Moving out of mom and dad’s house is never easy to do when coming into college. They took care of you when you were sick, did your laundry, maintained a clean home, and, most importantly, had a kitchen full of any and every food that you could ever want. Once you get to college, you have a lot more freedom and can do everything without mom and dad breathing down your neck because you haven’t done the dishes yet. With responsibility comes feeding yourself, picking out your grocery list, going to the store, and filling your cart with things that you’re going to eat throughout the week. This can be hard, especially since companies try to pass off unhealthy foods as healthy by labeling them as “fat-free” or “full of grains,” but don’t be fooled! Here are some foods to completely avoid in order to dodge the dreaded freshman 15.
1. Fruit Juices/Smoothie
These are packed with sugar. Don’t let the fact that these beverages are full of fruits fool you, they are horrible for you and you are way better off just drinking water.
2. Multigrain Bread
You think you’re being healthy by choosing grain-packed bread over white, but it’s almost the same choice. Some bread companies fool their consumers by trying to pass off multigrain bread as healthy when it actually is packed full of sugar and a bunch of other unpronounceable substances. Before you buy, just make sure that you are reading the label and checking to see if wheat and grains are the first and main ingredients.
3. Reduced Fat Peanut Butter
You may have heard the fact that peanut butter is a big cause of weight gain, which is true if you eat it in excess. So, people think that buying reduced fat peanut butter is way healthier and now they can be safe whilst enjoying a peanut butter coma. This is false. Yes, they take out most of the fats in peanut butter that cause weight gain (things like trans fats and hydrogenated oils), but to replace these they pack their peanut butter full of sugar so that customers still love the taste. So, just buy the regular peanut butter. In the end, it’s better for you as long as you eat it in moderation.
4. Gluten-free Baked Goods
There is a lot of talk revolving around gluten-free diets and “how it’s so good for weight loss.” Yeah, that's not correct. In fact, gluten-free diets are actually really bad for a person without a gluten allergy. It's mainly because, after they take out all of the gluten in a product (wheat, barley, rye, etc), they add a ton of sugar! To make it even worse, gluten-free products are so expensive in stores. So, save yourself the money and just eat normal foods in proper serving sizes.
5. Microwave Sandwiches
Living in a dorm, it’s hard to eat well. You have almost nothing other than a microwave to work with. So, going to the store and finding an easy meal that you can make in your dorm in-between classes seems like a major score on your part. Little do you know that you’re basically consuming a cup full of sodium. Instead of wasting your money on something that won't even fill you, just take a trip up to the deli and invest in some fresh meats, cheeses, and veggies that will make a heftier and healthier sammie.
6. Energy Or Protein Bars
You may be thinking protein is good, which is totally true. Protein is what fills you and helps muscle grow. So, snagging a couple of protein bars to always carry on you seems like a no brainer. Instead, they are full of things like trans fat, which is one of the main causes of weight gain. However, you may be looking on the label of your protein bars and thinking to yourself, “What is this girl saying? It says 0 grams of trans fats.” Well, another word for saturated fats is hydrogenated oil. So, before buying that protein bar, just make sure that you check the ingredient list.
7. Coffee Creamer
Serving size is going to be your best friend with this. You absolutely need to be paying attention to how much creamer you use because it’s so easy to drink your calories and creamer is full of sugar.
8. Frozen Entrees
Have you ever bought a frozen dinner and wondered why you even wasted your money on such a small serving of food? Well, the servings are so small because they promise low calories, but pack the food full of sodium to add flavor and to help keep the food “fresher” while in the freezer.
9. Flavored Fat-free Yogurt
This is the same as the reduced fat peanut butter. Yogurt companies try to pass off fat-free yogurt as “healthy,” but when they take out the fats, they add sugar and a lot of it. Buy greek yogurt instead! It’s more filling and has more protein to keep you fuller longer.
10. Tortillas
On average, a flour tortilla has 467 with 1.2 grams of bad fat (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated), 950 milligrams of sodium, 98 grams of carbs, and 5 grams of sugar. These are all scary numbers that you can avoid by either getting hard taco shells or investing in wheat tortillas.
11. Veggie Chips
Yes, these kinds of chips contain less sodium and fat than a potato chip, but these chips don't even contain real vegetables. They contain a veggie powder or veggie puree. Plus, they cook at high temperatures, whether they are baked or fried, and that releases a chemical (acrylamide) that is also found in carbohydrate-based foods like potato chips. As well as not being healthy, this chemical has been linked to cancer causing agents and nerve damage studies. The smarter choice would be to just eat regular veggies.