FOOD SPECIAL...Diet foods that make you fat!

Diet foods that make you fat!

Every dieter worth his salt has at some point or the other fallen for gimmicky foods that scream “low fat”, “less calories” or “sugar free”. Most people‘s reason to pick “diet food” is that they’re relatively healthy. Here are a few facts about these so-called “healthier choices”. Baked snacks:  Baked snacks of every variety are available everywhere. Whatever your “regular snack” is priced at, the baked version is just a little more expensive with absolutely no difference in taste. While the normal variety may have 50% fat, these “diet ” foods have around 40-45% fat which is not enough of a difference to qualify them as diet food. Also, since you don’t feel guilty eating them you might end up eating extra servings. Diet tip: Choose to snack on a multigrain sandwich with veggies or a bowl of fruit — they’re more filling and healthier. Yogurt:  Flavoured yogurts seem like the dream snack. They taste good, come in various flavours and have a choice of several toppings. They also claim to be low fat. While some of the bigger brands might genuinely be low fat, they are not sugar free and the exotic toppings further add to the calories. Diet tip: A flavoured yogurt that looks and tastes like ice cream is a high fat choice. Choose yogurt that is less creamy in texture. Avoid sugar laden toppings and choose fruits instead. Granola bars:   Granola bars are compact, handy and taste great. Some are also coated with chocolate or peanut butter apart from the nuts they contain. Most of these bars are loaded with sugar in some form, which is what binds all the ingredients together and makes it taste great. Diet Tip: Sweet or chocolate coated granola bars are a very bad choice for dieters. Pick the ones that are bland and have more natural ingredients. Juices:  A 300ml glass of orange juice contains the calories from six oranges minus the fibre and nutrients. Packaged juices are worse because of the added sugar. Diet tip: If you are a serious dieter, eat the fruit instead of having the juice and you won’t miss out on the nutrients and will consume lesser calories. Diet colas:  Diet colas have artificial sweetners that have no calories. However, research indicates that the taste of the artificial sweetner can actually create a sugar craving. Besides, artificial sweeteners interfere with digestion and their prolonged use is not great for the brain. Diet tip: Have a glass of lemon juice. Salads:  Raw salads are a great way to increase the fibre component in your diet. They are, however, not a good choice if you dunk them in high fat dressings. Diet Tip: Salads can be boring if they have no dressing. The best option is to call for the dressing separately and add it yourself in small quantities. Samreedhi Goel is a nutritionist & personal trainer. She runs her fitness studio Size Wise and specialises in Zig Zag diets. She also does online consultations. DNA130512