1.Salads
That’s right. Salads can be both – healthy and unhealthy or at least extremely calorie dense. I observe the tendency that people improve the quality of the food they consume, but nobody pay attention to the quantity. Thus, very often, women and men say that they have tried to lose weight; that they have done everything and they’ve been on a diet, yet they are still not losing weight.
The problem is that in order to lose weight, besides the quality of the food, we need to pay attention to the quantity.
The word “salad” doesn’t limit to veggies anymore, so let’s see what is inside a bowl of salad.
We decide to add 1-2 eggs, some chicken or tuna fish. Then we add 1-2 pieces of bacon and a handful of nuts. By the way “a handful of nuts” is my favorite – this is so subjective. Personally, I can fit a whole package of raw nuts in my hand, and this is definitely not the recommended amount for my salad.
Ok, it is still not yummy, so let us add some parmesan – and if it is possible, we should cover everything so we have a thick layer of parmesan. And sure, I forgot about the avocado. It is green, so it can pass for a veggie, no matter that it contains 200 calories and 20 grams of fat for every 100 grams. And suddenly, our salad has the amount of fat, equal to 2/3 of our daily fat intake and we haven’t even added condiments like olive oil, a couple marinated dried tomatoes and a couple olives.
And this is just a version of the salad. Let’s not start with the sauces with tahini and honey and we shouldn’t even think about the blue cheese.
Let’s continue on the next calorie dense food.
2.Broccoli
Now, you are probably thinking that I have lost my mind, but I will share a story with you, so you can understand what I mean. I read it in Milena’s newsfeed on Faceboook.
The dialogue between her and her cousin was something like:
-Broccoli are the most calorie dense vegetable. – states Milena’s cousin.
Milena stares at her and says: “How come? Actually, broccoli are among the lowest calorie dense foods.”
-Yes, but after I put some blue cheese, butter and cream they become really calorie dense – Milena’s cousin responds.
I laughed a lot after I read it and I was thinking that she is so right. I work with a lot of women and when I check their weekly meals, I constantly see a dinner that consists of broccoli, blue cheese, cream and other dairy products.
Dairy products are not the best choice for the basis of your nutrition – curds, yogurt, cottage cheese and kefir are amongst the dairy products, that you can include more often – especially if you make them by yourself.
But all “special cheeses”, as I call them, together with cream, just interfere with your progress and they probably make you feel bloated. They are great, as an add on, every now and then and they give a more intense taste to the meal. But when I say an add on, I mead 1-2 small pieces in one of your meals.
This is true for other veggies like zucchini, which we often stuff with cheese, bacon and so forth.
Be honest with yourself and realize that broccoli might be healthy and great for your diet, but not all the add ons that accompany them.
And still, that doesn’t mean that you should never eat broccoli with cheese again, but make it an exception, not the rule.
3.Raw desserts
Lately, there is a hysteria around raw desserts. I feel like everybody thinks that if it is raw, it means it has no calories.
I constantly see women who eat a piece or two of raw dessert after every meal.
Raw desserts are delicious, but yet one of the most calorie dense foods you can eat. You make them with nuts and dried fruit and if you add tahini or other ingredients, it becomes even more calorie dense.
That’s why my advice is to eat one piece at most (a day). And personally I wouldn’t recommend you do it every day.
So do not indulge in healthy and raw desserts.
4.Coffee
It is time to talk about drinks. This is not a food, but for some of us coffee is a whole separate food group – essential :D. Coffee is a great drink, until the moment you put a couple teaspoons sugar or honey, a cup of milk and of course some coconut butter. That is when coffee becomes food.
Most people drink between 2-3 coffees a day – some even more.
Just think about it – when it is just your coffee that contains at least 300-500 calories, how many are left for your meals?
I don’t know if you have tried to drink just plane coffee, but it is delicious, because you can actually feel the real taste of coffee. Lately, I was thinking how we have become a society that dulls true sensations – the true taste of coffee is intense and strong and we dull it with sugar, coffee creamer and so forth – so we can take it easier – as everything else in life.
Yet, if you prefer to add something, at least do not pour so much milk, add just a little bit for color and skip the sugar.
