Pantry Clean Out: 10 Sneaky Metabolism Killers
It's time to do a BIG pantry clean out! Whether you’re doing the Fast Metabolism Diet or not, look for these common but unexpected metabolism killers and think twice about them!
Almost everyone has some of these lurking in their cupboards. They look innocent enough, and some of them sound downright healthy, but don’t be fooled. In all your pantry items, be on the lookout for artificial colors and BHT — a nasty preservative.
1. Canned Soup
Soup is a great healthy meal, right? Not when it’s in a can. Canned soups are usually loaded with sodium, plus a big helping of preservatives. And many of them have corn, dairy, and soy ingredients too. You can make your own simple soup using one of our Fast metabolism Recipes for soups.
2. Salad Dressings
Lots of salad dressings don’t taste sweet, but read that label: Most are loaded with sugar. A two-tablespoon serving of “light” Italian dressing, we checked, has a full teaspoon of sugar in it! Try making your dressing. It takes no time! Here’s a great recipe to try!
3. Granola
Possibly no other food enjoys such a false health-food halo as granola. But it takes something sticky to hold those clumps together — usually, that’s maple syrup, brown rice syrup, honey or molasses. All of these are sugars that will send your blood sugar into a major spike. What’s more, lots of granola includes sugar-sweetened dried fruit or even candy. For a nutritious change, try these Easy No-Bake Granola Bars or my Flax-Chia Granola.
4. Turkey Burgers
Sounds virtuous, right? Turkey burgers are only healthy if you make them yourself. Commercial turkey burgers use fattier dark meat and skin and often include soy- or corn-based binding ingredients to hold the burgers together. Plus they’re usually loaded with way too much sodium. You can easily make your own Turkey Burger, and it’ll taste better too!
5. Peanut Butter
Nut butter like almond and cashew are wonderful healthy fats, but peanut butter isn’t the best. Unfortunately, peanuts are one of the dirtiest crops out there, since they’re grown with so many agricultural chemicals and are grown in the soil and not in a tree, like almonds. And you can’t get raw peanuts to make your own since peanuts go moldy so fast.
6. Raisins
It’s easy to throw raisins in just about anything: oatmeal, cereal, even meat dishes. But you might as well dump sugar into your food. Sure, raisins started as grapes, but drying them concentrates all the sugar. Even a few raisins can spike your blood sugar.
7. Flavored Oatmeal
Oatmeal is one of the great pleasures in life. But skip the little packets of pre-flavored stuff. Even a healthy-sounding apples-and-cinnamon flavor contains three full teaspoons of sugar in a 3/4 cup serving. One brand we checked, sugar was the second ingredient. Try flavoring your oatmeal with these recipes.
8. Veggie Chips
Beet chips, sweet potato chips, carrot chips. They’re vegetables, so they must be good for you. Packaged veggie chips, however, are still prepared with loads of oil. You’re getting more fat, than nutrients from these veggie chips. Instead, make your own kale chips. They’re delicious!
9. Ketchup
Ah, innocent ketchup. Make that tomato-flavored corn syrup. In a tablespoon of commercial ketchup, a full teaspoon is corn syrup. Yummy. Here’s a great recipe for homemade ketchup that’s actually based on tomatoes.
10. Gravy and Sauce Mixes
Those packets make it so easy to throw together a gravy or a sloppy joe dinner but take another look. You’ll find MSG, corn, wheat, soy, sugar … you name it, all in that little packet. Stick to making your own gravies with pan juices, herbs, and spices. Try this recipe for Savory Vegetable Gravy on for size or this Sloppy Joe recipe your family will love!
It's time to do a BIG pantry clean out! Whether you’re doing the Fast Metabolism Diet or not, look for these common but unexpected metabolism killers and think twice about them!
Almost everyone has some of these lurking in their cupboards. They look innocent enough, and some of them sound downright healthy, but don’t be fooled. In all your pantry items, be on the lookout for artificial colors and BHT — a nasty preservative.
1. Canned Soup
Soup is a great healthy meal, right? Not when it’s in a can. Canned soups are usually loaded with sodium, plus a big helping of preservatives. And many of them have corn, dairy, and soy ingredients too. You can make your own simple soup using one of our Fast metabolism Recipes for soups.
2. Salad Dressings
Lots of salad dressings don’t taste sweet, but read that label: Most are loaded with sugar. A two-tablespoon serving of “light” Italian dressing, we checked, has a full teaspoon of sugar in it! Try making your dressing. It takes no time! Here’s a great recipe to try!
3. Granola
Possibly no other food enjoys such a false health-food halo as granola. But it takes something sticky to hold those clumps together — usually, that’s maple syrup, brown rice syrup, honey or molasses. All of these are sugars that will send your blood sugar into a major spike. What’s more, lots of granola includes sugar-sweetened dried fruit or even candy. For a nutritious change, try these Easy No-Bake Granola Bars or my Flax-Chia Granola.
4. Turkey Burgers
Sounds virtuous, right? Turkey burgers are only healthy if you make them yourself. Commercial turkey burgers use fattier dark meat and skin and often include soy- or corn-based binding ingredients to hold the burgers together. Plus they’re usually loaded with way too much sodium. You can easily make your own Turkey Burger, and it’ll taste better too!
5. Peanut Butter
Nut butter like almond and cashew are wonderful healthy fats, but peanut butter isn’t the best. Unfortunately, peanuts are one of the dirtiest crops out there, since they’re grown with so many agricultural chemicals and are grown in the soil and not in a tree, like almonds. And you can’t get raw peanuts to make your own since peanuts go moldy so fast.
6. Raisins
It’s easy to throw raisins in just about anything: oatmeal, cereal, even meat dishes. But you might as well dump sugar into your food. Sure, raisins started as grapes, but drying them concentrates all the sugar. Even a few raisins can spike your blood sugar.
7. Flavored Oatmeal
Oatmeal is one of the great pleasures in life. But skip the little packets of pre-flavored stuff. Even a healthy-sounding apples-and-cinnamon flavor contains three full teaspoons of sugar in a 3/4 cup serving. One brand we checked, sugar was the second ingredient. Try flavoring your oatmeal with these recipes.
8. Veggie Chips
Beet chips, sweet potato chips, carrot chips. They’re vegetables, so they must be good for you. Packaged veggie chips, however, are still prepared with loads of oil. You’re getting more fat, than nutrients from these veggie chips. Instead, make your own kale chips. They’re delicious!
9. Ketchup
Ah, innocent ketchup. Make that tomato-flavored corn syrup. In a tablespoon of commercial ketchup, a full teaspoon is corn syrup. Yummy. Here’s a great recipe for homemade ketchup that’s actually based on tomatoes.
10. Gravy and Sauce Mixes
Those packets make it so easy to throw together a gravy or a sloppy joe dinner but take another look. You’ll find MSG, corn, wheat, soy, sugar … you name it, all in that little packet. Stick to making your own gravies with pan juices, herbs, and spices. Try this recipe for Savory Vegetable Gravy on for size or this Sloppy Joe recipe your family will love!
