The Top 7 Healthy Foods Making You Fat 

Wait, healthy foods making you fat?

Is that a typo? 

Nope, you read that correctly. 

I’m sure you’ve been told that by eliminating all of the processed foods in your diet, all of your body fat will magically disappear. 

While there is some truth to that, it’s a bit misleading. 

Of course, including more whole foods into your diet and reducing the amount of processed foods is necessary for long term fat loss results, health, and overall performance. 

However, just because you “clean up” your diet doesn’t mean that you can eat as much as you want. 

In fact, just because you don’t count calories from “healthy” foods doesn’t mean that those calories don’t count.

It’s true: even healthy foods can be making you fat.

Keep in mind – This article is coming from someone who use to be on team clean foods.

So buckle up. I’m about to blow your mind by showing you a few healthy foods that may be stalling your progress.

The Main Driver of Fat Loss

I hear it time and time again from my online coaching clients, “Ok, I eat a healthy diet but I still can’t seem to lose weight.”

Well, if you’re not making any progress, you’re simply eating too much and/or moving too little.

This is because the main driver for fat loss is being in a calorie deficit. 

If you’ve been following me for awhile you already know this. However, if you’re new, welcome to the party. 

Being in a calorie deficit means that you have to eat less calories than your body burns per day, no matter what you eat.

Basically, your body has to burn more calories than it takes in from food so that it then has to start burning it’s body fat for energy. 

So yeah, calories are king no matter if you eat all whole foods or straight up junk.

Period.

Making Fat Loss Easier

The majority of whole nutrient dense foods make fat loss easier because they are:

• nutrient dense
• contain a lot of fiber
• contain protein
• give you energy
• Are satiating – fill your tummy up

But, some healthy foods may also do the opposite in that they are making you fat because they are so easy to over eat.

It’s not the food in isolation that’s causing the damage. It’s how much of it you eat that is causing the damage.

Which is why you want to make sure that you’re tracking and measuring out these foods. If you don’t then how do you know what a portion size looks like and how much you’re eating?

This way, you know exactly how much you’re eating rather than estimating – something I can almost guarantee you suck at.

Also, just because you use whole ingredients to make a “healthier” recipe doesn’t mean that it will lead to fat loss.

Ironically, a lot of the healthier versions tend to have more calories anyways.

Therefore, let me be clear – It doesn’t matter if the pizza was made with cauliflower crust or a greasy ass pizza from Dominos. 

If you’re not eating in a calorie deficit, you’re not going to lose weight. 

What Exactly Is “Healthy”?

Now, that you have a refresher on what it takes to lose weight, lets make something clear…

No one food is going to automatically make you healthy or unhealthy.

Just like no specific foods are going to make you fat by themselves.

It doesn’t work like that. 

It’s what you do most of the time that matters. 

If this were the case, any time someone would eat a piece of pizza or ice cream they’d be deathly sick or gain a bunch of body fat.

Health Comes In Many Different Forms

The thing is, health comes in many different shapes and sizes.

You have your physical, mental, emotional, environmental, financial, social, spiritual, and a plethora of different types of health. 

These are a result from work, sleep, stress, diet, exercise, genetics, relationships, environment, and many other things that affect your health.

And your diet, is just one small piece to the puzzle. 

Food Is Not Moral

It doesn’t determine your self worth or who you are as a person.

It determines whether or not you gain or lose weight.

Therefore, if someone looks at you differently for what you eat than they can f*ck off. 

So, instead of thinking of foods as “good or bad”, think of how the food going to fuel you and how you’ll feel afterwards. 

Let’s use pizza for an example because who doesn’t like pizza?

If you’re about to workout should you eat pizza? 

I mean you can try but you’ll probably feel terrible, be sluggish during your workout, and may have to frequently use the bathroom.

Now, if you’ve been on point during the week and you’re family is going out to dinner to a pizza joint than should you have pizza?

Fuck yeah. If you want it than you should because you know eating the pizza with your family in that moment will make you happy. 

The Key to Sustainable Progress – Flexible Dieting 

This is why I preach flexible dieting with my online coaching clients. 

Flexible dieting boils down to eating 80% whole nutrient dense foods and 20% whatever else – as long as you fit them into your calorie goals.

For example: If your goal is to eat 2,000 calories a day, 1600 should come from whole foods, and 400 can come from whatever else. 

This is the key too long term sustainable results.

Because it’s what you do most of the time that matters.

