3 Healthy Looking Food Fails

Let’s say you are starting a diet, but you really aren’t sure “how” to diet. Most people just start by making “healthier” choices. They eat less fried food and pick more fresh foods. They choose low fat items over the regular high fat item. When they go out, they start eating more salads and sandwiches rather than burgers and pizza. Over time, the person may feel better, but they don’t understand why they aren’t losing the weight faster – or maybe not at all.

Sadly, the problem with this approach is, the “healthier” version can be just as high in calories – and sometimes even MORE! Here are just a few examples of how someone can sabotage success even with the best intensions.

Bear Naked Granola

Some of the decisions you may start making is trading donuts, breakfast pastries and cereals for healthier sounding choices like granola. Granola’s “healthy” right? So you pour a cup of your new high-protein Bear Naked® Original Cinnamon Protein Granola with some Vanilla Almond milk – another healthy choice you read about in the magazines. A few spoonfuls later, you have consumed double the amount of calories you really should when on a diet for weight loss. The granola by itself is over 500 calories and packed with sugar and fat. If you want whole grains, grab some steal cut oatmeal instead.

Try this: 6 ounces Plain Greek Yogurt, 3 tablespoons Bear Naked Protein Granola and 4 tablespoons blueberries for only 226 calories.

Arby’s Double Rachel

So, you are in a pinch and you decide to hit the healthiest fast food drive-through you can think of. You remember that Arby’s has market fresh sandwiches so you head there. As you look at the menu, you see the new Rachel sandwich and think “perfect! A turkey sandwich!”. This has to be better than the Roast Beef topped with cheddar sauce right? Then you see you can make it a double, and since you’re trying to get more protein, you decide to double the turkey with a diet coke and skip those yummy Curly Fries you like so much.

Ironically, your “healthy” choice has DOUBLE the calories of the popular Roast Beef and Cheddar or even the French Dip & Swiss/Au Jus. You could have had the Junior Roast beef with Curly Fries and SAVED 360 CALORIES! This 810 calorie harmless looking “healthy” sandwich has 330 MORE calories than the Grand Turkey Club with that evil greasy Bacon everyone is so scared to eat! Your good intensions failed.

Try this: Grand Turkey Club (and take off one piece of bread for approximately 380 calories)

Grilled Shrimp ‘N Spinach Salad

Let’s look at another scenario. Maybe you are with some colleagues and they all want to go to Applebee’s after work. While everyone else orders ribs, wings and quesadillas, you choose a salad. SInce the Oriental salad has fried chicken on it, you skip over that salad and choose the Grilled Shrimp ‘N Spinach Salad. While you are correct on the Oriental Chicken Salad having even MORE calories, you still are choosing a 1,000 calorie salad. You could have ordered the Double-Glazed Baby Back Ribs- half rack, Sweet Asian Chile Sauce for the same amount of calories. Sadly, another fail.

Try this: Thai Shrimp Salad (390 calories) or the Pepper-Crusted Sirloin & Whole Grains (340 calories.

While eating healthier foods is fantastic and better for our body, the only way you can really know if you are making a right choice is to look up the calories. Checking labels on food is like checking price tags on clothes. You can never really know what you can afford until you know the cost. Don’t diet. Eat smart!

Have you ever made these mistakes? What high-calorie “healthy” foods have you discovered?