Diet Foods and Nutrition

Why You Shouldn’t Be a Diet-Food Junkie

Eating “light” and “diet” foods all day, every day, could make you fall short on nutrition and pack on pounds
By Greg Presto fitbie
 

For Breakfast: Light Yogurt

The Culprit: Dannon "Light & Fit" Yogurt

The Problem: At 80 calories, this cup of yogurt isn't enough for a meal, yet many dieters treat it as breakfast. What's worse: The "light" part—removing the fat from the yogurt—actually makes it less satiating, so you’re bound to be starving an hour after eating.

What's in fat's place? Sugar. While this cup packs zero fat and only 5 grams of filling protein, it's got 16 grams of carbs, 11 of which are sugar.

"If you look at the ingredients on this, they add cornstarch—they're doing that for texture, because they took the fat out," says Valerie Berkowitz, RD, director of nutrition at the Center for Balanced Health. "With the fat in there, it's the milk product that it should be. The more we taint the food supply, the more unhealthy it is."

The Solution: Berkowitz suggests part-skim or full-fat Greek yogurt—this protein-rich alternative has a few more calories, but it's more balanced nutritionally, providing the energy you need throughout the day. "You could even add a cottage cheese to it, and there's even more protein, which means more balance," Berkowitz says.

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