Nutrition
Some of these 5 foods may surprise you!
Food trends and fads are ever changing but good nutrition is a constant for anyone looking to build lean muscle mass, burn calories, and live a strong and healthy life.
Don’t undo your fitness plans by eating the wrong foods. Take a looks at these 5 Heart Smart Minute foods to avoid.
Non-Organic Meat/Poultry/Dairy Products:
By now, you should know how important eating organic animal products is to your overall health. If you’re eating meat that is not organic you should strongly consider switching to organically farmed products. A 2010 study in the Nutrition Journal found that grass fed beef was higher in Omega-3 fatty acids compared to corn fed beef. It is also lower in fat. Organic farms are free of harmful antibiotics not to mention it’s a much better living environment for the animals.
Self Serve Frozen Yogurt:
This one was particularly difficult for me learn because I love frozen yogurt and really enjoy the self serve yogurt bars, but when I looked at the facts objectively it made perfect sense. When you walk into a self serve frozen yogurt bar, you’re handed a bowl large enough to feed a family of 4, and that’s the small size! A 2006 study in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine found that the size of a plate or bowl largely affects the amount of food served and eaten. The average person will eat 31% more when given a large bowl. Think about the amount of sugar and calories you’re eating when you fill up that frozen yogurt bowl, plus adding the high calorie toppings. I still go for frozen yogurt, but now I split a small bowl with a friend and get fresh strawberries instead of a sugary topping.
Fiber “Candy” Bars:
Next time you see a commercial for a fiber bar I want you to think one thing: lots of sugar and zero nutrition. A fiber bar is basically a candy bar, nothing more. Fiber is added into the bar which allows the manufacturer to call it a “fiber” bar. Remember, the manufactures of these products want you to buy their products and they know exactly what wording to use to get you to do that. Chances are you have one of these bars in your pantry right now, so go check out the ingredients…do these look familiar: Chocolate chips, corn syrup, sugar, honey, palm oil, fructose? That’s a candy bar not a healthy bar. Throw it out and eat an apple. Want extra fiber in your diet– eat whole foods: whole grains, legumes, fruits and veggies.
Speciality Coffee Drinks:
I spent a good year in high school living off of mocha fraps and couldn’t figure out why I was running track and still my butt was big! It doesn’t take Einstein to figure out these coffee drinks are loaded with hundred of calories and enough sugar for days. A large latte can run over 300 calories. Stay away from these, lots of sugar, calories and fat. Not to mention they get very expensive!
Fat-Free/Reduced Fat Products:
I know, this one gets confusing and needs some explanation because we are programmed to think reduced fat is good, fat free is even better. This is not always true and here’s the Clift Notes version of why. When you see Fat Free or Reduced Fat, I want a big red flag in your head to go off and I want you to think ADDED SUGAR. This is where label reading becomes extremely important. Remember, I told you manufacturers want you to buy their products and they know the words “fat free” is the golden goose to get you to do that. Each gram of fat has 9 calories but each gram of sugar has only 4 calories. So what they do is remove the fat but add sugar. This way when you look at the label you see fewer fat grams and fewer calories.
Let’s take peanut butter for example. Peanut butter is a high calorie food and manufacturers know you’re watching your weight so here’s what they do. Really good organic peanut butter has one ingredient in it: PEANUTS, maybe a little salt. But one serving of peanut butter is around 200 calories. So the makers will take out some of the fat, but in order to keep the taste and texture they add salt, oil, and preservatives–and there’s your Reduced Fat Peanut Butter. Not nearly as healthy as the original peanut butter which has monosaturated “healthy” fat, but sells twice as much, because most people don’t know the difference. If you’re thinking…I don’t mind having sugar instead of fat in my food as long as the calories are lower…think again. Sugar increases the chances of heart disease, inflammation, and Type 2 Diabetes. It’s better to have a little of the food in it’s original, unaltered state. So read your label and know what’s being taken out and put into your food.
