Cheat days are great, and we all deserve some! Craving a delicious treat after working so hard toward your health goals, it’s perfectly normal. But are some of your favorite cheat meals better than others?
According to dietitians, there are cheat foods never worth the sacrifice.
Curious to find out more?
We’ve compiled a list of a few foods that prove to be the worst cheat meals.
Pasta Mania
This one here might come as a bit surprising for some because, let’s face it: pasta is just wonderful! How could something so good be bad?
As per previous research, pasta doesn’t really offer many benefits, especially if you order a massive pasta dish from a restaurant. So, unless you’re an at-home pasta maker, you better stay away from pasta because it lacks nutritional value.
All-Time Favorite: the Packaged Mac and Cheese
Mac and cheese is probably everyone’s favorite comfort food. The mix of pasta and yummy cheese is amazing, but you should avoid the packaged ones.
Dietitians recommend making mac and cheese at home with real cheese and milk to get all those essential nutrients from food.
The Irresistible Milk Chocolate
Who wouldn’t want some milk chocolate as cheat food? Chocolate is one of the most satisfying foods, but there’s a catch.
Milk chocolate is just candy due to its high amounts of sugar and little cacao. So, choosing chocolate bars with at least 70 % cacao or even higher is the best option.
The Popular Chinese Takeout
The Chinese takeout is one of the most affordable options if you want to have a low-key dinner, but you might want to think twice.
Ordering Chinese takeout from fast-food restaurants is quick and cheap and probably the best cheat meal. Unfortunately, the meals are filled with processed sugar, preservatives, calories, and sodium.
Delicious Store-bought Baked Goods
Buying baked goods from stores might be easier than traveling to France for some croissants, but there are some things you should know.
These pre-packaged baked goods are filled with trans fats and preservatives.
“You can spot them in the ingredients as ‘partially hydrogenated,’ which means the product contains trans fats even if the label says trans-fat free,” explains Laura Burak, MS, RD, CDN.
Moreover, trans fats are one of the worst ingredients for cardiac health!
