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Weight loss is difficult on its own, but it gets especially tricky when so-called “healthy” foods are doing you more harm than good. Whether through misleading advertising or false assumptions, many foods have gained a reputation for being healthy without the nutrition facts to back it up.
With that in mind, if you are focusing on healthy eating but still hitting a slump with weight loss, keep reading for the one healthy food you should stop eating ASAP because it leads to weight gain.
Dried Fruit
Dried fruit is often mistakenly but in the "healthy" foods category, but the reality is less clear-cut, especially for those hoping to slim down. Normal fruit is a great healthy snack, which is where most of the confusion comes from.
Health explains, "Dried fruits are just normal fruits that have had the water taken out of them. So, a cup of dried fruit packs five to eight times more calories and sugar than a cup of the fresh stuff."
To make it even clearer, according to the article, "a cup of fresh grapes is 60 calories, while a cup of raisins is a whopping 460." Yikes.
Weight loss requires a calorie deficit, which is why most healthy weight loss is accomplished through diet and exercise, both of which can impact how many calories you are taking in and using up throughout the day.
With this in mind, opting for a calorie-heavy snack can be a real problem for weight loss, particularly if you think you are eating "healthy."
Under the assumption that dried fruit is good for you, you might find yourself over indulging--eating more than you would normally had you known how much sugar and calories you were consuming.
This does not mean you have to cut out dried fruit entirely. Rather, focus on keeping this sweet treat in moderation, so you can enjoy it without sacrificing your larger weight loss goals.
