Eating yoghurt is not only healthy, but can also be an effective weight loss snack due to its protein content that keeps you full for longer. However, certain common mistakes can easily transform this potential weight loss weapon into a secret calorie bomb.
Here are the habits to avoid, so you can reap its full health benefits:
1. Considering calories
While calorie counting can be useful when trying to manage your food intake, it may be deceptive when it comes to eating packaged yogurt that is advertised as having few calories. Check the protein content as well, rather than just counting the calories in a tetra-pack. Yogurt packets may advertise 100 calories, but they actually contain only six grams of protein. If so, it would probably be best for you to choose a food that has more calories but 12 to 15 grams of protein so that you can eat less between meals.
2. Too many additions
Though purchasing plain yogurt and adding your own toppings sounds like a fantastic idea in theory, you can actually be undermining your efforts to eat healthily. People flavor foods with nuts and fruit in addition to adding honey to sweeten and give crunch to cereal. All of these have a caveat, but they can be wonderful additions. Acidity can be brought on by fruit and dairy. With almonds (which are high in proteins), it is simple to unintentionally transform that bowl of yogurt from a snack into a supper. Decide first whether you’re going to have yogurt as a full breakfast or just a snack in between meals. Stick to a cup of yoghurt with a small sprinkle of nuts if it’s simply a snack. If you’re using it as a breakfast, add a serving of cereal, and few nuts.
3. Failing to measure portions
Eating from a large container could cause you to overindulge. To make sure you are not overeating, measure your portions rather than just estimating them with your eyes (just like you would if you were eating ice cream). Stick to a small bowl because most single-serve packages have a measurement of six huge tablespoons.
4. Creating frozen desserts with them
Therefore, your yogurt has the potential to pass for a bad snack (especially those offered at different yoghurt shops). They are often highly deceptive.
They frequently contain granola and may contain full-fat yoghurt. Furthermore, the yoghurt is broken up by the layers of oats, which also gives the impression that you are eating less than you actually are. If you need a dairy fix urgently, use standard packaged yoghurt or consume what is made at home.
5. Choosing fat-free
Yogurt that is fat-free is a huge fraud. All yoghurt contains naturally occurring sugars as a byproduct of the milk it is made from, but some varieties also contain significant amounts of additional sugar to enhance flavor. Try a different sort if there are more than 18 grams of sugar in one serving or if sugar is listed as the first ingredient on the label. If someone doesn’t truly like the flavor of fat-free, they don’t need to do it. While doing that, make sure you are receiving enough protein and not too much sugar by looking at the contents list.
6. Purchasing probiotics
Given that numerous studies indicate the health benefits of probiotics, profit-driven food manufacturers will undoubtedly position them as the newest “IT” product. Do not assume that anything is healthy just because the label says it contains probiotics. You can consume too much yogurt. It’s okay to join the probiotics bandwagon, but you don’t have to start stuffing your face with yogurt to get your fill.
