Most people don’t know much about weight loss… and overall health and fitness for that matter. Which is a HUGE reason so many people are overweight these days.  There is so much information and it can feel impossible to know where to start.

Been there! ✋

Some people know the differences between healthy and unhealthy foods. Unhealthy food = makes you fat. Healthy food = makes you lose weight. Seems pretty straight forward, right? Well… not exactly.

There are actually a lot of healthy foods (meaning food with a TON of health benefits for the body and mind) that you have to be careful about how much you eat or you will start to gain weight. And there are also a lot of foods that people think are healthy, but they aren’t at all. Here are 10 healthy foods that are actually terrible for weight loss.

1. TROPICAL FRUIT

Fruits like mango and pineapple are really great for you since they contain a lot of vitamin c and other nutrients. But they also contain a high amount of sugar. Quite a bit more than most other fruits.

Stick to about 1/2 cup per day of either of these fruits to help reach your weight loss goals.

2. GRANOLA

I love granola. It tastes delicious and the oats provide a great amount of fiber and iron, plus the nuts and seeds help give you some essential healthy fats for the day. I used to eat it by the bowl full. Not a great idea I found out later down the road. Most granola is loaded with calories!

So if you want to eat granola, keep in mind portion size. Eating granola as a meal is not a good idea, but adding a couple tablespoons to some yogurt or oatmeal is just fine. But be sure to check the sugar content of your granola. Not all granola is the same.

3. PEANUT BUTTER

Peanut butter is a great source of protein and should be a part of your diet. Peanut butter also contains a lot of healthy fats but like any fat, it’s also high in calories.  So just know that each tablespoon contains about 100 calories. I don’t know about you, but I used a lot more than a tablespoon on my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before I knew better.

Peanut butter can actually help you with your weight loss. Just stick to a spoonful (possibly two) per day. Homemade protein balls are great for a midday snack or you could also try adding a bit to a breakfast smoothie!

4. PROTEIN BARS

Athlete’s and their protein bars. They seem to go hand and hand, right? Well these babies are full of calories (some with sugar too). Which is great for someone that works out a lot and needs all that protein.

When adding protein bars into your diet, you need to be mindful. Replacing a meal with a protein bar can be a good idea, but any more than that is only good for body builders.

5. RICE CAKES

Rice cakes became popular for weight loss back in the late 80’s because they are so low calorie, like 35 each. But they are just empty calories. There is pretty much no nutritional value to them at all. So you can eat one and not feel anymore full than before. The idea of eating these is that it’s supposed to help keep your mind off snacking. That might work for some, but reaching for something a little more healthy and low calorie (like cucumber slices) would be a much better option.

But if you want to try a rice cake and a spoonful of peanut butter spread on it, now you got yourself a pretty low calorie snack with some nutritional value (and crunch!).

6. SMOOTHIES

My favorite! I absolutely love smoothies. But the majority of smoothies you buy at your local shop has…you guessed it. A ton of sugar and calories! But that doesn’t mean all smoothies are bad. Just that you have to be a little more careful of the ingredients going into your smoothie.

A good rule of thumb for any smoothie is to check the base (fruit juices are loaded with sugar so a low-fat milk like almond is better), check your portion size (using the biggest cup is a terrible idea), check your sweeteners (easy to do at home, but you’ll need to ask when you are at a store), and also make sure your smoothie is mostly fruit and veggies (not filled with a bunch of yogurt or ice cream).

7. WHOLE MILK

Some people think you can’t drink milk and lose weight, but that simply isn’t true. You just have to be careful what type of milk you drink and how much you drink of it. Milk is a great source of calcium, protein, and vitamin D.

So try a small glass of skim or 1% milk, rather than whole milk. You could also try a milk alternative like almond or coconut milk.

8. DRIED FRUIT

Most dried fruits sold in stores are coated with sugar (added sugars), so yes that’s bad. But what about the one’s with no added sugar? Well when fruit is dried, it loses almost all of it’s water content and is left as an energy dense fruit. So there are still a ton of health benefits to the dried fruit.

The problem is that since it’s dried and now smaller so it’s quicker to eat, we tend to eat a ton of it in one setting. So only eat dried fruits in small amounts.

9. FRUIT JUICE

I don’t know how many people I’ve met over the years actually believe fruit juice is super healthy for you. I’ve enlightened quite a few family member’s and friends on the matter. Did you know most fruit juices contain just as much sugar as soda? Crazy, right? Juice contains fructose, which has a big correlation with belly fat.

Fruit is a much better option than fruit juice! Or fruit infused water. I love making ice cubes with pieces of fruit in it for my water. Even freshly squeezed orange juice is super high in sugar!

10. SALADS

So salads is the biggest talked about food in the weight loss realm. But not all salads are healthy for a few different reasons. A lot of salads at restaurant contain sugar coated nuts, lots of fatty cheese, bacon, and other ingredients that rack up the calories. But the main reason salads are so unhealthy is the dressing. Ranch dressing contains about 73 calories per tablespoon. How many tablespoons of dressing do you think you use on your salads?

Minimize your high calorie ingredients on your salad and choose carefully when it comes to dressing. Light Italian and light balsamic are always great options. Don’t be afraid to ask the server about which dressings are lowest in calories. Go with that and get it on the side and you’re on your way to eating a healthy salad!

If you want a fat loss plan that actually WORKS, check out our 30 Day Fat Loss Habits Challenge!

The challenge lasts 30 days, but it you can take the challenge as many times as you need to reach your transformation goals!

If you’ve been struggling to lose weight for some time now, I promise you that you won’t regret giving the challenge a try! Just click the button below to learn more!

YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY…

• 11 Lazy Girl Hacks That Will Help You Lose Weight Fast
• 11 Yummy Low Calorie Snacks That You Need To Know
• How To Lose Weight When You Always Lose Motivation
• 10 Fascinating Habits Of Fit And Healthy Women

Do you eat too much of any of these healthy foods? Let me know in the comments below!

Love this article? Share it with your friends on Facebook.