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Everything you eat makes a difference when you are trying to lose weight. Eating healthy foods isn’t always enough to make sure your body gets the right types of vitamins and nutrients – you have to make sure you eat the right kinds of healthy foods. And there are certain foods seen as health foods that can be quite misleading. If you are working on staying fit or losing weight, there is one specific food you must stay away from or you might risk slowing down your metabolism.
Yogurt is revered as an excellent health food, particularly for weight loss, because of its high calcium and protein content. But you must always be sure to eat the right type of yogurt, or you’ll end up hurting your body more than helping it. One yogurt you should always avoid is sweetened yogurt.
You should never eat sweetened yogurt because it is full of added sugars that give it a delicious and enticing flavoring, but also deliver excess sugar that your body doesn’t need. Don’t be fooled by low calorie counts when selecting your yogurt, it is the sugar you should be sure to stay away from.
A single portion of sweetened yogurt can contain as much as 24 grams of sugar, depending on the flavor and the brand you choose. This is 60% of your daily recommended sugar intake, as dictated by the American Heart Association. Eating too much sugar can hinder your weight loss goals because it slows your metabolism and turns into fat if your body doesn’t use all of the energy it brings.
Instead of shopping for sweetened yogurt, opt for a plain variety of yogurt next time. The best option is always a Greek yogurt, particularly low-fat or non-fat. Then you can flavor the yogurt yourself to be in control of just how much sugar goes into your breakfast or snack. We suggest honey or fresh berries as a great way to flavor your yogurt without adding too much sugar.
