Every day the media reports some story about the latest “Health Food” or “Superfood,” guaranteed to make you skinny for life or promise that you’ll live to 100. In addition, there is a growing list of foods that are “BAD” for you! “JUST AVOID THESE 5 EVIL FOODS AND YOUR WORRIES ARE OVER!” the headlines read.
In my workshops, my clients are always amazed that they can eat these taboo foods and still lose weight. Recently, one client was so glad to add fruit back into his diet because he started to believe that fruit was bad due to its sugar content. Another shocker is when clients realize that foods they were eating with abandon were not the healthy foods (or “healthier” substitutions) they were led to believe. My favorite example is the Greek yogurt craze. Americans have fallen for Greek yogurt so fast that nearly every yogurt maker now makes a “Greek” variety. While plain Greek yogurt is an excellent source of protein (see “The Healthy Plate” blog post), most dieters eat flavored Greek yogurt as a substitute for ice cream, which, by the way, has become one of the most taboo foods for people trying to lose weight. Hmmm… interesting idea! Let’s examine the facts:
