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7 Food Myths Sabotaging Your Weight Loss Program

By: Debbie Sipe It seems like nearly every day we hear news about the latest thing that we once thought was good for us, and how it's now detrimental to our health.

After a while, you kind of stop paying attention.

But when you're working on your weight loss goals, there are some foods that could be sabotaging your diet, and you might not even know.

1. Bran is a whole grain, and it's good for you. So it would stand to reason that bran cereal is good for you too. But guess what? Lurking in those cereals is often hidden sugar, hidden salt, and even some fat.

2. Another food that health enthusiast usually enjoy is granola or granola bars. If you actually look closer you'll see that granola bars contain high levels of high fructose corn syrup and other sugars, and some bars have as many as 10 grams of fat. Maybe it's not the best snack choice after all.

3. While lean meat is an excellent source of protein, one of my favorite go-to meats, ground turkey, can sometimes contain more fat a pound of ground beef contains.

4. Another place you can be sabotaged is in the bread aisle. When you see a brown bread wrapper with the words multi-grain, wheat, or some other healthy description you probably automatically think, "healthy." Yes and no. You'll score higher in the healthy column by purchasing bread that is whole grain.

5. If you enjoy hearty salads, be sure to watch out not just for the extras like croutons and other salad bar toppings, watch out for those flavorful and calorie laden dressings that make the salad taste so good.

6. Energy and protein bars are marketing primarily to women who want to shape up and lose weight. Beware, because often times energy bars have as much sugar and fat as a regular candy bar.

7. The biggest deception laid upon dieters is the term "low-fat." Remember, they may have taken out the fat, but that doesn't mean the sugar is gone. Low-fat foods can still pack substantial calories too, so read the labels carefully.

Take everyone's favorite snack for example ' potato chips. These can be labeled all natural and seem like less of a guilty pleasure, but even natural potatoes become fattening when they get fried and coated with salt. So don't be fooled by creative packaging. A marketing professional helped to design the package. Instead focus on the label that lists nutritional values.

One last tip you may not have considered... Also watch your portions or servings. Most labels that offer calorie content information, are based on a one half cup serving. Depending on what food you're talking about, one half cup just might not be enough to satisfy you. So then, the calories you thought you were consuming, based on what you read on the label, have just increased.

There are lots of traps out there for those on a weight loss program, but if you use your savvy, you will successfully navigate your diet choices!