{"id":75661,"date":"2012-07-18T08:00:20","date_gmt":"2012-07-18T13:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/?p=75661"},"modified":"2012-07-17T22:58:10","modified_gmt":"2012-07-18T03:58:10","slug":"6-problem-foods-to-pass-on-and-healthier-swaps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/07\/6-problem-foods-to-pass-on-and-healthier-swaps\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Problem Foods to Pass on and Healthier Swaps"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Janis Jibrin, M.S., R.D., Best Life lead nutritionist for TheBestLife.com<\/em><\/p>\n

French fries, cola, cocktails\u2014in a perfect world, you\u2019d be able to eat these foods even while trying to lose weight. It\u2019s all about moderation, of course\u2026but moderation is easier said than done. After all, who can stop at just seven fries or six ounces of soda?\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve found that it can be helpful to go the other direction\u2014ban problem foods, at least for a while (Bob Greene<\/a><\/strong> recommends four weeks on his weight loss website TheBestLife.com<\/a><\/strong>). Doing so trains down your tastes, helps curb cravings, and teaches you to enjoy more healthful alternatives while cutting calories. Bob chose the foods below because they\u2019re so universally problematic, but you can substitute your own particular problem foods.<\/p>\n

1. Alcohol<\/strong><\/p>\n

After you\u2019ve had a few (or even one), your resolve to eat well can start to waver. And don\u2019t forget about the calories: Wine is about twice as caloric as soft drinks, while an 8-ounce margarita can contain a whopping 535 calories. (For more on how alcohol can interfere with weight loss, click here<\/a><\/strong>.)<\/p>\n

Have instead<\/em>: Sparkling water with a twist of lime <\/p>\n

2. Soft drinks and other sugary beverages<\/strong><\/p>\n

How\u2019s this for a double whammy? Not only are you slurping down 150 calories per 12 ounces, but your body doesn\u2019t register these calories as it would with 150 calories of real food. (One of our bloggers recently celebrated a year without soda<\/a><\/strong>.)<\/p>\n

Have instead<\/em>: Water mixed with 2 to 3 tablespoons of juice per cup; unsweetened or barely sweetened iced tea; flavored sparkling water<\/p>\n

3. Fried foods<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a quick calorie comparison: A broiled chicken thigh and drumstick with skin is 260 calories. Bread and fry them instead? Calories skyrocket to 690.<\/p>\n

Have instead<\/em>: Food that\u2019s baked, broiled, grilled, lightly saut\u00e9ed (using about 2 teaspoons oil per serving), pan-seared or steamed.<\/p>\n

4. White bread<\/strong><\/p>\n

White bread (and anything made with white flour<\/a><\/strong>) contains grain that has been stripped of its bran and germ. What\u2019s left? Starch, which converts rapidly to blood sugar. A quick rise and fall in blood sugar can leave you feeling hungry a short while later. On the other hand, whole grain products convert to blood sugar over a longer, sustained period, helping quell hunger.<\/p>\n

Have instead<\/em>: 100% stone ground whole wheat bread or spouted grain bread<\/p>\n

5. Whole or two-percent milk and yogurt<\/strong><\/p>\n

These products don\u2019t just contain up to twice as many calories as nonfat and one percent\u2014their extra calories come mainly from artery-clogging saturated fat.<\/p>\n

Have instead<\/em>: Fat-free or one-percent milk; nonfat or low-fat yogurt<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0 Foods with partially hydrogenated oil<\/strong><\/p>\n

This oil is a source of trans fat, which, in excess (just 2 grams is considered excessive), can lead to heart disease and cancer. Check the ingredients – if you see this listed (even if the product says 0 g trans fat), put it back on the shelf.<\/p>\n

Have instead<\/em>: Foods made with olive oil<\/a><\/strong> (my dad used olive oil for everything), canola oil, or high-oleic safflower or sunflower oil.<\/p>\n

Also Read:<\/p>\n

Slideshow<\/strong>: Calories in Alcohol<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ditching Dairy? See our Side-by-Side Comparison of Milk Alternatives<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

New York’s Ban on Trans-Fat is Working<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Janis Jibrin, M.S., R.D., Best Life lead nutritionist for TheBestLife.com French fries, cola, cocktails\u2014in a perfect world, you\u2019d be able to eat these foods even while trying to lose weight. It\u2019s all about moderation, of course\u2026but moderation is easier … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3695],"tags":[136,5503,533,457,4244,881],"class_list":["post-75661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diet-and-nutrition","tag-alcohol","tag-best-life-diet","tag-bob-greene","tag-milk","tag-soda","tag-trans-fat"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/60"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75661"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75664,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75661\/revisions\/75664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}