Please understand us. These foods are nutritious. However, if you are not careful, they can cause your waistline to expand.
The first step to losing weight is to eliminate garbage from your diet. However, the nutritious foods you substitute can be surprisingly high in fat and calories. That is why portion size is essential, even with fruits, nuts, yogurt, and salads.
Check out this list of hidden whole foods and learn how to get their benefits in the best way possible.
Avocado
This creamy avocado mixture is ideal for dipping vegetables or spreading on sandwiches. It also contains heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, which help speed up your metabolism and keep you full. Watch the video to learn how to make this simple spread in only five minutes!
Use portion control to keep track of how much avocado you eat. Though avocado is very healthy, it is essential to consume it in moderation due to its high fat content.
Red Wine
Moderate red wine consumption may lessen the risk of heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, certain malignancies, and even weight gain. The critical word here is moderation. A 5-ounce portion contains around 130 calories.
Tip: Avoid using fishbowl-sized glasses, which make it easier to overpour. Pour your wine into a measuring cup, then into your glass, to observe how a serving looks in your glassware.
Nuts
Nuts are high in calories and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, protein, vitamin E, and fiber. A quarter-cup of almonds, for instance, has 132 calories. Unfortunately, devouring them by the handful as if they were popcorn is too simple.
Avoid these bad nuts for your diet by measuring a serving rather than eating directly from the container.
Trail Mix
What could be so fatty about nuts, dried fruits, and oats? Some store-bought brands contain ingredients such as honey, added sugar, and chocolate, which can add up to hundreds of calories. Furthermore, as you already know, nuts are high in fat.
Make your trail mix and stick to a quarter-cup serving size.
Dried Fruit
Dried fruits are regular fruits that have had their water removed. A cup of dried fruit contains five to eight times the calories and sugar of fresh fruit. Here’s some context: A cup of fresh grapes contains 60 calories, while a cup of raisins contains 460.
When possible, choose fresh fruit. Dried fruit should be used sparingly as a garnish, not as a snack.
Chocolate
Dark chocolate includes disease-fighting polyphenols and has even been linked to weight loss if consumed in moderation. However, a single ounce of dark chocolate contains 155 calories and 9 grams of fat, 5 of which are saturated.
Snack on dark chocolate with a high proportion of cacao, which means it’s less sweet. Only eat a couple of squares at a time.
Gluten free Packaged Foods
If you are gluten intolerant, you must exclude wheat, barley, and rye from your diet to be healthy. However, gluten-free products are not always diet-friendly. For example, gluten free packaged foods frequently replace ordinary flour with calorically dense cornstarch and brown rice flour.
Tip: Whether you’re gluten-free or not, you should strive to eat as many whole, natural foods as possible while limiting your intake of excessively processed foods.
Smoothies
What could go wrong with a cold glass of mixed fruit, vegetables, and ice? But, when made with chocolate, peanut butter, frozen yogurt, or flavored syrups and served in large cups, they quickly become a sneaky source of extra calories. Some are as unhealthy as a milkshake!
To avoid becoming a calorie bomb, your blended beverage should only contain fresh or unsweetened frozen fruit, ice, plain yogurt, and unsweetened milk.
Salad of Tuna
A serving of tuna canned in water contains 39 grams of protein and only 179 calories. The problem is that most people add mayo, which adds 90 calories and 10 grams of fat to each tablespoon.
Tip: Replace mayo with Greek yogurt for the same tangy flavor at a quarter of the calories and fat, plus an extra protein boost.
Coffee
Caffeine in coffee may help preserve brain cells from the damage that underlies dementia, while antioxidants in coffee may prevent disease. However, if you order a large latte with whole milk, you will consume up to 300 calories and 15 grams of fat.
Tip: If you drink it black, you’ll save 5 calories. For an extra 30 calories, add a splash of fat-free milk and a teaspoon of sugar.
Yogurt
A 100-calorie container of plain yogurt contains calcium, which helps build bones. A tiny cup of yogurt with fruit on the bottom, on the other hand, may have up to 150 calories and 26 grams of sugar.
Purchase plain, fat-free yogurt and sweeten it with fresh fruit and honey. Fat-free Greek yogurt is even better because it includes twice as much protein as regular yogurt and is naturally lower in sugar.
Sushi
Raw fish alone will barely reduce your calorie consumption. Special sushi rolls, on the other hand, are a different matter. They frequently include high-calorie ingredients like cream cheese, spicy mayo, tempura-battered shrimp, and white rice. It would help to avoid soy sauce because it contains salt, which can cause bloating.
Tip: Skip the extra components and go for sashimi, brown rice sushi, or a plain roll.
Wraps for sandwiches
You could be praising yourself for opting for a wrap over a couple of slices of bread. WideUnfortunately, wide varieties are worse for your waistline than a couple of pieces of whole-grain bread. A Mission Spinach Wrap, for example, contains 210 calories, 5 grams of fat, and 440 milligrams of bloated salt before you even add any toppings.
Use smaller sandwich tortillas (6 to 8 inches in diameter) to keep calories under control. Also, make sure the package says 100% whole grain. Some vegetarian wraps are white flour wrap with a small amount of vegetables and food coloring.
Learn more: How to Grill Whole Fish