Yes, even healthy foods can sometimes ruin your diet. What you will notice throughout this article is that what's ruining your diet when eating these foods is the quantity. This is especially true when it comes to consuming dietary fats, which are quite high calorically.
Although some fats are regarded as healthy fats, it is key to consume them in moderation. This article will look at a number of dietary fats, and how they can possibly ruin your diet if you don’t watch out how much of it you consume daily.
Fats aren’t the only healthy foods that can ruin your diet. There are other foods like beverages, bars, fruits, and yogurts that can seriously hurt your progress.
So let’s find out exactly which are the 13 healthy foods that can ruin your diet, enjoy!
13 Bananas
Although bananas are fruits, it should be noted that they are packed with sugar and carbohydrates. The best time to eat a banana is either before the gym, to give you some energy, or after the gym, to bring your blood sugar levels back up. Having it at a random time of the day will just make you intake calories that will stick. A medium sized banana has 105 calories, and out of the 105 most of it is made out of carbohydrates. A medium sized banana is made up of 27 grams of carbs. If you’re going to keep this fruit in your diet be sure to time it properly, like before or after the gym.
12 Almonds
Healthy fats are a must have when following a low carb diet. However, if your carb intake is at a medium level, it might be best to really monitor your fat intake throughout the day. Keep in mind that nuts are predominantly fats, so you definitely have to portion how many you eat per serving. If you don’t feel like weighing your food, buy a measuring cup, this will allow you to easily portion the size of your serving. When it comes to almonds I recommend 1 oz, which is the equivalent of ¼ of a measuring cup. I know what you’re probably thinking, that doesn’t seem like much, but the truth is, in just this amount of almonds there are 14 grams of fat and 163 calories. My recommendation is to go for this serving size 1-2 times a day.
11 Smoothies
Smoothies may seem like a great option and why not, they are usually filled with fresh fruits. However, it is important to really know exactly what is inside the smoothie. What may seem like a 100 calorie drink can actually be double that. Smoothie shops have drinks ranging between 250 calories to 450 calories. Some smoothies are filled with a thick yogurt which increases the calories of the smoothie.
If you opt for a smoothie shop, the best choice you can make is to get a freshly squeezed fruit juice or vegetable juice. This allows you to really see what goes into your smoothie, while having fresh produce.
10 Sushi
The impact of sushi on a diet is still very misunderstood. Can you actually eat sushi while on a diet? The answer is yes. Now don’t get me wrong, you can’t have sushi everyday, but you can incorporate it into a diet sometimes. Some sushi is very low calorie and high in protein. It is important that since they do have a sufficient amount of carbohydrates in them, that you lower your fat intake for the day.
Although one thing you must realize is that not all sushi is low in calories. Some sushi’s have as much as 100 calories per piece. High calorie pieces consist of cream cheese, tempura flakes, and spicy mayo sauce. If you’re looking for a healthy sushi option, stick to the pieces that have veggies and lean fish, these pieces will meet your requirements.
9 Granola and energy bars
Bars are a man and woman’s best friend when you’re on the run looking to consume a quick snack. It is important however to chose your fuel source wisely. Some granolas are packed with sugar. A small granola bar of 24 grams has 18 grams of carbohydrates and 6 grams of sugar, which is crazy to think that a bar has almost 1 gram of carb per its entire weight. Protein bars are also a very high caloric option. In some cases, you can use them as a meal replacement rather than a snack. Some bars of just 50 grams have more than 250 calories total.
Be aware of what you need at that given moment. If you’re about to have supper, opt for a smaller bar with a lesser caloric density. It’s all about how your day's going, if you hardly ate, then a protein bar can be a good option because they are calorie dense with a sufficient amount of protein, carbs, and fats, as opposed to granola bars, which are typically high in fat and carbs, while having only a gram of protein in them.
8 Flavored Greek yogurt
Flavored Greek yogurt may seem like the sexier option because of taste. Let’s face it, plain Greek yogurt just doesn’t taste as good. The difference between the two though, health wise, is quite staggering. A 175 gram serving of regular Greek yogurt has 18 grams of protein and only 5 grams of carbs, for a total of 100 calories. While a flavored Greek yogurt has up to 35 grams of carb and only 12 grams of protein for a total of 200 calories. The most noticeable difference is in the caloric density of the products. The flavored yogurt is packed with sugars, which increases the carb intake to 35 grams, while regular Greek yogurt has only 5 grams in a serving size that is 25 grams bigger. If you’re looking to cut your carbs, the choice is obvious, stick to good old natural Greek yogurt.
7 Turkey slices
Turkey slices are normally a great option. They are high in protein and contain barely any fat. It is key to know what type of turkey you are buying. Deli Turkey can be packed with sodium, it can also have up to 1,000 mgs of sodium per serving. Make sure when you buy turkey that you are going for the extra lean option.
6 Brown bread
If you’re trying to lose weight, I would strongly recommend cutting out bread altogether. No matter what kind of bread, bread normally has a very low caloric density. High caloric dense foods usually have a sufficient amount of carbs, proteins, and fats, making them dense foods. While bread is predominantly made up of carbohydrates, a medium amount of fat, and low amount of protein. Having veggies, which are filled with healthy minerals, can be a strong alternative to bread.
5 Cashews
Like almonds, cashews need to be eaten in moderation. In just 1 oz of cashews there are 12 grams of fat and 9 gram of carbohydrates. As previously mentioned with almonds, I suggest an intake of ¼ cup or 1 oz , 1-2 times day. You can also mix the two together going for 15 grams of each. Also, don’t forget to opt for the unsalted version of the cashews and almonds.
4 Peanut butter
Like other healthy fats, peanut butter needs to be taken in moderation. In only one serving of peanut butter there are almost 100 calories along with 8 grams of fat. Keep in mind that one serving size is the equivalent of 1 tablespoon which really isn’t much. If you’re on a high fat-low carb diet, I recommend 1-2 servings a day.
3 Sports drink
They're called sports drinks for a reason. The reason is because they are meant to be consumed during or after games. If you’re going to have a any sports drink and just sit, well that won’t work too well for you and here's why:
The goal of any sports drink is to replenish you with energy. So following a hockey game, your body craves an energy source, which is found in sports drinks. Now ask yourself, what is the primary source for energy production in the body, if you guessed carbohydrates you're right. These drinks are basically packed with carbs and nothing else. A regular lime flavored sports drink has 38 grams of carbs, 0 fats, and 0 protein.
If you’re not going to be active, the facts are rather evident, don’t consume a sports drink.
2 Avocado
A reoccurring theme in this article is the amount of high calories you get out of fats. Avocado is yet another example of this and something that you must portion when consuming.
Avocado is a great food source that is high in vitamins and potassium, but like other fats, it must be consumed in a proper portion size. A medium sized avocado of 100 grams contains 15 grams of fat. My recommendations for an avocado it to consume one a day. The best way to go about this is by breaking down half for lunch and the other half for supper.
1 Oil
When it comes to oil be very careful with how much you consume throughout the course of a day. In just 1 gram of olive oil there is 1 gram of fat. You must be very aware of how much olive oil you consume over the course of a day. My recommendations is to cook using a Pam spray, which has zeros across the board in terms of carbs, fats, and proteins. Use olive oil as a dressing on your food as opposed to cooking your food with it. My advice would be to consume 10-20 grams of olive oil per day. You can split this between 2-3 meals.
Olive oil can also serve an important purpose during a high fat-low carb diet. Just be sure to portion the oil properly. Your fat numbers and calorie numbers can increase dramatically if you are not aware of how much oil you are having per day.
sources: cheatsheet.com, stylecaster.com
