In the following link you will find 11 paragraphs that claim the 11 foods listed below will make you fat. Their title even says: “11 Diet Foods That Make You Fat”. (Link: https://www.yahoo.com/health/11-diet-foods-that-make-you-fat-91955213282.html# )

In each paragraph are my words to help you decipher the truth. You must read the article from the link above in order to comprehend this one.

But first….let me explain why I want to pick on this article.

It’s because this article is right in the wrong way. Lying by omission is telling the truth, yet leaving out certain information. This article contains information that’s true, but aren’t that black and white. I have no idea why articles as such are written or if the fingers on the keyboard have no idea what they are typing; either way information like this are misleading. They create self-induced restrictions that lead to an ordeal of stress, which thus creates problems that didn’t need to be there in the first place.

I really want to help people understand that the word “healthy” doesn’t mean what it use to. Fruit is not healthy. Vegetables aren’t healthy. Those green smoothies with those herbs in it that you can’t pronounce are not healthy. A diet isn’t healthy, it’s oxymoronic. What’s healthy are all those things balanced in moderation. Too much or too little of something will hurt your goals. These 11 foods below can make you gain fat or can make you lose fat, it all depends on how you use them. The title of the article says “diet” foods. When actually it’s all a numbers game.

These 11 diet foods that “make you fat” are actually packed full of nutrients, meaning I’d suggest choosing the calories below over empty calories to help reach your goals. [I’m not saying to eat only these foods, I am saying these make great selections.] Again it’s a numbers game; calories. You are allotted a certain amount of calories depending on your goal. I believe if you are going to make a mistake, eat under your limit than over it. Eating over your limit is when articles like this become true. Diet foods are usually low in calories(that’s why they are classified as a diet food), so low calories make you fat? No, but I’m sure if you ignored moderation and ate over your limit with low calorie foods that you will gain fat…………………Point is, below I am going to add in the missing information that will change everything. Enjoy.

Their opening Words: “These foods may also be loaded with sugar (green juice, for example), or carbohydrates (whole grains), or fat (nuts). “If you add something to your diet, even if it’s something healthy, you have to take something out to make up for it, or you’re going to gain weight,” she points out. So put down that bag of tamari almonds and read on.”

My words:

1. After reading this article come back and read that bolded sentence again to see if it means something different. Because they are right and wrong. You cannot add something, when there is nothing to take out of. If you have a meal plan with a set calorie limit and decide to want something outside your meal plan, then yes you would have to switch out a food for another or you will gain weight. But most people don’t know how many calories they are consuming since they don’t track them. Point is, “adding” any one of these foods will not make you fat. If you have no idea where you are at, you may already be over your calorie limit; if so then yes any one of these foods could make you gain fat.

2. There is no sugar OR carbohydrates. THEY ARE THE SAME THING. To be exact, carbohydrates are sugars, there’re just different types found in different types of food. Throughout the article she speaks of sugar and carbohydrates like their separate and non-cohesive. That right there is very misleading . Then she talks about how if you add something to your diet, you must take something out. That’s true, the Law of Compensation is important, but what are the people adding to? A diet? What is that? Oh something like healthy eating or cutting back on food? CRAP! A diet doesn’t exist, eating does. A diet doesn’t help you lose or gain fat, your calorie limit for the day determines your fat gain. Throughout this article I will bring up a lot about how gaining fat is only going over your calorie limit, not FOOD directly!

1. Hummus

My words: Hummus is not high in calories, they even state 2 tablespoons of Hummus equal 70 calories. Personally, your goals determine the cost of calories. Then he eliminates a food that doesn’t need to be taken out completely. Read towards the end and you will see how the article says a cup of hummus will go to your waist (a.k.a make gain fat). Well did that cup of hummus go over your calorie limit? Doubt it, since 560 isn’t a lot compared to your goal. The only way Hummus would make you gain fat is if you consumed it while being over your calorie limit. Then the guy suggests to eat a zero-calorie dip instead! As if something with zero calories will be beneficial in the long run…..even if you ate the zero calorie dip all day, you would still probably gain weight.

2. Grapes

My words: The first sentence is a down right paradox to the learned eye. They say the calories aren’t the problem, but the sugar is. That makes no sense since sugar has calories of its own, making sugar and calories the same thing. Sugars are carbohydrates and carbohydrates are sugars. 4 calories are in every gram of carbohydrates (sugar) Grapes are made up of mainly simple carbohydrate calories then fat or protein, therefor if calories aren’t the problem here, then nor is the sugar. The problem would be ignoring moderation towards your goal. Then again they word another sentence to make it seem like sugar and calories don’t work off each other. They say “310 calories and 75 grams of sugar” when they should be saying “ 5 cups of grapes has 75 grams of sugar in it that equals 310 calories (which actually equals 300)” You are about to learn how to count calories: How did I know 5 cups equalled 310 calories if 5 cups wasn’t even in the article? Well, if 1 cup of grapes equals 15g of sugar, how many cups would equal 75g of sugar? That’s easy, 15g multiplied by 5 is 75g. And if every gram of carbohydrates equal 4 calories, then I must multiply 75g by 4 to get 300 calories. Since fruit is only sugar the total calories will always come from carbohydrates. Grapes will not make you fat, how you use grapes will make you fat. Fit them within your limit and you are just fine.

3. Nuts

My words: This one is just a lot of talk. I don’t have a huge problem with this paragraph, but I will touch up on it. So you read an ounce of almonds or peanuts has 160 calories and 14g of fat. I understand not everyone will know that for every gram of fat you multiply by 9, but now you do. 14 grams multiplied by 9 equals 126 calories, but what about the remaining 34 calories? I understand that not everyone will know that almonds or peanuts also have around 8.5g of protein that account for the other 34 calories, but now you do. (p.s- some nuts contain low amounts of carbohydrates) Now you know an ounce of almonds or peanuts has 14g of fat and 8.5 of protein that equal 160 calories. The reason I did the math is because he also suggests to sprinkle them on salads to limit how many you eat, but doesn’t explain how “overnutting” would make you fat. He is correct, over-eating would lead to fat gain, but fails to explain how they make you fat. Some nuts contain added sugar, will nuts with sugar make you fat even if you don’t “overnut”? NO, but I’m sure this article would say yes since they think the sugar in grapes make you fat. Point is, nuts will not make you fat. UNDERSTAND this though. The serving size for nuts is relatively small; you can easily eat up to 6 servings. People trying to bulk love nuts because they don’t need to eat a lot to get calories.  So, make sure you notice how many servings you are consuming.

4. Green Juice

My words: WOW! This paragraph is very manipulating without an educated eye. First off they say “here’s the problem”, which is ironic because their misleading information is actually the problem. The message here is that juicing has too much sugar that will make you fat, just like a soda would, and that you’ll be lacking protein and other nutrients. ALL BULL$4IT. 6 teaspoons of sugar is around 25 grams. 25g of carbohydrates (sugar) will not get you fat. If you have a limit of like 150g of carbohydrates and you drink over 6 juices than YES, you will gain weight and lack protein. 7 juices is about 175g of carbohydrates when you are only allowed 150g. PLUS, you still aren’t even near your calorie limit, you just reached your carbohydrate limit; which means you still have to reach your protein and fat limit without out further increasing your carbohydrate limit. Nearly impossible, but that’s why the word “balanced” is the new healthy. P.s- a soda will not make you fat, the same logic applies for all foods, but juicing would be a smarter choice.

5. Dried Fruit

My words: WOW again! This paragraph says dried fruits are pretty bad since it’s basically like eating candy and to eat real fruit instead, but not certain ones. CRAP! What I dislike the most is how they say “25 grams of sugar and 107 calories”, when they should say “25 grams of simple carbohydrates at 107 calories”.

Someone by the name of Jessica gained 5lbs in 3 months, just from snacking on them, well:

1. You obviously weren’t “snacking”. AND/OR you are not tracking your calories. Because another option would be every time you ate the dried fruit you were already over or about to go over your limit. So you thought you were snacking, but actually snacking over your limit. Doing that would lead to 5lbs in 3 months.

2. 5lbs in 3 months isn’t all that bad though. That tells me majority of the time you stay relatively under your calorie limit, but on certain weeks you exceeded it. It takes around 3500 calories to add a pound of fat or muscle. That means it took you 3 months to eat 17,500 calories. If I didn’t know what I was doing I would gain 5lbs in like 5 to 6 days because I eat 3,000 calories in a day. That would be 90lbs in a month and you are complaining about weight gain? The reason she gained weight was due to ignoring moderation and it caught up to her. Do you know why they say dried fruit “naturally” contains a lot of sugar? That’s because “fresh fruit contains a lot of sugar”. (natural form); Dried fruit once was fresh fruit. When the fruit gets dried out, the carbohydrate (sugar) amount doesn’t change, it keeps whatever amount the fresh fruit initially had. Which means if the dried fruit is basically like candy so would the fresh fruit. So why suggest fresh fruit over dried fruit? Which one should you choose to eat? Calories wise, whatever one you want Fresh or Dried, the difference is some vitamins and minerals are lost during the dehydration process. P.s- Fruit doesn’t contain a lot of sugar (carbohydrates), the cost of calories depend on your goal; remember that! Also candy will not make you fat, eating over your limit makes you fat.

