If you think you’re doing yourself a favor by eating gluten-free foods — even though you don’t have to — you’re not alone. Sixty-five percent of people who eat GF foods say they think they’re healthier, and 27 percent think it’ll help them lose weight, finds a new survey. But here’s the thing: GF foods aren’t automatically better for you — and plenty of them can make you gain lbs. Just check out these fattening GF products — and the much better alternatives (assuming you don’t actually have celiac disease — the substitutes aren’t gluten-free).
Granola
Don’t Eat This: Bakery on Main Rainforest Banana Nut Granola (1/2 cup)
Calories: 375
Fat: 11 g (1 g saturated)
Sodium: 23 mg
Sugar: 9 g
This contains the same number of calories as more than 65 Cheez-It crackers — before you even add any milk or yogurt to it.
Eat This: Special K Low-Fat Touch of Honey Granola (1/2 cup)
Calories: 190
Fat: 3 g (0.5 g saturated)
Sodium: 115 mg
Sugar: 9 g
This option has nearly half the calories of the gluten-free granola — and less than a third of the fat!
Bread
Don’t Eat This: Aleia’s Gluten-Free Farmhouse White Bread (2 slices)
Calories: 240
Fat: 7 g (0 g saturated)
Sodium: 190 mg
Sugar: 6 g
You’d have to eat 60 Jelly Belly jelly beans to consume the same number of calories that are in these slices!
Eat This: Arnold Whole Grain White Sandwich Thin Rolls (1 roll)
Calories: 100
Fat: 1 g (0 g saturated)
Sodium: 170 mg
Sugar: 2 g
Slash the fat, calories, and sugar by switching to sandwich thins instead.
Pizza
Don’t Eat This: Uno Chicago Grill Gluten-Free Pepperoni Pizza (half a pizza)
Calories: 500
Fat: 21 g (8.5 g saturated)
Sodium: 1,040 mg
Sugar: 6 g
You’d have to eat more than 60 tortilla chips to take in that much sodium!
Eat This: Domino’s Crunchy Thin Crust Pepperoni Pizza (2 small slices)
Calories: 240
Fat: 13 g (5.5 g saturated)
Sodium: 525 mg
Sugar: 2 g
While the fat is a little on the high side here, too, the Domino’s pizza is still the clear winner.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Don’t Eat This: Amy’s Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies (1 cookie)
Calories: 90
Fat: 6 g (2.5 g saturated)
Sodium: 25 mg
Sugar: 4 g
Eat two of these, and you’ll have consumed the same amount of fat as in a McDonald’s cheeseburger — and that’s assuming you can stop yourself at two cookies.
Eat This: WhoKnew Original Cookie (1 cookie)
Calories: 53
Fat: 2 g (1 g saturated)
Sodium: 18 mg
Sugar: 3 g
Talk about smart cookies: These pack 1 gram of fiber and 10 percent of your daily calcium requirement per cookie.
Source: Fox News