The Top 7 Healthy Foods That Are Making You Fat 

There are plenty of “healthy” foods that are calories dense and easy to over eat. 

Therefore, you may think you’re eating less since it’s “healthy” when in reality you’re eating more.

Now, I’m not saying to stop eating these foods listed down below. 

I’m saying these are the main culprits that are making you fat because they are very calorie dense.

So all I ask is that you make sure you’re keeping track of how much you’re eating. 

1. Salad

You may be thinking, “What the fuck? A salad? It’s just lettuce”

Well, yeah. That’s what it’s suppose to be. 

Maybe with a few other vegetables and protein thrown on there as well. 

But, have you ever gone to a restaurant and seen what they put on their salads?

It usually looks something like this: a meat cooked in oil or butter, a shit ton of cheese, croutons, and drenched in the highest calorie thing of all – salad dressing. 

And not just a serving of salad dressing either. Haha no. 

A whole bunch of servings of dressing packed with 100’s – yes 100’s – of calories to where this low calorie meal turned into a 1,000 calorie meal. 

Hence, one of the healthy foods that can be making you fat.

For example, take a look at Cheesecake Factories salads. 

Besides being delicious, they’re packed with tons of calories.

They range anywhere from 1,000-2,000 calories, which is almost a whole day of eating for people. 

At that point, you’d be better off eating the better tasting pizza or burrito.

Don’t believe me? Check it out here: https://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/sites/default/files/2021-10/The-Cheesecake-Factory-Nutritional-Guide.pdf

To Do:

Order a salad with protein on it, but try to limit the extras as much as possible (croutons and cheese).

If you decide to get a fattier dressing because you like it (I’m a huge ranch guy myself), realize that it’s higher in calories, so please pour it on yourself. 

Remember – a serving is 2 tbsp, so do your best to estimate it out from the practice you’ve gotten from measuring your food. 

Eat your salad with a little dressing. Don’t drown it in dressing to where it becomes dressing with a little lettuce thrown in. 

2. Nut butter

This is probably one of the biggest culprits for eating too many calories.

I know from personal experience, peanut and almond butter would kill me.

Although they contain mono-unsaturated fats that are good for you, it’s probably the easiest thing to overeat. 

2 tbsp contain 200 calories. Do you realize how small that is?

That’s about the size of a golf ball. 

Yeah, that little amount contains that many calories. 

How many people do you know, including yourself, eat 2 tbsp of a nut butter? 

Yeah, not many. 

To Do:

Well, the obvious choice to is to measure out 28g of nut butter using a food scale. 

That said, stay away from measuring spoons. When using measuring spoons, it can be easy to over fill them which adds calories.

Moreover, one substitute that I personally like is PB powder. It’s a low calorie and low fat alternative to peanut butter where the oil is pressed out and the left over nuts are grinded into powder.

When you mix the powder with water, it basically turns back into a peanut butter or it’s also something you can mix with shakes. 

2 tbsps or 28g only contains 40 calories compared to 190 for regular nut butter. 

It’s safe to say that it’s a pretty big difference. Plus, there is less fat and more protein so it’s a win-win. 

You can eat the nut butters if you like it, but be careful. 

3. Granola

I have a personal beef with granola as well. (See a common theme)

I use to buy whole bags of granola and polish it off in one sitting.

It’s considered “healthy” due to its higher fiber content but at the same time it’s packed with fat, calories, and added sugar. 

Obviously fat isn’t bad, but it adds a ton of calories up quickly. 

50g of granola, which is literally like 3 pieces, can range anywhere from 200-300 calories depending on the brand and flavor. 

So, it’s high in calories, low in satiety, and tastes fucking delicious. Not a very good combination. 

Be careful when looking for granola options. And if you do, you can sprinkle a serving on greek yogurt.

To Do:

NEVER eat out of the bag. It doesn’t end well.  

4. Avocados

Would you believe me if I told you I use to eat a whole avocado a day and add 2tbsp’s of olive oil to it?

Fucking keto man…

Anyways, this is a tricky one because avocado’s may be one of the most nutrient dense fruits – yes fruit which still blows my mind – that you can eat. 

They’re packed with fiber, magnesium, potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin E, C, and folate – All of which lack in many peoples diets.

And you can make a bunch of recipes with them as well…(Anyone like guacamole?)

The problem though is that they are very calorie dense. 

Avocado sizes vary so it can be difficult to estimate how bit each of them are. 

150g of avocado is 250 calories. 

So be careful and make sure you’re measuring how much you eat because those calories will add up quickly. 

