If you think that the sweet tempting cookies sitting on the grocery store shelf labeled "100 calories" are great for you, then you are probably getting played by one of the biggest tricks in the book.
100 calorie packs may sound tempting if you are on a diet, but most of them can surely lead you to more trouble. Even though snacks are the main culprit of this war on fewer calories, there are other low calorie foods you should be wary of. Below is a top three list of some of the worst, with some healthier "swapping" suggestions.
3. 100 Calorie Cookie Packs
Popular cookie brands like Keebler and Chips Ahoy may try to persuade you with their healthy labels, but when it comes to cookies the cut calories aren't worth the loaded sugar and fat content
Keebler tries to lure diet crowds through the sale of their Right Bites, line. These delectable bites, like the company's Mini Brownies may be low in calories, but 40 of those calories come from fat, plus you get over 7 grams of sugar.
Nabisco also has their own version of low calorie favorites, placing more of an emphasis on their whole grain line of low-calorie options.
The brand's Snack Well's line may be low in calories, but with snacks like their mint fudge shortbread cookies, you get 40 calories of fat with over 8 grams of sugar.
Let's not forget, without an adequate, good dose of protein and with high amounts of sugar, these snacks are likely to leave you craving more sweets in a incorporate hours or less.
Before you know it, you are going through 5 snack packs, instead of just one. At this point, you are well over the recommended caloric intake for a healthy meal.
Healthy Swap Suggestion: If you are craving something sweet, why not reach for a sweet range of fruit? Strawberries are a good option, as well as raspberries and blueberries. They also comprise antioxidants, which your immune theory loves!
To make them a itsybitsy more interesting, dab with a small amount of low-fat Cool Whip. (But, no more than two tablespoons per serving.)
2. Reduced Sodium Soups and Such
In the class of the worst low calorie foods, there is nothing more deceiving than delving into a warm cup of soup, only to seek that your "heart healthy" version may not be so healthy.
Heart healthy soups have been favorite sellers at grocery stores over the country plainly because of clever marketing.
Even though Campbell's healthy request line of soups reduces sodium into the 400's down from their regular soup (760!), this is still way too much sodium for one serving. When looking for heart-healthy soup, look for labels that say "low in sodium" versus "reduced sodium."
Healthy Swap Suggestion: Instead, look for soups from brands like Amy's, dream Foods, and other more natural and organic food companies. Most of these associates offer low calorie soups, with sodium that is only in the 100-200 range per serving.
1. Falling for Low Calorie Fast Food
Probably the worst culprit in the realm of deceitful low calorie foods is the scam of low calorie fast food options.
Let's not forget: fast food is made to sell, and to sell Fast. This means it's cheaply made, and very unhealthy.
Even if you pull up to the drive-through, and you see a ton of low calorie options on the menu, don't be fooled by the advertising.
Other than containing a ton of added fillers and chemicals, most fast food is still very high in sodium, which is a disastrous formula for high blood pressure and cholesterol problems.
Most fast food is also cooked using hydrogenated vegetable oil, which contains unhealthy trans fats.
Healthy Swap Suggestion: If you still crave burgers and fries, there is a healthier way to get your fix, other than ordering from a window.
When shopping, buy the leanest ground beef you can find. (Ideally 93/7). If you surely want to switch things up, go for bison meat, rather than ground beef, and use whole wheat buns instead of the regular kind.
What Low Calorie Foods Should You Watch Out For?
