4 'Healthy' foods that might secretly be sabotaging your plans to lose weight

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By VT

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On the surface of it, eating healthily seems pretty simple, right?

Cut out the junk food, gorge on greens and other veggies, drink plenty of water; but anybody who's tried to change their diet in order to lose weight can tell you that it's a lot easier said than done in that respect. Try as you might, even if you've got the right idea, if you're not eating in the right portions, you're fighting a losing battle.

Even worse: the foods you most entrust to help you shed the pounds could be the secret culprits that are secretly sabotaging you; like Matt Damon's character in the Departed. Here are some of those healthy foods that might be a lot less healthy than you initially expected.

1. Granola

When you picture healthy people trying to eat breakfast (probably after one of those early-morning jogs), they're probably eating granola - but your average package of granola is way different to how we think of it in our minds. With  597 calories, 28 grams of fat, and 24 grams of sugar, you're eating nearly as much sugar as a chocolate cake with frosting. No - this doesn't mean you can eat chocolate cake for breakfast instead.

[[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnz55MQHfPA/?tagged=granola]]
2. Agave nectar

Another one of those foods that the guy who spends all of his time at Whole Foods talks way too much about, agave nectar has a reputation for being a healthier sweetener that honey or sugar, containing a way lower glycemic index than both of those sweeteners. Unfortunately, the fructose content in agave nectar is way higher than sugar and honey - around 90 percent. If you're trying to avoid type 2 diabetes, fructose can increase your insulin resistance in high doses.

[[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BnuNdBfFAJ4/?tagged=agavenectar]]
3. Fruit juice

Now, this isn't to say that you shouldn't eat fruit, or that you shouldn't make your own juices at home. Fruits have plenty of fibre, vitamins, nutrients and minerals - but turn your fruits into juices, and all that good stuff gets filtered out, leaving you with little more than fructose. See agave nectar above for why you don't want a ton of fructose at once.

[[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm02TOMn6Wm/?tagged=fruitjuice]]
4. Smoothie Bowls 

I'm sorry to say that smoothie bowls are a lot better for your Instagram feed than they are for your waistline. Pick one up at your local café and you're probably getting something with purées, sweetened yoghurt and - shudder - fruit juices. As a result, your average smoothie bowl has 490 calories and 67 grams of sugar. Whoa.

[[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn0UZlNjdxd/?tagged=smoothiebowls]]

Well folks, I don't know what else to tell you. If any of these foods were part of your healthy dieting plan, then I'm very sorry for your loss, but on the plus side, there are tons of many foods that you can have that can help you to lose weight, and they'll actually help you lose weight - instead of promising to.

4 'Healthy' foods that might secretly be sabotaging your plans to lose weight

vt-author-image

By VT

Article saved!Article saved!

On the surface of it, eating healthily seems pretty simple, right?

Cut out the junk food, gorge on greens and other veggies, drink plenty of water; but anybody who's tried to change their diet in order to lose weight can tell you that it's a lot easier said than done in that respect. Try as you might, even if you've got the right idea, if you're not eating in the right portions, you're fighting a losing battle.

Even worse: the foods you most entrust to help you shed the pounds could be the secret culprits that are secretly sabotaging you; like Matt Damon's character in the Departed. Here are some of those healthy foods that might be a lot less healthy than you initially expected.

1. Granola

When you picture healthy people trying to eat breakfast (probably after one of those early-morning jogs), they're probably eating granola - but your average package of granola is way different to how we think of it in our minds. With  597 calories, 28 grams of fat, and 24 grams of sugar, you're eating nearly as much sugar as a chocolate cake with frosting. No - this doesn't mean you can eat chocolate cake for breakfast instead.

[[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnz55MQHfPA/?tagged=granola]]
2. Agave nectar

Another one of those foods that the guy who spends all of his time at Whole Foods talks way too much about, agave nectar has a reputation for being a healthier sweetener that honey or sugar, containing a way lower glycemic index than both of those sweeteners. Unfortunately, the fructose content in agave nectar is way higher than sugar and honey - around 90 percent. If you're trying to avoid type 2 diabetes, fructose can increase your insulin resistance in high doses.

[[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BnuNdBfFAJ4/?tagged=agavenectar]]
3. Fruit juice

Now, this isn't to say that you shouldn't eat fruit, or that you shouldn't make your own juices at home. Fruits have plenty of fibre, vitamins, nutrients and minerals - but turn your fruits into juices, and all that good stuff gets filtered out, leaving you with little more than fructose. See agave nectar above for why you don't want a ton of fructose at once.

[[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm02TOMn6Wm/?tagged=fruitjuice]]
4. Smoothie Bowls 

I'm sorry to say that smoothie bowls are a lot better for your Instagram feed than they are for your waistline. Pick one up at your local café and you're probably getting something with purées, sweetened yoghurt and - shudder - fruit juices. As a result, your average smoothie bowl has 490 calories and 67 grams of sugar. Whoa.

[[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn0UZlNjdxd/?tagged=smoothiebowls]]

Well folks, I don't know what else to tell you. If any of these foods were part of your healthy dieting plan, then I'm very sorry for your loss, but on the plus side, there are tons of many foods that you can have that can help you to lose weight, and they'll actually help you lose weight - instead of promising to.