do you eat these so-called healthy foods?

It’s frustrating when the pounds won’t drop. When those extra inches won’t go away.

If you’re exercising regularly and still not seeing results then it’s time that you look closely at your diet.

One of the biggest obstacles that prevents you from losing fat and getting into awesome shape is all that processed food that you’re still eating.

And I can’t blame you, with the way more and more processed foods are being marketed as healthy, even the health savvy are being fooled.

Take a walk through the local natural foods market and you’ll see nearly every form of junk food that you’d find at the supermarket – only with things like ‘gluten free’, ‘organic’ and ‘zero trans fats’ on the packages.

Those are all great – being gluten free, organic and trans fats free. Fresh, organic veggies, fruits and meats could all boast the same. But when those words are stamped on a package of cookies, chips or the like, then eating them is going to seriously slow your fitness results. Gluten free or not.

Here are the top 5 ‘healthy’ processed foods that you’re eating that are killing your results and keeping you from attaining your goal weight:

1. Healthy Cereal

Have you seen the cereal aisle at the natural foods market? Its shelves are lined with dozens of cereal boxes, all with bold health claims. There are gluten free cereals, cereals with no corn syrup, cereals with heart healthy grains, cereals with whole grains and even cereals with added vitamins.

Those all sound healthy, right? Well, sure those cereals are technically not as harmful as the brightly colored cereals from the supermarket, but as far as your fat loss results are concerned, the two are really about the same.

Cereal is a dense source of calories, which means it’s almost impossible not to overdo it when enjoying a bowl. If your goal is to lose fat, then cereal, even organic, gluten free cereal, should stay off your daily menu.

2. Healthy Packaged Snacks

There is a brand of ‘healthy’ popcorn that literally has fit in its name. With branding like that it’s no wonder people are getting confused and eating food that destroys their fitness results.

Popcorn, and other crunchy, packaged ‘health’ food snacks are filled with carbohydrates and calories. Two things that you should be cutting back on when working towards a fitness goal. These snack items are habit forming, so you may tell yourself that it’s just a once-in-awhile treat, but soon it becomes a daily occurrence.

Here’s the simple, unchanging fact about packaged snack foods: No matter what benefits are broadcasted on the package, it’s always going to promote fat storage. Yes, even if it has fit right in its name.

3. Healthy Energy Bars

The energy bar aisle at the health food store is a colorful, wonderland of beautifully packaged, seemingly healthful snacks. The bars contain nuts, fruits, protein and even goji berries. What’s not to love?

All that sugar, for starters. Manufacturers are clever enough to call sugar ‘evaporated can juice’ or ‘natural cane sugar’ or even ‘rice syrup’ but that sugar reacts in your body just the same as any other sugar. It encourages fat storage.

The next time that you reach for an energy bar, consider all of the calories and sugars. Look for bars that are low in sugars and high in protein, and if you’re eating it in between meals consider eating just half the bar.

4. Healthy Bread

Have you ever spent time in the bread aisle, reading labels and trying to figure out which is the healthiest? It can be pretty confusing. There’s wheat, whole wheat, gluten free, and sprouted grain. How can you tell what’s the healthiest?

The unfortunate news, for all you bread lovers, is that when it comes to losing inches all bread is a problem. You see, gluten free bread is filled with just as many calories and carbohydrates as wheat bread or sprouted grain bread.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you have a free pass to indulge in bread when it’s the ‘healthy’ kind. Your body will convert that healthy bread into fat quicker than you can say burpee.

5. Healthy Trail Mix

Trail mix is a tricky one for healthy food shoppers. It’s made with nuts and seeds, which we know to be healthy. It’s also often dotted with chocolate, sweetened dried fruits or other treats.

Nuts can belong in a fat loss diet, within certain parameters. For example, a small handful of raw almonds makes a wonderful in-between-meals snack. It’s filled with fiber, protein, good fat, vitamins and minerals.

A half a cup of trail mix, on the other hand, is packed with two or three times the calories in addition to having added sweeteners and extra salt. Not to mention, trail mix is hard to stop eating once you’ve started. When working towards a fat loss goal, it’s best to stay away from even the healthiest of trail mixes.

Never take a packaged food item based on the claims and benefits printed on the labels. When you’re looking to transform your body, you must guard what goes into your mouth. Packaged foods, even those from the health store, are going to derail your results ever single time.

Speed your fitness results by becoming one of my clients. I’d love to get you to your goals using my results-driven method.

Simply call or email me today to set up your first workout.

Food that’s untouched and unprocessed is always going to be the healthiest. See how many real, whole foods you can fit into your diet, while cutting out the packaged foods. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how quickly your body transforms when you eat food prepared the way nature intended.

Real Food Spaghetti Pie

This innovative spaghetti pie is made with noodles straight from a squash…not a package! It’s a fun way to serve a traditional, comfort meal without the guilt. Dinners like this are a wonderful way to quickly achieve your fat loss goal.

Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com

What you need
Servings: 6

1 organic spaghetti squash
½ cup raw cashews, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons water
2 Tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon sweet paprika
½ clove garlic
dash of pepper
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
8 ounces ground turkey or beef
½ teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tablespoons flax meal
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

Instructions

1. Wash the spaghetti squash, slice in half lengthwise and bake cut-side up in a 375 degree F oven for 40 minutes, or until tender. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

2. Discard the cashew soaking water. Combine the cashews, lemon juice, water, olive oil, salt, paprika, garlic and pepper in a blender. Mix until completely smooth. Set the cheese spread aside.

3. In a large skillet warm the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes. Add the ground turkey and cook until the meat is brown and onion is tender. Stir in fennel seeds, tomato sauce, and oregano. Heat through. Remove from heat.

4. Use a fork to scrape the spaghetti squash strands from the squash skins and place in a medium bowl. Add the eggs, flax meal and nutritional yeast. Mix until fully incorporated. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with coconut oil. Press spaghetti squash mixture onto the bottom and up sides of pie plate, forming a crust. Spread the meat mixture over the crust. Sprinkle with the cheese spread.

5. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Slice into wedges to serve.

Nutrition
One serving equals:  289 calories, 19g fat, 347mg sodium, 19g carbohydrate, 5g fiber, and 16g protein

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