Top loading your diet with "health foods" such as yogurt and granola does not a flatter belly make, according to researchers at Cornell University. In a recent study, they discovered that people not only underestimate the number of calories in wholesome fare, but they also consume substantially larger portions of it. Here are eight of the healthiest high-calorie food bombs that can dismantle your diet.
Top Offender: 6-oz. bag of vegetable chips
Calories: 840
Low-Calorie Alternative: 16-oz. bag of baby carrots with ½ cup hummus (390 cal)
To burn off a 6-oz. bag of vegetable chips, a 180-pound man would have to:
- Run 55 min
- Swim 65 min
- Bike 70 min
- Row 70 min
- Lift weights 1 hour, 45 min
- Golf 2 hours, 20 min
- Shop 4 hours, 30 min
- Do desk work 7 hours
Saboteurs: 1 cup of trail mix
Cal: 693
Exercise Needed to Burn Off Calories: Lift weights for 1 hour and 30 minutes
Low-Calorie Alternative: ¼ cup almonds and ¼ cup dried apricots (280 cal)
Saboteurs: Fruit smoothie
Cal: 600
Exercise Needed to Burn Off Calories: Perform desk work for 5 hours
Low-Calorie Alternative: Naked Antioxidant 100 percent juice smoothie in Berry Blast (240 cal)
Saboteurs: 1 cup of granola
Cal: 597
Exercise Needed to Burn Off Calories: Run for 40 minutes
Low-Calorie Alternative: 1 cup whole-oat flake cereal (140 cal)
Saboteurs: 1 corn muffin
Cal: 424
Exercise Needed to Burn Off Calories: Row for 35 minutes
Low-Calorie Alternative: 2 oz. corn bread (150 cal)
Saboteurs: 3 oz. yogurt- covered raisins
Cal: 390
Exercise Needed to Burn Off Calories: Golf for 45 minutes (walk and carry your clubs)
Low-Calorie Alternative: 1.41-oz. package of dark-chocolate-covered fig candy (150 cal)
Saboteurs: 1 cup Ben & Jerry's Fudge Brownie low-fat frozen yogurt
Cal: 380
Exercise Needed to Burn Off Calories: Shop for an anniversary gift for 2 hours and 24 minutes
Low-Calorie Alternative: Fat-free Greek yogurt mixed with 32 Ghirardelli 60 percent cacao chocolate chips (240 cal)
Saboteurs: 2 Tbsp. olive oil
Cal: 239
Exercise Needed to Burn Off Calories: Bike for 20 minutes
Low-Calorie Alternative: 1 Tbsp. olive oil plus 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar (133 cal)
