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So you decide you want to start eating good. You go to the grocery store begin buying low-fat goods. Low fat crackers for your low-fat Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup, wheat bread, and low-fat yogurt. What you don’t realize is, these are ALL bad diet choices.
Products such as regular saltine crackers, are naturally low in fat anyway. They are not the best for you because it contains unbleached white flour, but buying low-fat or fat-free saltine crackers are not going to help… at all. When a product like this (naturally low in fat) has a twin that is lower in fat, that means other bad ingredients are added to it, making this low-fat cracker taste better; ingredients such as more salt, sugar, and carbohydrates. All those things are bad for your health. Instead of eating regular crackers, go for the whole wheat crackers laying right next to the Saltines screaming “pick me! pick me!” They are also naturally low in fat, but minus the additives, high sodium, and sugar. Plus whole grain=good carbs giving you good energy. Which brings me to my next point.
You’re picking out some wheat bread. STOP! Wheat bread is another bad choice because it’s made with refined wheat products which really isn’t much better for you than white bread. You want to look for whole grain/whole wheat breads; they’re loaded with fiber (about 3 grams per slice) which keeps you fuller longer, so you don’t indulge later. But be careful, you still need to pay attention to the ingredients. Some manufacturers sneak the enemy into those whole grain products: high fructose corn syrup. We’re gonna just call it the enemy. The enemy is hidden in many products like sodas, fruit drinks, granola bars, and breads. It is a hidden sugar that may lead to obesity if you eat enough of it. Sugar is just as bad for you as fat is! So if you see the enemy in your whole wheat bread ingredients, your bread is corrupted; switch it out for bread without the enemy. Whew!
So many low-fat items are packed with extra sugars, carbs, preservatives, and salt. When you go to buy low-fat foods, make sure it is low in everything else too. When you buy yogurt, buy the low-fat plain yogurt. Other yogurt with fruit-at-the-bottom, or original flavored yogurt have extra sugar. To spice up you plain-old-healthy-low-fat-yogurt, add some honey in it and fresh strawberries! Honey is a good sugar because its natural. (I even put honey in my coffee and oatmeal!) Another enemy to look out for is partially hydrogenated oils which is a hidden trans fat also found in many low-fat items. Trans fat raises the level of bad cholesterol which can lead to heart disease.
Stick with natural, organic products and avoid processed and starchy ones. If you can’t understand the ingredients in your bread, don’t buy it.
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