. |
| grams of fat per tablespoon, you can see how an | | | | Cholesterol. The American Heart Association |
| innocent collection of greens can quickly turn into | | | | recommends that you limit your intake of |
| a spare tire. | | | | cholesterol from food to less than 300 milligrams |
| So-Called Healthy Food #2: | | | | per day. |
| 100 CALORIE PACKS In the snack section of | | | | Saturated Fat. Your intake of saturated fat should |
| your local grocery store you've probably seen the | | | | be less than 7% of your total daily calories. Trans |
| attractively packaged "100 Calorie Packs." These | | | | Fat. It is recommended that you either eliminate |
| light and airy snack packs send a subtle message | | | | trans fat from your diet or keep it under 1% of |
| that they are healthy and in line with your desire | | | | your total daily calories. |
| to drop the fat. I mean, how harmful can they | | | | Sugar. Most of us consume way more sugar than |
| be? Let's take a look at the snacks within the | | | | we should. Make a habit of checking the ingredient |
| package. Here are the most popular: | | | | list of the foods you eat. If sugar is the first listed |
| Oreo cookies Ritz snack mix Planter's peanut | | | | ingredient then you know that item is packed with |
| butter cookies Cheese Nips crackers Chips Ahoy | | | | sugar. |
| cookies Shortbread cookie Hmmm, that list | | | | Look at the whole picture: A healthy diet consists |
| sounds like junk food-doesn't it? These items are | | | | of taking in a combination of fats, carbohydrates, |
| high in sugar, salt and fat, and they don't contain a | | | | fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals each day. |
| grain of nutritional value. And let's be honest, most | | | | Remember that eating too much of even healthy |
| people don't eat just one pack... | | | | foods can lead to weight gain. All of the foods |
| So-Called Healthy Food #3: | | | | that you eat should fit together to form a |
| CEREAL Can a box of cereal help you lose | | | | well-balanced, calorie controlled diet. |
| weight? That's the message being sent out by a | | | | The bottom line is that you should eat to live not |
| handful of cereal brands, namely Special K. This | | | | live to eat. Your body will thank you for it. |
| cereal manufacturer has gone so far as to create | | | | Want more ideas on how to get the body of |
| the Special K Challenge, a program which claims to | | | | your dreams without starving yourself or doing |
| help drop 6 pounds in 2 weeks. The message that | | | | boring exercise routines? Contact me today to |
| most consumers take away from the cereal | | | | get started on a fitness program that will change |
| commercials is "If I eat this brand of cereal then I | | | | your body and improve your health. |
| will lose weight." | | | | |