::foods:that:outwit:even:the:healthiest:people::

A lot of people feel that when they go on a diet or change their lifestyle around for the better that they can eat so called 'healthy' foods with abandon.

That's soooooo not the case unfortunately. Just because quinoa is healthy for you doesn't mean that you can sit down to a huge bowl of it - did you know that you have to portion these little seeds just like your regular old pasta? And it packs just as big of a caloric punch! Of course that doesn't mean that you should go back to eating unhealthy - these beguiling foods ARE good for you and do the body good - you just have to realize and pay attention to your portion sizes. 

I am in for one rude awakening...as I am sure some of you will be too. 

To be honest...I have hit quite the plateau after losing 50+ pounds. I am just STUCK...the scale will NOT go any lower than 129, no matter what I do....and I know that I still have work to do...as I am carrying around a spare tire and just feel flabby in all the wrong places. :/ So I need to overhaul my diet. I KNOW THIS!! And although I sit there and say to myself "geeze, I eat so freakin' clean all the time, what gives?" I know it's my portion sizes. I keep skipping that chapter all the time. It's SO important for weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight as well. Everything is super-duper-sized and it's not our fault...we were brought up that way. Everything is supposed to be bigger and better, right??
But that's not the case....with bigger {but not better} foods, comes super-sized waist lines and ridiculous cravings {addiction, anyone? thanks food industry - NOT!!}.
Trust me. I know. When I eat my pasta my Mom says I eat like a farmer...I can probably put away a good 4 cups if not more!! But that isn't right...not for my little ol' organics and gut...no wonder that damn spare tire is there to stay! :/
So it's time to recondition this ol' diet of mine...and get back to kicking some ass.

But first...I am here to share with you some foods that are taking you to the cleaners...if you don't edu-ma-cate yourself on them and reign in those suckers - portion wise. 

QUINOA

This complete protein is mistakenly believed to be much lower in calories than brown rice...it's not! At one cup {cooked}, quinoa packs in 222 calories, while rice is around 218. Quinoa shouldn't be made into the main star of the dish - it should be a small side. It's a helluva lot tastier than brown rice...so I will stick with the quinoa. ;)

PEANUT BUTTER

I have a new obsession with all things PB - just like my two little doggies {feed them organic PB in their kongs, they love the stuff} but at 100 calories a tablespoon {as much as regular butter!} this needs to be used sparingly. 

Don't ditch it altogether - because peanut butter helps build muscle, burn that nasty fat and fight heart disease! So keep noshing but don't eat straight out of the jar {as hard as that may be!!}.

CHIA SEEDS

Just because this is a super food and bouts so many super healthy benefits, doesn't mean you can sprinkle 1/2 a cup on everything...they still have 70 calories per tablespoon and if you're not paying attention you can add a boatload of calories to your meal without even realizing it. 

NUTS - PARTICULARLY PECANS

I loooooove pecans. They are my favorite...especially when there is a cinnamon-y coating on them. ;) OH! And those glazed pecans too...yumyumyum........oh sorry, where were we? That's right...

Just because pecans {plain} contain heart-healthy fats {MUFAS}, a tun of vitamins and minerals AND are a great source of protein - they also come in at 196 calories for a 1-oz serving...so don't go cray cray over nuts...try and stick to a handful as a snack. 

OLIVE OIL

This one depressed me big time...because usually I just pour the stuff on with abandon - particularly in salads. Ugh. This really makes me sad to say this! Are you ready? As much as olive oil is super good for you {MUFA} which even HELPS you lose weight, two tablespoons come in at a whopping 238 calories! Without even realizing it!!!
So use this bad....well, good boy...sparingly.

COCONUT MILK

I sort of saw this one coming as it's a saturated fat - but one cup of coconut milk has 552 calories and 57g of fat!! That's super depressing...lol. 

So use this one sparingly as well...as it does help speed up metabolism and comes with a host of other health benefits as well. 

CHICKPEAS

One cup of chickpeas comes in at 286 calories...which makes me a little sad because I assumed these little things were low in calories - well, isn't their egg on my face!
They are loaded though with fibre and protein and are great when adding into soups and salads but just be wary of how much you are adding. 

RAMEN NOODLES

They aren't healthy for you!! Just because it comes in a teeny weeny package does not mean it is low calories and the saucy powder stuff that comes with those ramen packages are usually loaded with MSG {which has you craving MORE food}. At one block - ramen noodles can come in at around 380 calories. I will be sharing some ramen recipes in the future that are healthier for you than Mr. Noodles {although I am guilty of gorging on them myself too...sigh}.

SALMON

I love salmon. A lot. 

And although it's a fantastic protein source for you, one salmon filet has 734 calories and if it's cooked in butter or fried than it's even worse. Your best bet is to cook salmon at home yourself and keep portions to about 3-oz {size of your chequebook....a 'normal' chequebook...lol}. 

GUACAMOLE

NooOOOOooOo!!! I have a new obsession with guac...and I am not an avocado person. It's rich in potassium {avocadoes} and super heart-healthy for you {MUFA} but it's loaded with calories and fat. One cup packs in 360 calories. Which is super easy to consume without realizing when your dippin chips at a party. Keep the guac in moderation...as super hard as that is probably going to be for guac-lovers like myself. 

POPCORN

Healthy for you but when you make it from home! A small bag of popcorn that you buy at the theatres comes loaded with salt and fat - so what you think is healthy air-popped popcorn is actually 630 calories going straight to your ass. Hehe. 

SMOOTHIES

Whip these babies up at home - so you KNOW what's going in them. A lot of the time when you purchase smoothies they can come loaded with sugar and other ingredients that you can't even pronounce! A 20-oz cup can come with 400 calories! That's not a smoothie...that's dessert!

SALAD DRESSING

I don't need to elaborate on this...you know a lot of those dressings are loaded with sugars and fat. Make your dressings from home, or use vinegar and olive oil...because a 3-oz serving of your typical Caesar salad dressing can have as many as 390 calories and 42 grams of fat. 

MARGARINE

Okay - I am putting this here because a lot of you use margarine instead of butter - because it is low in calories...but it's not...butter may come in at 100-calories per pat...but margarine still has 45 calories and also is one atom away from being windex...okay, not literally..lol. But margarine is not even real food!!! So I suggest you stick with butter, lay off the margarine...just be sparing. 

There you have it! A little eye-opening, isn't it? 

What sort of foods do you love that you think are healthy...but comes with a caloric punch? 

Are you good with portion control? Let me know in the comments!!

-S.*