A Taste Of Summer: Foods To Bar Before You Dare To Bare:

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By Mia Bolaris-Forget

Yeah, summer is almost here, and that means taking off more clothes and potentially putting on more pounds.

While winter foods have traditionally gotten a bad rap for being rich in taste and calories, summer foods such as ice creams and ice fraps aren’t far behind. In fact, too many and your behind won’t be too hard to find.

But, giving up calories and fats doesn’t mean having to give up good food or good taste, what it does mean is choosing your foods more carefully.

And, while it’s likely you’ve heard it before, it bears repeating, especially if you plan to bare a bit more in the next few months.

They suggest clearing your plate and your diet of the following:

Sweet Indulgences: While you don’t have to give up ALL sweets (such as naturally sweet fruits, or those made with wild honey or raw brown sugar, in moderation), what you DO need to give up is white sugar and chemically bases sugar substitutes.

Sugar substitutes are nothing more than ARTIFICIAL man-made sweetners and white sugar, found in many of our favorite foods and beverages gives you a false sense of energy, only to leave you laden with lethargy and un-necessary empty calories.

And, if you must eat sugar make sure it’s in it’s purest form or that at least it is taken in conjunction with fat or some element of fiber so that you absorb it more slowly.

Bitter Sweet Sugar Substitutes: Besides artificial sweeteners, another popular option is high fructose corn syrup. This, according to experts is just as bad, if not worse, for you than white sugar. Experts asserts that our bodies break down corn syrup differently than they do cane or beet sugar and results in a failure for your body to regulate and control appetite, often resulting in a consumption of additional calories you otherwise wouldn’t normally or typically consume.

Not The Bread Of Life: Any bread, pastry, pasta, etc made from processed white flour (otherwise known as enriched wheat flour). Experts note that the term enriched can often be deceiving especially since white bread has little nutritional value as most of the grain’s nutrients are destroyed during the refining process. Your best bet, say experts, are NATURAL whole wheat and whole grain flours (including rye, pumpernickel, multigrain, etc). Just make sure you read the labels and make sure they are truly all-grain and not laden with sugar, which many are….and remember, in this case, branding may actually pay.

Avoid Reaching Your Saturation Point: At least as far as saturated fats are concerned. Remember, saturated fats, such as lard are solid at room temperature and in many instances can be used for such household chores such as polishing furniture.

Hydro Power: The “power” of hydrogenated oils is in their shelf life. But, experts assert that while the process help them last longer, they are notorious for being unhealthy and causing your system to break down much quicker and sooner. Basically hydrogenating oils causes oil to become solid at room temperature, and are commonly referred to as trans fats.