It is often thought that eating healthier also contributes to losing weight. Healthier food is of course always good: a greasy hamburger or a fresh salad? You can actually lose weight by eating healthier, but the other way around is also possible: you can also gain weight. How is that possible?
Eating healthy versus losing weight
Eating healthy food should actually be seen separately from wanting to lose weight. These are two separate areas of focus in your diet. They can certainly go hand in hand, but that is not automatically the case in all cases.
Obviously you can understand almost immediately that eating that hamburger with a lot of sauce is less healthy than the salad with fresh tomatoes. That is from the perspective of healthy eating . You can also apply this obvious example in the context of losing weight. However, you are now looking at completely different things in the food in question: for example, the calories in the food.
Healthy eating…but be careful!
There are many types of food that pass as healthy. And there is nothing wrong with that, it is always better than unhealthy food. But healthy food can also contain a lot of calories. And therefore contribute nothing to your desire to lose weight. Even a salad contains calories, mainly because of the things you put in it. Did you know that a Ceasar salad with croutons and that delicious yogurt dressing contains almost as many calories as a well-known double hamburger from a certain hamburger chain? They are both very tasty, but be aware that not one is necessarily better than the other from a calorie perspective.
A major problem that in many cases misleads consumers is the marketing that manufacturers apply. They are cleverly responding to the health awareness that has emerged in recent years. Products are sold with slogans such as low fat, 0% fat and/or light, for example. It is certainly true: the products have less fat, or even no (certain type of) fat, than the original products. But that does not mean that they have no fat at all, not to mention the amount of calories that these products certainly contain.
Healthy foods and their calories
There are many more foods that are labeled healthy and yet are packed with calories. These foods are fine to eat in a healthier diet, but eat them in moderation when you’re also trying to lose some of your weight. A recommended daily calorie intake has been determined. Please note that the amount of energy you need depends on, for example, your exercise during the day, your age and weight. The numbers indicated below are therefore guidelines.
- A girl (4 to 9 years): 1,400 calories
- A girl (10 to 18 years): 2,100 calories
- An adult woman: 2,000 calories
- A boy (4 to 9 years): 1,500 calories
- A boy (10 to 18 years): 2,200 calories
- An adult man: 2,500 calories
When eating the following products, pay attention to the calories they contain. And from now on, include this in your eating and drinking pattern. Because it is sometimes surprising.
- Dried fruits, nuts and seeds
- Hummus
- Cheese
- Fresh fruit juices
- Breakfast cereals and cereals
Dried fruits, nuts and seeds
Nuts, seeds and dried fruit are delicious as a snack. And they seem healthier than a bar of chocolate or other sweets. That is true, but beware: they are full of energy and calories. And because the nuts, seeds or dried fruit are so easy to eat, before you know it you have already consumed more than half of your recommended daily calorie intake. In just a few minutes, that is. A handful of peanuts contains approximately 170 calories. Half of these come from the fat in the peanuts. They may be healthy fats, but they contain just as many calories as the unhealthy type. Dried fruit, on the other hand, is packed with sugars, which contribute enormously to the amount of calories. Don’t let this stop you from eating nuts, seeds and dried fruit. There are also many health benefits to eating it. Just eat it in moderation.
Hummus
Hummus, also written as humus by many Dutch people, is a very popular dip or spread for a (stick) collar. It is made from chickpeas, tahini (a paste made from sesame seeds), garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. All healthy ingredients. And yet hummus contains at least 225 calories per 100 grams. This is mainly due to the olive oil. Olive oil also contains so-called healthy fats, but that says nothing about the calories: at least 9 calories per gram! To illustrate: a 250 gram jar of hummus contains more than 600 calories and 50 grams of fat. That is 70% of the recommended daily amount.
Hummus therefore does not really fit into a weight loss diet. If you still want to eat it, choose variations with reduced fats. And take small portions. Buying a large jar of hummus is asking the gods, because then the jar must be empty, otherwise we have to throw it away. And then nothing has been said about the crackers, sandwiches and whatnot, on which the hummus is spread!
Cheese
Most cheeses are high in calories. There are certain cheeses that are the exception to this, such as cottage cheese, cottage cheese and some cream cheeses with very little fat. But assume that all other cheeses are packed with calories. This also includes feta, and certainly also these cheeses that are promoted as less fat or light. This last category of cheeses will probably contain slightly fewer calories than normal cheese, but you should not translate that into healthy and do not make the mistake that they contain no or hardly any calories: there are still a lot! Eat cheese in moderation if you want to lose weight. Or opt for cottage cheese or cottage cheese.
Fresh fruit juices
Most people associate a fresh glass of juice with being healthy. You couldn’t drink enough of it. A glass of juice does not contain much energy, but on the other hand it is packed with sugars. An average glass (250 milliliters) of orange juice contains as many as 110 calories. A glass a day is no problem, but don’t drink several throughout the day, because the calories add up quite a bit. A tip is to purchase special (fruit) juice glasses that are slightly smaller than normal glasses. This way you can still drink several glasses a day, but you must moderate the amount you consume.
Cereal and cornflakes
In the morning, or sometimes during the day as a snack, many people eat a bowl of corn flakes or breakfast cereal. Nice and easy. But almost all breakfast cereals and cornflakes contain a lot of calories. This also includes those breakfast cereals and corn flakes that are promoted as being suitable for a weight loss diet or as being healthy. They contain a lot of energy (just like humus), so you get more calories per bite than with many other foods. The variants with nuts and (dried) fruit certainly stand out. This is due to the sugars and fats. Did you know that some breakfast cereal variants with nuts and fruit even contain more calories per 100 milligrams than children’s variants with cereals with a sugar or chocolate coating? What also does not contribute to losing weight in combination with eating breakfast cereals or cornflakes is the addition of milk or yogurt. If you want to lose weight and continue to eat these grains or cornflakes, you need to adjust the amount. It is best to stick to measured portions, so do not turn the box over in your bowl.
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