- White Rice- White rice is a household staple, but it really shouldn’t be. Just like white bread, white rice has been stripped of its nutrients, fiber and antioxidants, making it nothing more than empty calories and a lot of carbs. Whole-grain rice is rich in filling, good-for-your nutrients.
- Coffee Drinks- Coffee is great news for your health and weight loss goals: It packs a virtually calorie-free boost to your metabolism, it’s rich in disease-fighting antioxidants and it reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, liver cancer, gallstones, cirrhosis of the liver and Parkinson’s disease. But those benefits are offset when you dump fatty and caloric additives into this amazing stuff — or worse, order a coffee chain’s drink that has the same calorie and carb profile as a dessert. Some of those can easily reach 400 calories and 60 to 80 grams of carbs per serving. Avoid them, unless you want your coffee habit to increase your girth.
- Baked Goods- No, you’re not imagining it: Baked goods like muffins are getting larger. They’re also getting sweeter and cakier, effectively encroaching on cupcake territory. Some muffins contain upward of 60 g of carbs and more than 30 g of sugar. Think about that the next time someone emails your floor that there’s a basket of these carb grenades in the conference room.
- Jelly and Preserves- These classic spreads look innocent enough, but they’re actually pieces of fruit smothered in sugar and juice and shoved inside a jar. Just one tablespoon of Smuckers grape jelly has 13 grams of carbs, 12 grams of sugar and 50 calories — and let’s be honest, who uses just one?
9. Movie Theater Popcorn– Somehow, going to the movies has become synonymous with filling your face full of packing foam that’s often coated in a high-sodium, carcinogenic substance. A vat of popcorn – or a “medium” in concession stand parlance – can contain about 1,200 empty calories. (The same serving packs around three days’ worth of saturated fat.)
Siddiqu “The Personal Trainer” is a CPT, Certified Nutritionist, motivational speaker, author of How Are You Fat and Saved?! He is also the Co-creator of the largest bootcamp in Chicago The No Excuse Bootcamp. For more information visit www.chicagofit4life.com