Fruits, veggies, salads and trail mix are a few of the foods people eat to lose weight.
But with all that hard work, do the snacks you're choosing get you closer to your goal or make the road longer?
Recommended Videos
Here's the breakdown:
Avoid labels such as low-fat and fat-free. A recent study showed these foods have more sugar and calories. If you aren't gluten-free, according to Ivanhoe Broadcast News, don't eat those foods either, as they could contain more sugar and calories than the gluten-filled choices.
Verywellfit.com says you should keep your yogurt plain. According to calories.info, yogurts with flavors such as chocolate and cherry have nearly 100 more calories and the sugars are even higher. If you are looking to add flavor, look into adding fruits and granola, Verywellfit.com suggests. But watch the serving size. If you eat more than a fourth of a cup, you could be doubling your calories, carb and sugar intake.
So what does work? Lifehack.org suggests granola bars without chocolate, veggie sticks, veggies with peanut butter and even edamame. And the best part is you can make some of those at home.
Anther tip: leave the dried fruit alone. That’s because it has more sugar than natural fruits, according to calories.info. If you must eat dried fruit, keep your servings to a fourth of a cup. And try to avoid juices as they are full of sugar even if they are 100% juice, calories.info says. If you do want to drink your fruits, then make a smoothie from home.