ZAR - 'Healthy' foods to watch out for!

When you make an effort to eat healthy, there are foods which we all know are bad for us - deep fried foods, chocolate, chips, biscuits etc and we determinedly stay away from these. But did you know that there are also healthy foods which and other incidental items which you might not think about in terms of being necessarily bad for you.

In this bracket I put

Dried fruit - if you love this, it's because it's sweet and extremely high in carbs. A 40g snack box of dried apricots is 18g of carbs and one small 40g box of sultanas is 26g carbs. Have some by all means but bear in mind the quantities. Bear in mind also that a fresh apricot (50g) is about 4g carbs. Dried fruit is basically little bags of sugar.

Nuts - these are undoubtedly good for you due to the facts that they're high in protein and have good oils in them. Unfortunatley, this makes them also very high in fat. 25g almonds for example will be 14g fats which could be almost one third to half what you need in a day.

Avocado - These are so good for you as they are a natural source of good fats. Limit yourself to 1/4 of a fruit - this is 8g of fat and all you need in one sitting of avocado. In this case a little goes along way whether you're having it on toast or in a salad.

Wraps - This is still carbohydrate! Famously, my claim that I didn't really eat carbs before I knew what they actually were, included wraps. They might be better for you because they will probably make you feel less full and bloated. They are also approx 1/3 less carbs than say a sandwich or roll and even less that a turkish roll. The wraps I use at ZarBar have 40g of carbs in each one.

Bananas - these are a real one to watch. Don't get me wrong, they are good but just consider one large banana (approx 250g) will produce about 165g of edible flesh which contains almost 40g carbs. This is alot if you're not going to burn it off. Especially one to avoid eating in the evening for example. They are toted as a food high in potassium, which they are, but so are many other foods. Apricots, carrots, fish and pulses to name a few of the best. Potassium, I have learnt, is essential for the function of our brains and nerves - huh, who knew?

Cereals - As you know, I'm a firm believer in eating breakfast, God only knows what kind of person I'd be without it. As a rule, I think that in terms of cereal, the simpler the better. Anything called clusters or honey or magic should ring alarm bells. Equally, watch out for muesli and granola. These are the kind of cereals you should be aiming for but if they have a lot of dried fruit or honey in them they will of course be higher in carbs. That said, brekkie is the time to hit the carbs, you need it for a good energy boost for the day and you also have all day to burn it off. Personally, I have either porridge or weetbix and muesli or granola as a treat (I'm so exciting!)

Drinks - I've said this before, don't drink your calories. You would be shocked at how many you consumed in just one day in drinks alone. This includes soft drinks, tea, coffee, juices, smoothies. Iced coffee and frappes can be at least 40-50g carbs. In terms of freshly squeezed juices, it's a great way to get your daily intake of fruit into you but by drinking it, you're losing all the fibre that fruit contains and ending up with all the sugar. Alcohol is also something you should try and cut down on. I cannot tell you the amount of people I have met who have lost weight simply but cutting down on the drinking. So many of them find also that they feel so much better when they don't drink all the time.

Muesli bars - these are great for a snack to keep in your desk drawer or handbag, and better than a bar of chocolate. Just beware of hidden goodies in them. Try to aim for those with wholegrains and nuts and not too much honey or sugar. I have one in my cupboard at the moment which is 20g carbs, 2.4g protein, 1.5g fat - this could be a good measure.

Condiments - Usually these are high in sugar and an incidental. Tommy K is 4g carbs per 15ml (1 tbsp) serve. Granted, this is not alot but if you have something similar with most meals, it soon adds up. Jams and marmalades are typically 10g carbs per serve.

Fruit - not a danger in itself but don't think you're doing yourself a favour by eating this for lunch for example. Fruit is full of vitamins and minerals but also energy which burns off quickly (basically carbs). You should be eating instead, wholegrains, protein and salad for example which will keep your body going through the afternoon.

I know all these make me sound like such a party pooper, but if you don't know it, you can't help it. Again people, everything in moderation and know what you're putting into yourself.