The Sugar Lurking in Your ‘Diet’ Foods

Are you confused and ready to give up on what to eat, when to eat it and how to be healthy? Certainly the countless options and advertisements for so-called healthy foods don’t help. Some common “diet” foods are Fiber One Bars, Nature Valley Granola Bars, 100 Calorie Packs and yogurt. What’s really good and what’s just pretending to be good? Many of these diet foods are like a wolf in sheep’s clothing ready to knock you off the path to losing weight and staying healthy.

Here are some simple suggestions that can get you going in the right direction in no time:

Figure out exactly what you are eating and just how healthy your snack really is. Check the nutrition label for the amount of sugar (in grams). Now, divide that number by 4. That's how many teaspoons of pure sugar you're consuming. Kinda scary, huh?

Sugar makes you fat and fat-free food isn't really free of fat. One way sugar can sabotage your body and cause fat storage is through excess glucose production. OK, let me really drive that home for you: your granola bar that is so “good for
you” has tons of sugar in it. Nature Valley Pecan Crunch Granola Bars have 12
grams of sugar – or 3 teaspoons in one packet.

Eat one of these every day for 5 days and guess what? You just consumed a fourth of a cup of sugar. Eat those granola bars in your lunch or for a snack every week for a month and you now consumed a whole cup of sugar just by eating granola bars. That is 700 calories from sugar alone!

After a month of eating granola bars, you will have consumed about 4,500. Remember 1 pound equals 3,500 calories so your granola bar habit helped you pack on more than 1 pound.

Want a simple solution to this sugar problem? Eliminate it! Stop eating processed
foods and get your sugar from natural fruits and veggies. Satisfy your sweet
tooth by eating apples or bananas and Smart Balance Peanut butter or eat some
of your favorite berries with lemon juice squeezed on top. Try Greek yogurt
with fruit and some almonds. You could also have some turkey deli meat with
fruit and nuts.

Stick with it and try new recipes every week. Remember to prepare and pre-plan as these are the secrets to success.

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