Diet Foods Don't Help with Weight Loss

My goal is to buy as minimally processed foods as possible. That means less packaging to be throw away or recycled, less raw materials used in making the packaging, and more pure foods going into my body.

Still, sometimes buying some packaged foods is necessary. Heck even salad comes in a package these days.

What I don't buy are packages labeled "diet" or "low fat" or "low carb". Even though these seem like the ideal foods for people wanting to lose weight be very wary of these and similar labels.

First and foremost, many foods that can actually make the low fat claims are actually high in sugar. Other dietetic products have ingredients that are not healthy for anyone--especially people who are restricting their calories. While it isn't 100% true, a little red flag goes off in my head if I can't pronounce the ingredients!

One of the biggest problems with low calorie foods is that although there may be "only" 100 calories in a serving, just how big is the serving. Most of us won't stop at only the 100 calories.

The advent of the individual lower calorie serving pack should help with that, right? Turns out that because most dieters eat for emotional reasons or because of "cues" rather than real hunger, they are more apt to eat MORE if they buy these small packages. They'll simply open more packages.

So not only are you eating more, you are paying more and you are using more resources to have the packaging produced! That is a lose-lose-lose situation. The only thing that isn't losing is your weight!