A Caesar Salad is Worse than a Burger

For the average person who is trying to watch their weight, dieting can be tough at times. You feel like you’re making the right choices and still struggling to shift weight. But part of the reason for this is that a lot of foods are misleading. for example, you walk into McDonalds with your friend, they order a bacon double cheese burger, but you’re on a diet, so you opt for the southwest crispy chicken salad thinking you’re making a healthy choice. In actual fact the salad contains 480 calories. That’s 40 calories higher than the bacon double cheese burger. This is why checking calorie content of foods is important when you’re trying to lose weight.

Firstly, well done for embarking on your fitness and weight loss journey. For some it can difficult to know what the healthy choices really are…so here is a guide to help you to make the right decision. You’ll be surprised!

Foods to avoid:

Dried Fruit: A popular go to snack. And you wouldn’t be alone in thinking that dried fruit must be healthy…it’ just fruit right? Think again. High in sugar and calories take a look at these stats:
Dried mango – 319kcals for 100g
Dried apricot – 319kcals per 100g
Raisins – 299kcals per 100g
Dried pear – 262kcals per 100g

Homemade Granola: Often people have a bowl of granola for breakfast thinking that it’s healthy, or use it to top yogurt, but did you know that 1 cup of granola contains a whopping 453kcals.

Coconut Milk: Do you ever cook with coconut milk? Well think again and maybe opt for fresh coconut instead. Per cup of coconut milk there is a massive 455kcals.

There are other foods which need to be eaten in moderation. Often thought to be healthy…things like nuts are great to be eaten as a small snack, but just because they are deemed healthy it doesn’t mean that you can eat a whole bag of them as the calorie content could shock you! Let’s take a look

Pecan Nuts: containing 691kcals per 100g this could be nearly half of your daily calorie allowance. Closely followed by brazil and walnuts, these are defiantly a snack to be eaten in small amounts.

Pine Nuts: Often thought to be healthy, these are used to top food and make dressings, but pine nuts will clock up 673kcals for each 100g eaten.

Peanut Butter: A 30g teaspoon of peanut butter has 198kcals. Often we overload the spoon which can almost double the calories in one serving. We would suggest opting for a natural peanut butter which does not contain any added sugars or added ingredients. Don’t be fooled by peanut butter alternatives either, packing approximately the same number of calories cashew or almond butter are no better.

Olive Oil: When dressing salads or cooking we often opt for olive oil, there are so many positive articles about the health benefits of olive oil, but be careful! When on a low carb diet, we need good fats in our diets to provide us with energy and allow our bodies to function sufficiently. However, pouring olive oil onto your salad, or using it in every meal could hinder your weight loss. Olive oil has 119kcals per tablespoon and using 2 spoons on each salad for lunch and dinner will add 476kcals onto your daily intake. So measure your salad dressings and remember to include the total in your calories for the day.

There are hidden calories in many foods that are categorised as “healthy” just take a look at a few of these:

I hope that this blog as made you realise that not all foods are the same and that often a healthy sounding option isn’t what you think. Start to read the food labels, look at the calorie content as well as the fats, carbs and protein too and make the right choices, especially when it comes to food on the go.