1. The Artificial Sweetener
In
small doses (think: one teaspoon per serving), sugar is totally fine.
But it gets a little dicey when you have too many artificial sweeteners. Here’s the deal: Sweeteners are way, um, sweeter than sugar, and they can reset your taste buds to crave sugary foods. As a result, you end up eating more junk. Plus, people who limit their artificial sweetener use find that they have more energy and don’t have as many cravings.
2. Margarine
Most
of us think it’s a healthy alternative to butter (err, guilty), but
margarine has loads of trans fats, which increase your cholesterol. And
it contains a lot of ingredients versus butter’s one or two. The calorie
count is also similar to butter, but we tend to eat more of it because
we think it’s healthier. Your best bet: Stick with small does of butter
or use heart-healthy olive oil.3. Soy Isolate
All
soy isn’t bad, but the isolate (a refined, often genetically-modified
form of soy that pops up in a lot of soy-based products) resembles
estrogen, which is iffy — some research has shown that it can increase
the risk of cancers and infertility in women. If you want to go
vegetarian, opt for veggie burgers with quinoa, chickpeas, or black
beans as a base, and eat protein bars that are based on nuts and seeds.
And for meat subs, go for beans, nuts, seeds, nut butters, and natural
sources of soy like edamame, tofu, and tempeh.4. Diet Foods

Unfortunately, “diet” or “low-fat” doesn’t mean low-calorie. Diet bars and low-fat foods like yogurts usually have more sugar, salt, and unhealthy fillers to make them taste okay. Even worse, we typically eat double the serving we should because we’re not satisfied or think that it’s okay to eat more because it’s “healthy.”
5. Frozen Meals
These
babies are convenient (Hello, dinner in five minutes or less!) but are
often heavily processed and filled with fat and salt. Instead of going
this route, make a big meal (like a yummy soup or stew) at home when you
have some downtime, portion it out, and freeze the servings. Frozen
fruits and
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