You’re eating healthy, or so it seems, but you’re still not able to lose weight or hit your calorie intake? We’ve already looked at a few swaps you can use when cooking meals, but it doesn’t stop there.
More than ever, we are consuming food on the go and it is sometimes hard to really track what we are eating unless you’re counting macros. Even if you are counting macros, there are some hidden items that you haven’t considered tracking that can drastically impact your overall calories for the day.
For example, people who are told to watch their sodium intake are sometimes instructed to pour table salt into their hand instead of directly into the dish. The goal is to help them identify and control how much goes on their meal instead of a guessing game of “5 good shakes or so”. It really is that easy to consume more than what you should.
So building off that thought, let’s look at a few sneaky guys that most don’t consider as adding up to too much, BUT in reality can pack on 200+ calories.
In the end, there are many ways to tackle this topic however, these are three places you can start. If you find that you are trying to lose weight and have a strong understanding of your intake, you may want to start looking at other factors.
Many things contribute to a person’s ability to lose weight, specifically that stubborn belly fat. Sleep, hormones, thyroid, medications, etc. are all factors that could be at a play.
The point is, starting somewhere to uncover what your body response to best AND giving yourself adequate time to see changes in your body is what matters!
1. Salad Dressing / Toppings
Salad dressings contain a lot of extra things, are usually pretty high in sodium AND a serving size is usually only 2 Tbsp. Excuse me, what? I’m eating a salad but now I need to think about the yummy dressing that goes on top? Yes, yes you do. Unfortunately, it can tack on hundreds of calories.
My suggestion here is to use a measuring spoon until you can start to gauge how much a serving size is. Or – I’ll throw this out there for the salad die-hards- try going without? If you think I’ve gone crazy, adding other ingredients like peppers, a handful of almonds, or even artichoke hearts can add complexity and texture to the salad and you may not notice as much.
Alternatively, and this is one I’m notorious for, dip your fork in the dressing (or sauce) first and then load it with the food (assuming it is in a cup like you’d see at a restaurant.)
Lastly, I think it is worth noting here that you can also make homemade dressing without all the “extra” but do keep in mind that oils are fats so they do count for something.
In all, make sure you have an idea of what 2 Tbsp. look like so you can better gauge your intake
2. Sauces
I cover this in the recipe swap article but it is worth mentioning here for the sole purpose of dipping. Where are my ranch lovers? I’m not sure much else needs to be said here other than, it can add a lot.
My suggestion? Try to forgo it OR set a certain amount (again about 2 Tbsp.) Once it is gone, it’s gone. Use each dip wisely I say.
3. Peanut Butter
This one hits home. I love peanut butter on pretty much anything. What I did not consider for a good portion of my life is the serving size! Peanut butter sits between 180-200 calories per 2 Tbsp. That is literally on one piece of toast for me or about 1.5 apple slices.
Alas, it is true and worth taking a look at. Test out what a 2 Tbsp would look like by transferring it to a spoon. That way you have a good idea of what this looks like since you won’t always have measuring spoons around.
4. Pasta
Everyone knows this one. Pasta is bad, right? NO. There are times where you can switch it out for a healthier option, but it really is about portion control at the end of the day.
Look at the side of the box. You know the part of the box where we all look to see the ratio of noodles to water? Well wherever that is on the box, is also the serving size. When you find it, let me know because I still don’t know how many noodles to pour.
Joking aside, it usually is around ⅓ cup. So imagine a fistful (unless you have uniquely large or small hands of course.) That’s not a lot and I’d venture to say that on pasta night, we are all about 4-5 fistfuls full with pasta.
Again, measure it out just to see what that looks like. Over time, I promise you, you can’t unsee how small the serving is. But at least you’ll know and you can incorporate other filling items to round out your plate!
5. Take Out / Ordering Food
This one is sort of an outlier but the most well known. I put it here though because while fast food and take out has been marketed as more healthy, a lot of items can be packed with extra that we can’t even see.
Did you watch the cook pour the salt (and mostly like loads of butter) onto your bun-less burger? Did you watch as they poured the ingredients into the guacamole? Or the worst one, why is a salad all of a sudden 1800 calories on the menu?
The point here is be watchful with take out. Things are more transparent in regards to the calories you’re consuming and I think it’s awesome progress. Just again, make sure you’re mindful of your frequency of eating out and when you do, what the ingredients are and the portion amount.
Did I ruin your day with any of these? I hope not. And none of the above items are bad to eat. It is all about moderation and being mindful as to what is going into our bodies. If you didn’t catch the theme here, it is to visually see how much is a serving so that you can start making better choices on portion sizes.
Ultimately, you are in control of what you consume. Make those choices work for you and not against you!
Note: if you are struggling with making specific food decisions or want to know more about proper intake, I do recommend reaching out to a registered dietician who can help answer specific questions related to your health.
