7 "Healthy" Items Sabotaging Your Diet ...

Replacing regular soda with diet soda is not a good thing. Period. Anything with the word «soda» in it should be avoided [besides Club Soda (since this is only carbonated water]. Diet sodas are chock-full of artificial ingredients and chemicals that essentially «trick» our bodies’ chemistry into thinking that they are something that they are not. All of these chemicals are known to be a potential cause for cancer, so why even bother?

Just because there are only 100 calories in a pack of cookies, does not mean it is healthy! There are still loads of saturated fats, sugars, artificial preservatives, etc. that really should be avoided altogether. Plus, the majority of us won’t eat just 1 pack – they are so dinky and not very satisfying, so what would an extra pack or two hurt…? Before you indulge, remember that these are definitely considered bad foods while dieting.

Eating gluten-free is all the rage these days, and many people think that by cutting out gluten, they will automatically lose weight. Unfortunately this is not true! Yes, if you stop eating gluten because you have an intolerance, your body will be able to better digest the foods that you do eat. However, replacing Pound Cake with a slice of Gluten-free Pound Cake will not do you any good! In fact, it can even be worse because of the additional additives that are added to give it its texture and «authentic» taste.

If a food package boasts the word «wheat», a good majority of consumers will automatically think it’s a healthy option. Especially those who aren’t too familiar with reading product labels. Here’s a tip: if «100% whole wheat» is not listed on the nutritional label, put it back. There are plenty of truly good for you whole-wheat products out there, that you don’t need to waste your time trying to figure out all the other little nuances.

Just because they use the word «Baked» does not mean the product is healthy. Think of it this way, if the label says «Chip» the product is 99% not healthy. Yes, baked products are better than fried and if you need your chip fix, it is definitely better to take the baked route. However, try eating Baked Pita Bites or Dried Fruit Crisps instead. Both have the same texture as chips do, but are much better for you and won’t lead to a diet disaster.

My mom has always hated artificial sweeteners and never gave them to us as children. Because of this, I’ve never used the «pink or blue» packets, but once I discovered Splenda (a «healthy» alternative), I was all over it. That is until I discovered that Splenda is made with chlorine and is just as artificial and bad for you as the others. Plus, there have been numerous studies that state the process your body uses to break down and store these artificial sweeteners is just like it does for regular sugars – in short, they can still make you gain weight like the others. Finally, you are never truly satisfied by these sweeteners, so your body will keep craving more, causing you to eat even more of your ‘sweet snack’ then you would have otherwise.

Just because something says «fat-free» on the label, does not mean it’s healthy and can actually be sabotaging your diet. This goes for dairy products too. One reason is because most people are lactose intolerant and don’t even realize it, so any sort of dairy in their system is going to cause them trouble. The bodies inability to breakdown lactose properly will not only cause gas and an uncomfortable feeling in the gut, it can also slow-down metabolism over all – meaning your body is not burning food as quickly and is therefore, storing on your hips, love-handles, etc. Moreover, dairy products are full of artificial hormones and antibiotics which are obviously not good for you. But, if you still have to get your dairy fix, please, please only buy the Organic stuff so at least you will be skipping out on all the artificial crap.

So next time you go to the store to make a couple «healthy» selections, think twice before you buy. If you are going to put in the effort, you don’t want to sabotage your diet before you even have a fighting chance! Which of these foods have you fallen prey to while trying to eat healthy?

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