From rice cakes to fruit yoghurt… 10 ‘healthy’ foods that may be piling on the pounds
Some of those healthy foods you've been snacking on may be laced with hidden sugars and additives
YOU'RE doing everything right - exercising, drinking plenty of water, eating healthy - and yet you're still not losing weight.
Worse still, you've actually gained weight.
You might think it's down to the chocolate cake incident that shall never be spoken of again. But the truth is it could be down to the "healthy" snacks you eat every day.
Some of those healthy foods may be laced with hidden sugars and additives - sabotaging your best intentions.
If that's not the case, maybe you are eating more of it than you should because you think it's harmless.
Actually, what all of this is doing is helping you put on weight.
Here we reveal ten healthy foods that might not be so good...
1. Rice cakes
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but your go to afternoon snack might not be your friend.
"Rice cakes are often thought of as a low fat, gluten free health food," nutritionist Cassandra Barns said.
"However, most rice cakes are made from white refined rice, leaving them with a glycaemic index close to 91 (pure glucose has a rating of 100).
"This means that rice cakes breakdown into sugar rapidly within the body, resulting in blood sugar imbalances and weight gain."
2. Fruit yoghurt
It satisfies your sweet tooth for a reason.
"The label might say ‘low fat fruit yogurt’ and so you would think it would help with controlling your weight, but the yogurt can contain up to eight teaspoons of added refined sugar," Dr Marilyn Glenville, nutritionist and author of Natural Alternatives to Sugar said.
"Often sugar is the next ingredient after milk in highest amounts in the yogurt.
"This type of yogurt will be a high GI food causing your body to release more insulin to deal with the quick rise in blood sugar (blood glucose) and insulin is your fat storing hormone of the body."
3. Gluten-free food
Unless you have a gluten intolerance or Coeliacs disease you shouldn't be cutting gluten out of your diet.
";If you’re going gluten-free, don’t be taken in, gluten-free breads, baked goods and treats can be higher in sugar and additives and have a higher glycaemic index than their gluten-containing equivalents," Cassandra said.
"A better approach to healthier baked foods – whether you’re gluten-free or not – is to make your own with recipes that use minimal sugar and alternative whole grain flours, coconut flour or ground almonds."
4. Soup
Unless it's home made you're probably eating too much sugar.
"You might think that a can of soup would be a light and satisfying meal but again you have to read the ingredients on the label," Marilyn added.
"Many of them will have added sugar and some also have glucose syrup.
"Both the sugar and glucose is going to cause a rise in blood glucose and then an increase in release of insulin which triggers to store fat."
5. Almonds
They're a healthy snack, but should only be a small snack.
"When it comes to nuts, almonds can be very moreish, and it’s easy to polish off a small 100g bag whilst racking in nearly 600 calories within minutes," Cassandra said.
"Portion control is absolutely vital with a handful being the optimal portion size."
6. Popcorn
Healthy popcorn has really taken off, but you may find you are hungrier more often if that's your chosen snack.
"It’s often considered a healthier alternative to crisps, but popcorn is still high in fast-absorbed carbohydrates that can spike your blood sugar," Cassandra added.
"And because sugar damages proteins, high blood sugar is your skin’s worst enemy.
"It can be a better option than some other snacks, but popcorn should still be a treat rather than a staple food in your diet."
7. Cereal bars
They can seem like a healthier option, but cereal bars can be as bad for you as the chocolate bars or sweets you seek to replace.
Some are around one-third sugar, and they can contain artificial flavourings and sweeteners and unhealthy vegetable oils, too.
All of these things are bad news for your waist line and skin and can encourage ageing.
8. Skimmed milk
It may contain less fat but what else has been taken out of your glass?
"For years it seemed like common sense to choose the low fat, low calorie milk option," Cassandra said.
"But in reality by choosing skimmed milk, we are missing out on much need fat soluble nutrients like vitamins such as D, A, E.
"Fat really isn’t the health villain we have been led to believe. It has now been disproved that full fat milk leads to weight gain and heart disease.
"In fact organic full fat milk provides us with many essential fatty acids like omega 3’s and conjugated linoleic acid, which have powerful inflammatory and brain health benefits."
9. Tomato pasta sauce
It's a quick and easy way to make dinner, but do you know what's really in that jar?
"You would think that tomato sauce would be healthy as it is low in fat but unless you make it yourself it can also be high in added sugar,"; Marilyn added.
"And you if you then pour this over white pasta, which in itself is a high glycaemic index food because it is a refined carbohydrate like sugar then you have a double whammy on your weight gain."
MORE ON DIET AND NUTRITION
10. Vegetable oil spreads
This is one of the worst things you can eat if you want to keep healthy looking skin.
"Vegetable oil spreads and margarines are made by bubbling hydrogen through liquid vegetable oils, which can create damaging and ageing trans fats," Cassandra said.
"Butter is actually a much better alternative as a spread, as it’s a natural solid fat and contains vitamin A, which is vital for our skin.
"For cooking, cold-pressed olive oil, coconut oil, butter and ghee are all great.
"Ghee is especially good for cooking and roasting as it has a high smoke point, tastes delicious and provides vitamin A."
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours