Your diet plays a big role when trying to lose weight. Making the right choices has a big impact on you, and those choices start in the supermarket. Buying the right food can seem daunting, especially if you don’t know where to start. But before you make a beeline for healthy foods, you may want to consider trying a food exchange first.
Just because you’re looking at what you eat doesn’t mean you have to give up everything you enjoy. From time to time, making simple changes can benefit your weight loss efforts, and it can only be done by changing the brand of your favorite product.To determine a healthy alternative, we Dr. Lisa Young, RDNAuthor of Finally full, finally slim, A privately-owned dietitian and a part-time professor of nutrition at New York University. She will tell us about some simple and healthy food exchanges you can make at your local Walmart. Then look at the healthiest and cheapest Wal-Mart foods you can buy.
90 calories, 2 g fat (0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 430 mg sodium, 0 g carbohydrates (0 g fiber, 0 g sugar), 16 g protein
“Try Stryve Biltong, which contains 16 grams of protein, 0 grams of carbs and 0 grams of sugar, instead of the traditional jerky that is super-processed and often added with sugar and salt,” says Dr. Young.
In addition to weight gain, super-processed foods are associated with inflammatory bowel disease and cancer, so trying to get away from them when looking for healthy foods is definitely a great option!
Stryve is an air-dried meat snack made from 100% American high quality beef. This protein helps you get the recommended daily intake and may help build muscle after training.
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30 calories, 0 g fat (0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 250 mg sodium, 7 g carbohydrates (0 g fiber, 5 g sugar), 0 g protein
“Instead of traditional barbecue sauce, try stubs with less sugar and no high-fructose corn syrup,” says Dr. Young.
Stub’s original barbecue sauce contains only 5 grams of sugar, while other sauces contain more than 10 grams.
Studies have shown that high fructose corn syrup can lead to weight gain and is an ingredient you want to keep away from the foods you buy, especially when choosing foods that help you lose weight.
35 calories, fat 2 g (saturated fat 0 g, trans fat 0 g), sodium 190 mg, carbohydrates 3 g (fiber 0 g, sugar 2 g), protein 0 g
Depending on the dressing, there may be a lot of unwanted (and unwanted) ingredients.
“Instead of the usual spicy Italian dressing, try a new primal citrus zest dressing with fewer calories per serving.”
This citrus peel dressing produces only 35 calories per 2 tablespoons serving. Other dressings can have more than 100 calories per serving. If you are not careful, these calories may be added.
45 calories, fat 0.5 g (saturated fat 0 g, trans fat 0 g), sodium 0 mg, carbohydrates 12 g (fiber 1 g, sugar 11 g), protein 0 g
Just because it contains fruits does not mean that you will be healthy.
“Many versions of applesauce contain a lot of added sugar and unwanted calories, but not in Brainiac’s applesauce pouch,” says Dr. Young. “These are less sugary and less calorie than traditional applesauce.”
The smaller the amount of sugar added, the more effective it is in weight loss. Brainiac contains 120 milligrams of choline, a nutrient that plays a role in brain development and memory to add health benefits. It also contains 160 milligrams of omega 3, DHA, and EPA, which can have a positive impact on many aspects of cardiovascular health.
Kayla Garitano
Kayla Garritano is Eat This, Not That! I’m a staff writer. She graduated from Hofstra University with a major in journalism and two minors in marketing and creative writing.read more
