Careful — Healthy Foods Can Add Weight Too
One of the biggest mistakes many of us make is assuming healthy foods don't cause weight gain — ignoring their calories, eating them without watching portions, and then wondering why we can't lose weight. Are you filling your shelves with healthy foods but still not seeing the number you want on the scale? Perhaps these “healthy” foods aren't as harmless as you think. If you want to reach your ideal weight, here are the healthy foods to enjoy with an eye on portions.
Coconut oil: Coconut oil has become one of the most popular ingredients, appearing in almost every recipe. But using a lot of it can push the number on the scale up day by day — 2 tablespoons of coconut oil is about 200 calories and 16 grams of saturated fat. In other words, 2 tablespoons a day covers about 80% of your total daily saturated fat. If you want to use it regularly, you'll need to make adjustments elsewhere in your diet.
Gluten-free products: Light products were once popular, then “low-carb” ones, and now gluten-free. But it's a mistake to assume gluten-free products are healthier than regular ones. Compared with whole-grain alternatives, gluten-free products are often lower in protein and fibre while higher in fat, and they can have more calories. If you assume they're lower in calories and eat more, they can even lead to weight gain. Unless you have coeliac disease or gluten intolerance, there's no benefit to eating gluten-free products.
Vegan cheese: Often assumed to be lower in calories than regular cheese, vegan cheese actually contains about 100 calories per 30 g, like other cheeses. It's made with ingredients like starch, xanthan gum and protein isolate, so swapping it for regular cheese means losing the benefits of high protein. Where 30 g of string cheese has about 8 g of protein, a serving of vegan cheese averages about 1 g. Unless you've chosen a vegan lifestyle, it's better to keep enjoying regular low-fat cheeses.
Agave nectar: Often described as natural and organic, pure agave nectar is hard to find, and the versions on supermarket shelves are often full of chemical-laden high-fructose corn syrup. Despite claims that it's calorie-free, 1 teaspoon of agave has about 45 calories. If you want to add something genuinely healthy and sweet to your tea or coffee, reach for a pinch of cinnamon instead.
Tomato sauce: Tomato sauce can be a low-calorie option — if you make it at home with fresh tomatoes. Many ready-made sauces are high in sugar and sodium, leading to empty calories and bloating. Read labels to find the healthiest option, or make your own at home.
Brown sugar: Whether powdered, cubed, brown or white, sugar makes no difference to your body — 1 teaspoon is 16 calories in any form. Watch brown sugar just as carefully as white, or you'll fall victim to the empty calories of excess sugar.
Carob: Carob is often presented as a healthy alternative to chocolate, but it has the same calories — both about 150 calories per 30 g. And swapping chocolate for carob means missing out on chocolate's benefits, like a lower risk of obesity and heart disease. The one advantage of carob is that it's caffeine-free, so if you're sensitive to caffeine it may suit you — but if your goal is weight loss, you'll need to limit carob just as you would chocolate.
Merve Tığlı Çınar, Dietitian