They are considered particularly healthy and should often end up on the plate. But even supposedly healthy foods can have the opposite effect – and quickly become a calorie trap. We reveal which five foods you should eat in moderation.
A healthy diet without regrets is becoming a priority for more and more people.
Above all, those who want to lose weight exchange low-nutrient snacks for alternatives that do something good for the body and support their own goals.
Hidden Sugar And Fat Traps
But what only becomes apparent when you take a closer look at the nutritional information is that these supposedly healthy foods often also have many calories.
In addition, processed products in the supermarket, in particular, turn out to be real sugar and fat traps. Preparing granola, crispbread, and the like yourself is worth it in many cases.
Suppose you want to reduce your body fat percentage. In that case, you should take a closer look when shopping and snacking and, if necessary, reconsider the portion size of certain ingredients.
These healthy foods should only be eaten in moderation.
Dried Fruits
Dried fruits are used in many recipes: protein bites, smoothies, yogurt and muesli or simply as a sweet snack between meals.
Of course, dried fruit is a healthier snack than gummy bears or biscuits. However, one should not underestimate the sugar and calorie content.
While fresh fruit contains 15 to 20 grams of natural sugar and some fiber, depending on the variety, 30 grams of dried fruit (about 3 to 4 dates) have about the same amount of sugar. However, a few servings of dried fruit go down faster than three to four apples in one bite.
Alternative: If you want to save calories and sugar, you should choose fresh fruit with high water content. These include, for example, watermelon, grapefruit, nectarine, papaya or orange.
Nuts
The situation is similar with nuts. Whether macadamia, cashews, or walnuts, all varieties contain many healthy fats and plenty of calories.
Nuts should be an integral part of a balanced diet. After all, they have a variety of favorable health properties and can even help you lose weight.
However, it can also quickly happen here that suddenly several portions of nuts are eaten in one fell swoop.
Alternative: If you want to avoid this high energy intake, you should get an appropriate portion. The German Society for Nutrition (DGE) recommends eating a handful of nuts every day. That’s about 25 grams.
Smoothies
Milk, yogurt, fruit, nuts and seeds – the typical essential ingredients of smoothies are all healthy and nutritious, making the drink choice seem good.
But here, too, a calorie trap can lurk. Because with up to 800 calories and easily 60 to 80 grams of sugar per portion, the sweet drinks are pretty bulky.
Above all, the pre-mixed drinks available in the supermarket turned out to be sugar bombs on closer inspection.
Alternative: Mix smoothies based on green vegetables yourself. This saves a lot of calories and is still super tasty. You also have the certainty of which ingredients go into the blender.
Brown Rice
While brown rice offers a better nutritional profile than white rice, it’s still mostly a source of calories and carbohydrates with more protein and fiber.
As a tasty side dish in healthy dishes, it is straightforward to quickly eat several portions of rice and unconsciously take in more calories than you think.
Alternative: Ideally, a serving should only consist of half a cup. Therefore: When serving, it is better to give the vegetables a little more space on the plate and not just eat your fill of rice.
Dips
Whether it’s with a lunch bowl or with an evening snack: dips made from vegetables, for example, seem to be the perfect accompaniment.
However, even this type of snack can have a significant amount of fat and calories.
Hummus, for example, consists mainly of healthy chickpeas. However, depending on the recipe, it also contains many added oils. The supermarket versions, in particular, are not always as healthy as they appear.
Alternative: Make the delicious dip yourself. Suppose you want to save even more calories. In that case, you should use chopped vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers and peppers for dipping.
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