Just because a food is healthy doesn’t make it low in calories. If you are watching your weight, it doesn’t pay to disregard the calorie content of anything you consume, including meal additions, drinks, and foods with high nutritional value. Hidden sources of calories can add significant amounts to your daily intake. The following are foods that contain more calories than you think.
Nuts
Pistachio, macadamia, and other nuts are highly nutritious foods. Almonds, for example, are a good source of calcium, magnesium, vitamin E, protein, fiber, and healthy fats. Nuts are also high in calories. A cup of macadamia nuts has 962 calories.
Olive Oil
Considered one of the “healthy fats,” extra virgin olive oil is often recommended for cooking by nutrition experts. It is resistant to heat and retains its beneficial properties when you cook with it. Olive oil is rich in antioxidants and vitamins E and K. However, a single tablespoon contains 119 calories, which amounts to 1,904 calories per cup.
Coffee Creamer
Coffee contains almost no calories, and people who use coffee creamer tend to think of the calories it adds as negligible. If you add two tablespoons of creamer containing 35 calories each to your morning coffee, you are consuming 70 additional calories. If you drink two cups of coffee a day, that doubles to 140. Over a week, it amounts to 980 extra calories with no real nutritional value.
Salad Dressing
Dieters traditionally eat salads for lunch. Greens are a low-calorie alternative to pasta or a sandwich. They are loaded with fiber and contain vitamins and minerals your body needs. Eating salads regularly can help kickstart your weight loss efforts – provided you leave the salad dressing alone. The typical salad dressing serving size is usually two tablespoons. A serving of ranch dressing adds 146 calories. If you eat a salad every day, that amounts to 1,022 extra calories per week.
Smoothies
Green smoothies and fruit smoothies are commonly considered a healthy food alternative. Smoothies can help you lose weight – if they are made right. When made with fruit juice, they can spike your blood sugar, which is not conducive to maintaining or losing weight. With some flavored smoothies, you would be as well off eating ice cream. The right kinds of smoothies will boost weight loss. The wrong types may contain close to a thousand calories.
Alcohol
Drinking a glass of red wine with a meal may have health benefits. It provides antioxidants and helps protect against heart disease and inflammation. A glass of red wine contains 123 calories. If you have two glasses, that’s 246 calories added to your meal.
How Good Is Your Health Insurance?
It is essential to eat right if you want to stay healthy, achieve your weight loss goals, or maintain a healthy weight. Having the right health insurance is also important so that you can get proper medical care when you need it. If you want help finding a health insurance plan that suits your needs, our friendly agent will be happy to assist you.