Health: Healthy eating mistakes that are interfering with your weight loss goals/Owen

From misunderstanding what organic means to portion distortion, here are five common healthy food mishaps you may be making. In one study, participants who tried foods with organic labels assumed they had fewer calories and tasted healthier than the exact same product with the regular label. You’ve got some serious health goals. You’re eating well and yet, something is amiss. I often hear from clients and friends who are trying to de-bloat or drop a few pounds, or perhaps cut back on added sugar or just fuel their busy life in a better way, but despite eating healthfully, are having trouble meeting their targets. If this sounds familiar, read on for some of the top healthy food mishaps you might be making. Once you spot them and learn how to course correct, you can get back on track. LABEL CONFUSION It has been demonstrated time and again that food labels can impact your perception. In one study, participants tasted identical versions of potato chips, cookies and yogurt, the only difference being that one version was labeled ‘organic’ and the other was labeled ‘regular’. The foods with organic labels were deemed to have fewer calories and taste healthier than the exact same product with the regular label. In another study — this time using chocolate—the label ‘fair trade’ (which indicates ethical treatment of workers) was taken to mean that the treat was lower in calories. In many cases, people are prompted to eat more when they think they’re eating healthier or lighter food. I know I would! GREEN JUICES Just because models and celebrities drink green juice doesn’t mean they’re right for you. If your goal is to get more veggies and you have trouble meeting your quota, green juice can help you fill the gaps. But if you’re sufficiently meeting your produce needs or you’re trying to lose weight, green juice can be tripping you up. In many cases, these sips have more fruit than veggies, which means more sugar, calories and carbs, and truthfully, none of us need any of those nutrients in excess. And I’ve seen people whose weight loss stalled because they added a green juice, or even worse, crept up. No matter what your health goals are, the best green juices are those made predominantly with vegetables. Even better are those that are blended rather than extracted. Blending retains the fiber — a beneficial nutrient that’s removed from juice. PORTION PROBLEMS I was recently scanning food blogs when I was lured in by a beautiful avocado smoothie bowl recipe. Upon reading the instructions, which listed the recipe as one serving, I noticed it called for three bananas and one mango, among other things. Certainly fruit is healthy, but anything — even healthy food — can be eaten in excess. Any time you overeat, it can interfere with weight loss or worse, cause weight gain. And some foods, while perfectly tolerable in proper portions, can lead to extra gas and bloating if overconsumed. (Excess fructose from too much fruit can have this effect.) The extra carbs, calories and sugar from all this fruit can be problematic, even though it comes with a slew of vitamins, minerals and fiber. OVER-SNACKING According to one survey, 91% of Americans say they snack multiple times a day, and 21% of us are snacking more than we did five years ago. Certainly, between-meal snacking can provide a needed energy boost, slip more nutrients into your day and fend off hunger. Often, though, we snack for other reasons. Visual cues, like office donuts, emotional triggers, such as a stressful meeting or argument with a spouse or even to pre-empt potential hunger are some of the many reasons I’ve seen. Unneeded snacks, even if healthful, can leave your body feeling less than awesome. LIGHT LUNCHES Be it breakfast, lunch or dinner, I often hear from people who are over-relying on snacks to tame hunger after a light meal. I find this is especially true for people looking to lose a little weight. Eating less at meals, the thinking goes, will produce weight loss, however if you’re physically hungry an hour or two after a meal, and reaching for snacks as a result, you could gain weight instead of losing it. by Samantha Cassetty https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/5-healthy-eating-mistakes-are-interfering-your-weight-loss-goals-ncna889016?cid=par-twitter-feed_20180708 Story: Owen. By Kevin Henkes