Surprising Diet Foods Ingredients You Must Avoid to Reach Your Fitness Goals 

With the skyrocketing rates of obesity in the western parts of the world it’s no wonder that diet foods are the hottest meals on the menu these days. But are diet foods really what you should be eating to not just lose weight but get healthy and fit? Diet foods are often thought of as being healthy but may not be the best choice.  

Just because a food is labeled as ‘diet’ doesn’t mean it’s good for you or even will help you to lose weight. In fact, studies are now showing that many people who go on diets eating diet foods actually gain back not only the weight they initially lost but more pounds than before! 

It’s time to re-think just what the best diet foods really are. When you want to eat a healthy meal it’s important to include certain ingredients and to absolutely avoid others. (See the article Discover a Healthy Recipe for Eating to Reach Your Weight Loss Goals and Achieve Optimal Health for what foods to include.)  

If you’re serious about losing weight and getting healthy it’s important to know a few points about the foods you choose to eat. First of all you have to start reading ingredient labels on all the foods you choose. It’s not enough to read the clever advertising on the box and make your decision from this. The fact is they can be very misleading and guide the consumer to make completely wrong, unhealthy food choices.  

Marketing executives know what to say and how to say it to get you to buy! Don’t fall into their trap, outsmart them by knowing what ingredients to avoid.  

5 Important Ingredients to Avoid (at all costs!) 

1.    High Fructose Corn Syrup 

2.    Partially Hydrogenated or Hydrogenated Oils 

3.    Artificial colors, preservatives, flavorings 

4.    Genetically Modified Foods 

5.    Refined sugars, grains, salts 

While exploring each of these dangerous, yet commonly found ingredients is important it would be very lengthy. Let’s look at a few highlights about these ingredients that are found in virtually every food on the grocery store shelves.  

(Test this statement for yourself. Go to your local grocery store and see if you can find five items on the shelf that don’t contain any of the above ingredients. It’s not easy!) 

High Fructose Corn Syrup: A Dangerous, Highly Processed Sugar 

High fructose corn syrup has been shown in various studies to contribute to obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and coronary heart disease. While there are other studies with conflicting evidence it’s important to remember that these studies were paid for by beverage companies using high fructose corn syrup in their products.  

High fructose corn syrup is cheaper and extends the shelf life of the products it’s found in at your local grocery store. It’s high in calories and low in nutrients, avoid this ingredient.   

Partially Hydrogenated Oils in All You Eat 

Partially hydrogenated oils are hard to avoid unless you’re looking. These oils contain high amounts of trans fats and up your bad cholesterol while lowering your good cholesterol and that’s just for starters. You really have to read labels to avoid these as they’re found in almost every grocery store product. (Even ones labeled organic or healthy.) 

The remainder of the list speaks for itself and all should be avoided in any diet meal.  

Basically if you want to find diet foods that are good for you and will help you reach your end goals of losing weight and being healthy opt for fresh, locally grown, organic foods. These include fruits, vegetables, seeds, grains, milk, and even meat and eggs.  

A diet meal that includes any of the ingredients on the above list and is low on fresh, whole foods is a meal that will leave you wanting more to eat. If you give your body the proper foods (fresh and organic) you won’t keep craving more to eat. Eventually after eating the right ‘diet foods’ on a regular basis your cravings for junk foods will disappear almost entirely.  

Learning what goes into your foods, reading labels, and choosing fresh wholesome foods that come from your local area is the best way to eat diet foods and plan a lifetime diet menu that will keep you lean, healthy, and happy for life!