We all have favorite foods that we know aren’t exactly healthy for us. Man can’t live on broccoli alone, after all. There are some common foods, however, that you may be surprised to learn just have no nutritional value whatsoever.
And it’s probably time to start limiting your intake of things like …
Blended Coffee Drinks
While fancy coffee drinks like the unicorn frappuccino are fun, they’re more like drinking a milkshake than coffee. Where plain coffee has no calories and is high in antioxidants, a venti-size frappuccino is around 500 calories.
Most women need to consume between 1200 to 1800 calories per day, so that’s about one-third of your daily calories in just one drink. It also packs around 85 grams of sugar, which is the equivalent of drinking more than three regular sodas.
If you need that afternoon pick me up, skip the blended drink and try sticking with a low-fat latte.
Boxed Rice or Noodles
While they’re a quick and convenient way to add a side dish to your meal, boxed rice or noodles aren’t exactly the most healthy choice you can make.
Most are made with white rice or pasta, so they contain little fiber and will leave you feeling less satisfied. Also, the sodium content is usually extraordinarily high, with some varieties having over half your daily sodium requirement in just one serving.
Try staying away from the boxed items and looking for whole grain instead.
Fat-Free or Low-Fat Foods
This one will likely really surprise a lot of people. It’s actually a myth that a fat-free food is healthier than a food that contains fat.
Fats are necessary for brain function and skin health and they also help you stay satisfied, so you end up eating fewer calories. The biggest problem with fat-free foods is that they’re loaded with sugar, sodium, and chemicals. Eating fat-free foods will make you feel hungry because sugar increases hunger.
You’re actually better off eating less of something with the full fat than a lot of something of a fat-free alternative. It will contain fewer chemicals, less sodium, less sugar and will also make you feel satisfied longer, so you will eat less overall.