What Healthy Foods Can Make You Gain Weight?

WHAT HEALTHY FOODS CAN MAKE YOU GAIN WEIGHT?

Written by Jonathan Fletcher

It’s easy to get duped by fake “healthy” foods.  

What makes it even more frustrating is when we’re really trying to be careful, but certain foods that we thought were healthy are actually preventing us from losing weight. 

I've been there!  My favorite evening snack for years was a bowl of yogurt and grape-nuts cereal.  I mean, how much healthier can you get?  Those little things are essentially just pebbles right?  Come to find out that little nightly snack was almost 300 calories, and 60 grams of carbs.  Sometimes (most times) I’d even go get more cereal for round 2! Don’t judge me!

Just for comparison, a 1/2 cup serving of vanilla ice cream (which everyone would probably call “unhealthy”) is about 215 calories, and 24 grams of carbs.

It’s no wonder I grew to 200lbs over the course of a few years. 

Old photo of Jonathan

The thing that makes these seemingly healthy foods dangerous is that they have a lot of stinkin’ calories for not a lot of food!

Never forget that the most nutritious food in the world can still make you gain weight if you’re eating more calories than you need.   Yes, even gluten-free, sugar-free, and paleo superfoods. 

Here are some of the top high-calorie offenders that are often considered “healthy” to watch out for:

Granola - 220 calories in 1/2 a cup.  Oh so delicious and oh so easy to overdo.  

Dried Fruit Mix - 180 calories in 1/2 a cup.  Who couldn’t eat a few handfuls of this stuff?!?

Nut Mix - 170-200 calories in 1oz.  Good luck eating 1oz! That’s a lot less than a handful. 

Nut Butters - 190-220 calories in 2 Tbsp.  Not counting how much you eat out of the jar on the way back to the pantry. 

Chia Seeds - 140 calories in 2 Tbsp. - A good source of fiber and omega 3’s but a lot of calories in a small serving. Be careful! 

Guacamole / Avocado - 50 calories in 2 Tbsp. - I don’t know about you, but I can EASILY eat 1/2 cup of guac.  That would be about 175 calories.  

Hummus - 50 calories in 2 Tbsp. - Just like guac, a lot of calories and easy to overdo. 

Again, these foods are “healthy” in that they contain great nutrients, but quantity matters.   Since they pack a calorie punch and are super delicious, it’s easy to eat more than we need.  

Those extra calories matter!

So next time you pick up a food labeled as “healthy”, do a little digging on what the serving size is, and how many calories are in a serving.  

Knowledge is power!

If you’ve ever drawn a blank when it comes time to shop, or make a healthy meal… We have you covered.

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