Diet Foods That Will Make You Fat

Can diet foods make you fat? I realize that this sounds like a contradiction, but the diet industry is like that. Some health experts link the "fat-free" craze to the explosion of obesity in the U.S., and certainly consumers are confused about what's best, fat-free, carb-free, high protein, etc. Bottom line: You need to read the top line on the nutrition facts panel. Calories do count. Read the number of servings in the package or container, and then read calories per serving. When you know what you're eating, it all adds up.
Here's the skinny on some "diet" foods you'd think would help you with your diet:

1. Juice: You've seen the ads: "100% pure juice with live enzymes and packed with vitamins and minerals." It is often labeled with claims for weight loss, increased energy and better immunity. Let the buyer beware! To balance the scale in your favor, consider this: People suffering a low blood glucose reaction are given juice because the fruit sugar (fructose) is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. Juice is not a diet food unless you're on a weight gain diet. It's one of the quickest ways of getting extra. Regardless of how pure the juice, it contains no inherent properties that will make you healthier or make you lose weight. Peel and eat an orange instead.
2. Enhanced Waters: Diet myths abound, displayed on labels of enhanced waters and sports drinks. Drink this for "energy, balance, performance." I want to paste 'Buyer Beware!" signs on the labels. These waters and flavored teas are certainly fortified... with caffeine and sugar, plus high-fructose corn syrup.
   Before reading the front label and advertising hype, read the ingredient list. If you're working out strenuously for more than an hour at a time, then a sports drink is OK, but choose one with less than 8 grams of sugar per serving. If you prefer, buy an artificially sweetened beverage. Otherwise, drink water before, during and after exercising. Adding just a quarter-cup of 100-percent orange or grapefruit juice and a dash of salt to a quart of water makes the perfect sports drink.
3. Turkey Burgers: When dining out, have you ordered a turkey burger while your friends are all having steak? You may think you're eating diet food, but you may be better off with that sirloin. Turkey breast is an ultra-lean protein, but most restaurants don't serve ground turkey breast; rather, they serve ground turkey in their burgers, which likely contains the more fatty dark meat and even skin. Restaurant turkey burgers are also enhanced with mayonnaise and even cheese.
   If you can't be certain the turkey burger is made from skinless turkey breast, order a grilled chicken breast sandwich or grilled fish sandwich sans mayo and cheese.
4. Breakfast cereals: Eating breakfast is one of the lifestyle habits that predict weight loss and maintaining that desired weight. I love my cereal in the morning, but exploring the cereal aisle can be a confusing experience, especially for dieters. Don't read the front of the package to get the scoop on cereals. Read the back first, namely the ingredient list and the nutrition facts panel.
   Cereals labeled "smart" or "whole grain" or "fruit" are not necessarily smart for your waistline or your health. Often they contain a bit of whole grain, but there is no limit on the other ingredients, including sugar. Here's a tip: The first ingredient should be whole grain: whole wheat, whole oats, rye or other. Read the nutrition facts panel and note the serving size. The standard serving size is 3/4 to 1 cup, and you make your decision from there.
   Add your own sugar; don't let the manufacturer add it for you. For example, a 1-cup serving of Cheerios with a half-cup of nonfat milk has 150 calories. A 3/4-cup serving of Cinnamon Toast Crunch has 170 calories; a smaller serving for more calories. Not a bargain.
5. Fat-free cookies: Fat-free doesn't mean calorie-free. It doesn't even mean reduced-calorie, and fat-free products contain other ingredients, usually sugar, to make up for the texture and flavor lost when the fat is removed. Most fat-free cookies contain as many calories as the original cookie, which doesn't make them a diet food.
   Read the label. If you want a cookie, have one. That's ONE cookie occasionally. Otherwise, a great "diet" treat is sugar-free, fat-free chocolate or vanilla pudding, which you can count as a serving of dairy.
6. Diet Bread: Diet breads, diet crackers or other bread products may be the same product, only portioned differently. Bread labeled "25-percent fewer calories" than the regular version may merely be sliced 25-percent thinner. Read the label and compare the weight of the serving. "Lite" bread usually refers to the color and does not indicate its fiber content. Sometimes breads are colored with caramel, molasses or brown sugar. Choose bread made from 100-percent whole-wheat flour with a minimum of 4 grams of fiber per serving.
7. Olive oil: Olive oil has a better nutritional profile than butter and especially margarine because of the low ratio of saturated fat and because it contains no trans fats. However, olive oil, although a healthy fat, is fat. All fat contains approximately 9 calories per gram, or about 45 calories in one teaspoon. Include olive oil as a part of a healthy diet, but don't eat more than you need.
8. Protein Bars: Protein bars, breakfast bars and cereal bars are all convenient, but if you're trying to lose weight, choose carefully. Most contain too much sugar and hydrogenated fat to be called healthy and more resemble candy bars than breakfast. Eat quick and portable breakfasts and snacks of real food, such as stirring a cup of unsweetened cereal into a cup of yogurt, a half-sandwich on whole-grain bread with turkey breast, or a portioned serving of nuts and raisins.
   If you're pressed for time or need something that won't spoil, read the label and make an educated choice. The first ingredient should either be a whole grain or a protein source (whey or soy protein). Ignore bars with refined sugar as one of the top listed ingredients (sucrose, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, or any other syrup).
   If you see hydrogenated fat in the ingredients and more than 1 gram of saturated fat in the nutrition facts panel, forget it. A good meal replacement bar contains about 300 calories, with approximately 25 percent from protein (approximately 19 grams of protein), nearly 0 grams of saturated fat and less than 10 grams of total fat. The higher the fiber, the better; that means it contains whole grain. Aim for a minimum of 4 grams per serving.
9. Low-Carb Beer: If you think that low-carb beer is a diet food, think again. Neither low-carb nor "lite" beers are low in calories. The USDA defines low calorie as a food that has no more than 40 calories per serving. Low-carb and "lite" beers have about 90 to 100 calories per serving. A low-carb beer is relatively low in carbohydrates, but calories count. Drink one beer with two water chasers.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration allows the following definitions on food labels:

FAT-FREE: The product has less than .5 grams of fat per serving.

LOW-FAT: The product has 3 grams or less of fat per serving.

REDUCED or LESS FAT: The product has at least 25% less fat per serving than the full-fat version.

LITE or LIGHT: The product has fewer calories or half the fat of the non-light version.
The sodium content of a low-calorie, low-fat food is 50 percent less than the non-light version.
A food is clearer in color (like light instead of dark corn syrup.

CALORIE-FREE: The product has less than 5 calories per serving.

LOW-CALORIE: The product has 40 calories or less per serving.

REDUCED or FEWER CALORIES: The product has at least 25 percent fewer calories per serving than the non-reduced version.