5. Oils

Oils make things taste so much better when cooked with which is why restaurant food tastes way better than home cooked food.

However, this also makes restaurant food dangerous if your goal is to lose weight. 

But, what about avocado and olive oil? Aren’t they considered healthy fats? 

Yes, but they get abused just like everything else on this list. 

“Well, it’s healthy so I’ll use it with everything because health!”

Again, the issue is, just like nut butters, they are packed with calories. 

28g of olive oil is about 240 calories.

28g is nothing and as you can see, you just added 240 calories to your meal from a little oil. 

Great if you’re bulking but not so much when every calorie matters in a cut. 

So, if you like olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, or whatever oil pleases you, make sure you’re measuring it out.

And, if you’re eating out, make sure to account for the extra calories from the added oils when tracking your food. 

To Do:

Personally, I like to use cooking spray. 

It’s way less calories and it still prevents the food from sticking to the pan which is a major pain in the ass.

That said, be careful. 

It’s not 0 calories like it says on the can. 

That’s all marketing because companies are allowed to round down if it’s below 5 calories. 

Which is why there is over 200 servings per can with 1/4 second spray which I don’t even think it possible to do.

So, don’t mindlessly spray the pan. That’s still oil that contains a lot of calories.

Instead, spray in quick short bursts and you’ll save yourself hundreds of calories. 

6. Dried Fruit 

Personally, I think dried fruit tastes like shit. 

I’d rather eat regular fruit but I know many people, including some of my clients, enjoy it. 

Now, some dried fruit like raisins, prunes, and dates are ok and packed with nutrients and fiber.  

However, most are turned into a candy form of fruit by adding sugar to it to make it taste better and having you think you’re eating something healthy when in reality its basically a shitty tasting candy.

At that point, I’d personally rather eat actual candy that contains the same amount of calories if you ask me. 

So, rather than being an adult where you eat your fruit because you know you should, you eat it in a candy form. 

Anyways, it’s created by extracting all of the water from fruit.

However, with that extraction comes most of the volume and nutrients as well. So all thats left over is a dried piece of fruit, with little nutrients, more calories, and added sugar and takes up less room. 

Here’s an example: 

Dried Apples:

Regular size Apple 

To eat the same volume of dried apple chips (40g) to equate for the volume of an apple (182g) the serving size you’d have to eat 4.5 servings (182g/40g = 4.5) which would equal 510 calories.

Holy fuck that’s a lot. You can eat 5 apples to get to that amount and I gaurantee you after 2 you’d be satisfied and would save on a shit ton of calories. 

So, just like you shouldn’t snack out of a chip bag, don’t snack out of a dried fruit bag if you choose to eat them. Make sure you measure out a serving.

To Do: 

Eat regular fruit. Be a grown adult. 

7. Fruit Juices

Fruit juices are very similar to dried fruit except its the opposite – It’s all juice and all of the fiber is taken out. 

Basically you’re left with straight sugar. 

At least with dried fruit you had some fiber.

Oh, but what about the cleansing benefits and the antioxidants?

Bullshit. 

First, antioxidant supplementation has not been shown in research to help with diseases. So, it’s better to eat the whole fruit so you can get the most benefits out of it. 

Second, your liver, kidney, and skin’s job is to detox your body. If you think you have an issue where one of those don’t work, go see a fucking doctor. Don’t do this bull shit detox stuff. 

Now, is a glass of OJ going to kill you if you drink it in the morning with your breakfast? Of course not. 

But, fruit drinks are empty calories and don’t fill you up. They can actually create more hunger which makes going over on your calories much easier. 

I don’t know about you, but I like to use my calories for things I enjoy like solid food. 

To Do:

If you love fruit juices and can fit a serving or two in your calories, then go for it.

I’d recommend only drinking one serving per day if you absolutely feel the need to,

Otherwise, they have zero or low sugar options which, in. My opinion, taste just as great with way less calories. 

Final Thoughts On The Healthy Foods That Are Making You Fat

Hopefully you realize that it’s not the foods in isolation that make you fat. It’s how much you eat of that food that adds up over time that makes you fat.

The said, as long as you measure your food into proper portions and track how much you’re eating, you’ll be fine. 

I hope you found this article helpful. If you have any questions, leave them down below.

I’m always here to help!

-Bob 

Ps. If you want 30 Free Beginner Workouts, you can download that here. 

Pps. If you want to chat about the possibility of coaching with me, you can fill out a form here.