28 Apr Closer to natural foods the better

There are many falsehoods out there when it comes to dieting and keeping weight off.
Here’s the biggest truth you need to remember: The closer to natural foods the better.
Build your diet around fruits and vegetables and avoid processed foods.
Of course, most of us aren’t going to be satisfied on those foods alone, so here are five more dieting tips to watch out for:
As a rule of thumb, if it seems too good to be true it probably is:
* Avoid diet sodas – You should really cut out all sodas. Just because it says diet doesn’t mean it’s better for you than regular soda. Diet soda still contains lots of sugar and artificial ingredients and can still add weight to your body. Some studies have found that people who drink diet soda are still more likely to gain weight and develop diabetes than those who don’t.
* Avoid white pasta – Choose whole grain pasta over white pasta as it will be lower in sugars and carbs.
* Avoid milk chocolate – Choose dark chocolate over white and milk chocolate. Two ounces of white chocolate can contain 320 calories.
* Wine – The benefits of wine are often praised, but be aware that if you’re trying to lose weight excess wine drinking can still pack on the calories. Limit your consumption to one drink during the week and two on weekends.
* Sugar free gum – The label may say “sugar free” but like with lots of products marked this way the gum still can act like a sugar in the body because it’s loaded with artificial sweeteners.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com