Foods to Watch Out for when You Are Dieting!

Everyone knows that one of the biggest things you have to watch out for when you are dieting is excess calories. Your calorie balance at the end of the day is what is going to translate to either a weight gain or weight loss. When it comes right down to it, a diet is that simple. Sure some foods maybe offer you more health benefits than others and can aide in determining the type of weight you lose (fat as opposed to muscle) during the diet but as long as you are taking in less calories than you are burning you will see the number on the scale going down.

There are some foods though that you often associate as being low calorie 'diet' foods but in all reality can provide you with many problems if you are not careful. These are the foods that you really have to watch out for as they can sneak many extra calories into your daily diet without you even knowing it.

As long as you make intelligent choices with regards to these types of foods then you should really have no problems with your diet progress. Below you will find a list that you should memorize. Next time you are out and are thinking about consuming one, make sure you make a diet friendly decision.

1. Soups. Many people know that when you are dieting it is a good idea to consume soup before the main course. Soup has an ability to create a sensation of fullness so that you eat less during the actual meal. This is very true however if you are not careful, that innocent soup can pack away a lot of calories and really put a dent into your diet. Stay away from any cream or milk based soups. These are going to be likely high in both calories and saturated fat. Choose broth based soups instead, preferably vegetable since they will be low calorie and also help you to get your vegetable count up higher which is very important while on a diet.

2. Coffee. Almost everyone starts their morning with a cup of coffee these days, diet or no diet. And while a cup can aide in your diet process, given that caffeine helps to give you energy and speeds up the metabolism, if you are going into one of those fancy coffee shops and basically ordering a dessert-in-a-cup types of coffee, complete with whip cream and chocolate sprinkles you are definitely not doing your diet any favours. Stick with a plain black coffee and then add a sugar-free sweetener and either a bit of skim milk or a sugar free syrup. You will still get the benefit of caffeine as a pick-me-up but will not see your dieting results fall by the wayside.

3. Salads. How many times have you seen someone who is on a diet go into a restaurant and order a salad? I'm guessing at least once or twice. They think they are making the healthy choice but in all reality there could very well be sabotaging their diets tremendously. The problem here comes with the salad dressing that is added, plus anything else like cheese, egg yolks or nuts (healthy in moderation). While some salad dressings can offer healthy fat, stay far away from creamy type dressings and make sure regardless of which one you choose, it is low in fat. Cheese is really not ever the best option since it is extremely calorie dense and again is full of saturated fat. If you are concerned over calcium you would be far better off option for a glass of skim or 1% milk or some low fat yogurt or cottage cheese.

4. Dried Fruit. While fruit is definitely a good part of any diet, you need to be very careful of dried fruit in particular. The reason for this is because while it is still high in vitamin content, it is also incredibly high in calories. You would have to eat considerable amounts of fresh fruit to equal the same caloric value of dried fruit. Therefore, for the dieter, it is best to bypass the dried fruit.

5. Granola Cereal/Bars. While this may seem like a healthy selection for any diet you need to be very careful because they are often loaded with added sugars. Conventional cereal bars on the market today are heavily processed and will send your insulin levels through the roof and then crashing down once again which is definitely not an ideal situation for fat loss. You are much better off making you own low-fat, low-sugar muffins and having them on your way to work. Or alternatively, take a piece of fresh fruit, a small packet of peanut butter and some yogurt to eat once you get to the office. This will supply you with some healthy carbohydrates, protein and fat to get your day started right. With granola cereal, you can find some healthy varieties however again you must watch both calorie and sugar (and sometimes even fat!) contents.

So next time you are trying to choose something to eat, ask yourself if there may be any hidden sugars, calories or fats in the foods you are about to consume. It will definitely help if you can get a hold of a copy of a book of calorie values to get a better feel for what is in some common foods.

Armed with the right knowledge and some careful decision making I have no doubt that you will have much success on your diet.