Brown Sugar. Sugar is sugar. Even naturally occurring simple sugars (those found in fruit juices or milk) raise insulin levels. Don’t get me wrong, there are times when this is desired – like just after a workout. My point is: if you’re haphazardly adding sugar to that which you already consume, you are keeping yourself away from your weight loss goals. As I mentioned above, sweeteners like aspartame or sucralose aren’t much better. If you absolutely feel you need something to sweeten your foods, try Stevia. This is a natural sweetener without the negative side effects.

Turkey Bacon. Since we now know to reduce saturated fat, many of us have migrated from bacon to turkey bacon. Although it contains less fat, this is still a highly processed item. Among other gross ingredients, it contains sodium nitrite as a preservative that has negative effects on the body. It has very little nutrition. A better choice is to drop the turkey bacon and include good quality protein, like egg whites.

Yogurt. Yes, yogurt is beneficial because it has the friendly bacteria that are good for digestion. But double check the nutrition label and you’ll see added sugar, especially with those that have the syrupy “fruit on the bottom”. A better choice is to go for the plain yogurt and add your own fresh fruit.

Peanut Butter. Peanuts are good for you because they have unsaturated fat and protein. So, peanut butter should be good, too, right? Yes, IF IT IS NATURAL. The added sugars and other ingredients will throw your good intentions off track (aside from the fact that it tastes like chemicals). Read the ingredients of your peanut butter. It should say “just peanuts”. If it has anything else, time to switch brands. 

Green Tea. Of course, green tea has antioxidants and is good for you. Once again, this refers to the item in nature, not the kind that has gone through the processing plant, been mixed with sugar and preservatives and has come out in a nice pretty bottle. The green tea that is intended is the kind you buy in the tea aisle and comes in a tea bag. Same goes for the diet green tea – remember that they’ve got to make it sweet with something. If you shop at a major grocery store chain, odds are if it’s not sugar, it’s artificial sweetener.

Cranberry Juice. The same applies here. Cranberries have the benefits, not the “juice drink” or “juice cocktail”. You know you’re drinking the real thing if it’s tart. Because of this, most people dilute it with water or another juice.

100 calorie snacks. Just because it’s 100 calories, doesn’t mean it’s okay. The only reason these snack packs exist these days is because everyone is on the fitness kick and the snack companies need to stay in business. If you’re on a diet, the only way you’ll eat it is if it’s 100 calories. So they repackaged the exact same item in a 100 calorie serving. But the problem is not just the calories; it’s what the calories are made of. They still have added sugar. The companies didn’t change the composition of the junk food, they just changed the packaging. 

Looking back, it’s easy to see that eating these foods on a regular basis is still a high sugar – low nutrition diet. So, although you thought you didn’t eat “sweets”, I hope this sheds some light on the subject. 

It is best to eat as many unprocessed foods as possible because in all honesty, once man starts to process the food, the nutrition value goes downhill. If you feel you eat right and can’t lose weight, go through your refrigerator or cabinets and check out the nutrition labels of your favorite foods. Observe the grams of fat and sugar in the food – you will be surprised. Take it a step further and look at the ingredients. Usually, the longer the list, the less nutritious the food is. And if you see artificial flavors, colors, or other things that you do not recognize, should you really be putting them in your body?

Copyright © 2007 by A.M. Birmingham, ISSA CFT