food

After the holidays, the New Year rings in resolutions. Some of us decide to work on our career and take the next step in the New Year, while others just want to save for trips around the world. The most common New Year’s resolution is to lose weight or eat more healthy food, which is easier said than done. Difficulty in finding the right diet comes from the endless options at the grocery store and even though a lot of packages say “fat-free” or “sugar-free”, you really need to do your research to understand what food is made of. Here’s a list of popular diet foods that have been mistaken as healthy options for your diet.

Yogurt

This creamy treat is believed to be a great snack food but it depends on what kind you buy. Plain yogurt has up to 14g of sugar in one serving and flavored yogurt has an added 15g of sugar on top of that. Even though it makes everything taste great, sugar can cause diabetes, weight gain and affect your immune system. Instead of eating these yogurts with high-sugar content, go for low-fat yogurt or, even better, fat-free Greek Yogurt and toss a teaspoon of honey or all-fruit spread to give it flavor but in your control.

Diet Drinks

Many of us are guilty of giving into soda pop cravings by grabbing the diet version of our favorite soda but, unfortunately, “diet” doesn’t mean healthy. Diet drinks are packed with artificial ingredients and are high in sodium to give it its flavor. If it seems like the craving for bubbles isn’t blowing away, choose sparkling mineral water and add lemon or lime to give flavor. You can even get a little more creative and add an array of fruits, such as orange wedges and berries.

Light Salad Dressings

Most of know that dressings such as bacon salad dressing and ranch are fattening. Therefore, we try to choose healthier options such as “light” salad dressings that are still yummy. Even though they are labeled as “light”, they are packed with fat to add flavor, preservatives to prolong shelf-life, and additives such as sodium and sugar. Instead of choosing the light salad dressings, grab some balsamic vinegar and drizzle it on your salad with some extra virgin olive oil. The vinegar and oil balance each other out and create a savory flavor with significantly less fat, sodium and sugar.

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