6. Coconut Water

My words: Honestly, this article has nothing to do with fat gain. They say dried fruit at 25g will get you fat and don’t even mention the 11-22g of sugar in Coconut Water. They talk about a small carton at 45 calories which would only have 11g of sugar (carbohydrates). I would assume this paragraph to say something like “stay away from Coconut water because one cup has the same amount of sugar as one cup of grapes”. I’m glad they didn’t because even though it’s true that they are equal in sugar, Grapes nor Coconut Water will make you fat, going over your limit would make you fat. But, I do believe that one should just drink water instead of other liquids to quench the thirst.

7. Agave

My words: To say “bad move” makes me think to not make that move. I don’t believe in instilling that kind of negativity in people. Choosing Agave is NOT a bad move. It’s only a bad move if it risks going over your limit. When I first read “the syrupy sweetener has more calories than sugar”, I immediately thought the sugar in Agave is more than 4 calories per gram, since they said “it has more”. But then I kept reading and realized they were talking about the difference in serving sizes. WHICH, is the worst excuse to try and target Agave. If you are within your limit, you can have whatever you want. This paragraph does talk about one good point: Fructose. There are many perspectives about Fructose. Fructose is a type of carbohydrate (sugar) mainly found in fruit. Personally, Fructose is a sneaky sugar, it can cause fat gain even under your limit. So does that mean they were right to put Grapes, Green Juice, and Dried Fruit in this article? NO. If Fructose can make you gain fat even under your limit, why do you keep saying these foods will only make you fat if you go over your limit? Unlike the rest, if you consume high amounts of fructose, it can lead to digestive problems, which would then eventually lead to fat gain, whether you are under or over your limit. The high amounts of Fructose is the only way Triglycerides would increase and I’m talking about HIGH amounts in one sitting or overtime. If you have digestive problems you will gain fat, doesn’t matter if you are under or over your limit. Being over and having digestive problems will only make matters worse. Fructose can make you gain fat under your limit ONLY if you have digestive issues. Besides its sneakiness, Fructose is still 4 calories per gram. P.s- pure fructose in high amounts lead to fat gain. Eating high amounts of fruit will not. But I thought fruit contains Fructose? It does, but fruit doesn’t contain pure Fructose, it actually contains another type of sugar called Sucrose. Sucrose is glucose and fructose bonded together. Digesting fruit, isn’t digesting 100% Fructose, it’s digesting something that will not make you fat unless you eat over your limit.

8. Gluten-Free Snacks

My words: Ummmm…..EVERY food is processed. Yes, even fruit. The lady in this paragraph showed weight loss with gluten-free “non-processed” and whole foods. But, couldn’t lose weight with gluten-free baked goods. Well, if she ate the same amount of baked goods as whole foods, her body will end up digesting WAY more calories. I’m not sure what “non-processed” foods she ate, but the calories in them either had to of been low or she didn’t eat an overall a lot of them. Either way the baked goods will add up faster with a higher potential to exceed her calorie limit, which can trick someone to believe that it’s the food causing weight gain. Then someone suggests to make sure the sugar content doesn’t go over 4 grams. WHAT? If you were to be that picky with sugar, you would end up starving yourself or get bored of eating the same foods over and over. It would be awesome if sugar content was low in every food, but that just won’t happen. This paragraph tells me that one should be tracking their calories. Tracking your calories is the best tool to help you understand how the number game works.

9. Supergrains

My words: Most of this paragraph is valid, BUT a carbohydrate is NOT a carbohydrate! You are about to learn about Carbohydrates in my words: There are 3 types of Carbohydrates:

1. Sugars (simple carbohydrate)

2. Starches (complex carbohydrate)

3. Fiber (neither)

It gets deeper, but I’ll try my best to make sense of it.

