Foods that fool you
Don't let food trick you this April Fool's Day! See behind the ruse of three foods that you thought were healthy and three foods that you didn't realize you should be eating. Like all good pranks, appearances can be deceiving and reading the labels can save you from falling into their grasp.
3 Foods You Should Not Eat
1. If you go out to eat on April 1st, beware of the salad. Did you know the average salad at a restaurant is around 800-1000 calories! Ruby Tuesday's Carolina Chicken Salad packs a whopping 1,007 calories and Wendy's Mandarin Chicken Salad has 540 calories and 25 grams of fat. If you want a healthy salad, you need to make it yourself, including the dressing.
2. Sipping a smoothie for lunch may seem like a good idea at the time, but do you really know what's in it? Even the healthiest smoothies contain added sweeteners like honey or worse corn syrup, whole dairy products like milk or yogurt and come in a portion size with more calories than the average meal! Once more, if you want it healthy, make it yourself.
3. Meal replacement bars must be low in calories. They're smaller than your hand and can leave you hungry, so they're healthy right? Wrong. First off, most ingredients in a health bar have been so over-processed, there are very few active nutrients left. To give chemical filled soy protein any flavor, sugars, hydrogenated oils and saturated fats are added. Not all meal replacement bars are created equal, so be sure to read the label.
Read more about 5 Foods You Should Never Eat.
3 Foods You Should Eat
1. If you have a late night snack attack, go old school and pop some corn on your stovetop. Most packaged popcorn is high in calories with added butter and flavorings, but cooked on the stove with a smidge of olive oil creates a very healthy snack. Add some salt and nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor that's good for you!
2. Stop skipping your morning coffee. Sure a caramel macchiato is not the way to go, but a cup or two of plain black coffee has proven to speed up the metabolism, segregate fatty acids from fat tissue and then oxidize them in essence helping with weight loss. It's also been proven to lower the risk of type II diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's.
3. If you are craving a healthy starch, take another look at potatoes and not just the sweet ones. Regular white potatoes have been given a bad rap, but the truth is they are fat free and filled with fiber, potassium and vitamins C and B. Keep the skin on them to add to their nutrient value, and don't load up on butter and sour cream!
Now you are prepared for food's gimmicks, but if the right choices still elude you, let Veestro be your guide. Take a look at one of our Weight Loss Meal Plans to find the best options for your total health. And just in case someone tells you chocolate is bad, don't listen! Happy April Fool's Day.