Simple Carbohydrates are sugars that only contain 1-2 sugar molecules. Complex Carbohydrates are sugars that have 3 or more sugar molecules. Due to the numbers you can conclude that Complex Carbohydrates are bigger than Simple Carbohydrates. Your body digests Simple Carbohydrates really fast because the sugar is already in its simplest form with no need to be broken down. Complex Carbohydrates are bigger, which means your body will take longer to break down them down, causing you to feel fuller for longer. How do you know what foods has what? THAT’S THE TRICK. To remember what foods contain what carbohydrates. I suggest reading more on carbohydrates to learn more. Fruits, Milk, Candy, Juices, White Bread and anything with a significant amount of sugar on the Nutrition Label will be simple. Rice, Oatmeal, Certain Breads, Pasta and anything with a low sugar content will be complex. Can you have a food that is both Simple and Complex? YES and all foods will be like that, you just have to know which carb dominates more than the other. For example:

Oatmeal. Look below at the Carbohydrate and Sugar content. You’ll notice 31g of Carbohydrates and 12g of Sugar. HERE IS HOW CARBOHYDRATES AND SUGAR AREN’T SEPARATE. If you notice it actually says “Total Carbohydrates”. That means that 12g of sugar is already added into that 31g. Those 12g of sugar are either natural sugars or added. That’s why the 2014 proposed nutrition label wants to add an “added sugar”content. Those 12g of sugar will always be simple carbohydrates, which means the remaining 19 will be complex carbohydrates. Now you know how to figure out how much simple and complex carbs are in a food. Total Carbohydrates – Sugar = Complex Carbohydrates. Fiber doesn’t get converted into glucose when digested so there is no 4 calories per gram for it, which means we ignore it when it comes to the calorie game. Fiber is important for the digestive system, that’s a whole another story. You will notice with fruit nutrition labels that the Total Carbohydrates will match the Sugar content, that’s because fruit is mainly simple carbohydrates. Study the Glycemic Index for a good starting point. Can you see now how a carbohydrate is not just a carbohydrate? The rate a carb gets digested is very important when it comes to Nutrient Timing and your goals.

Oatmeal Nutrition Label:

 

10. Kale

My words: Well this paragraph didn’t say much. It did hint there is a certain way to eat food for weight loss. Mhm!

11. Raw foods

My words: Saying “but you may not” is feeding misleading information. Cooked or Raw Food, pay attention to the calories and make sure it fits into your daily limit. If you ignore moderation you will end up like a “fat vegan”.

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This article really shouldn’t exist, since NO food makes you fat. The AMOUNT of food does. How do you know how much you are eating? TRACK your calories! Tracking your calories will give you a different perspective on food. It will help you understand HOW and WHEN to use food. Food contains calories from 3 different sources. Carbohydrates, Fats, and Protein. If you have a goal it is your responsibility to make sure you understand these sources since they determine whether you achieve your goal or not. To go over your calorie limit means you are in a “Calorie Surplus”; a method used to gain weight. To be under your calorie limit means you are in a “Calorie Deficit”; a method used to lose weight. When you are in a Calorie Surplus, that means your are eating more than you burn. A Calorie Deficit means you are burning more than you eat. Basic science here. If you want to lose wight, being in a Calorie Deficiency should be your first priority, NOT figuring what to eat.

***If you are seeking further information, search IIFYM (if it fits your macros).

WARNING*** Even though your calorie limit determines if you lose or gain weight, that is no excuse to chow down empty calories. Empty calories are foods that just have calories and no further benefit such as vitamins, minerals, and other micro-nutrients. The quality of your food will determine your gut health and your gut health will determine how well you absorb and digest calories. Absorption is critical towards goals, as it determines your results. You can stay under your limit, but if your body can’t utilize food optimally, you have a high chance to gain weight. How does one get bad gut health? One gets bad gut health by constantly restricting their body from important nutrients and/or by over-consuming high amounts of pure fructose. Remember that?

Take home points:

1. Make sure your digestive system is optimal.

2. Your calories at the end of the day will determine your results.

3. Carbohydrates and Protein are 4 calories per gram, while Fat is 9 calories per gram.

4. Food doesn’t make you fat, the amount of food does.

5.There are Simple and Complex Carbohydrates

6. Sugar isn’t your enemy, you are your own enemy.

7. Sugar and Carbohydrates aren’t separate they are part of the same equation

8. Calorie Surplus is being over your Calorie Limit, while a Calorie Deficit is being under.

9. Avoid consuming empty calories as they have no micronutrient benefits.

 

Links:

Great article on Fructose: http://www.muscleforlife.com/do-fructose-and-fruit-make-you-fat-and-unhealthy/

Great article on IIFYM:http://www.trimmedandtoned.com/beginners-guide-to-iifym

Great article on Carbohydrates: http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/understanding-carbohydrates/types-of-carbohydrates.html