Smoothie King The Hulk Strawberry (20 oz.)
1,035 calories
32 g fat (13 g saturated)
125 g sugar
Few foods are as disarming as smoothies. The liquid meals have a reputation for being healthy and low in calories, which seems like a perfect combination right before you bear all on the beach. But let this be your warning: Not all smoothies are created equal. This one from Smoothie King packs as much sugar as 91 Nilla Wafers and more fat than a McDonald's Big Mac. If you drink something like this with any regularity, you might unknowingly be sabotaging your beach body all summer long. Make the swap to Smoothie King's Strawberry Shredder just three times a week and you'll drop more than two pounds every month.
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Smoothie King Strawbery Shredder (20 oz.)
356 calories
1 g fat (0 g saturated)
41 g sugar
Stouffer’s Skillets Easy Express Broccoli & Beef (1/2 package)
350 calories
6 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
1,660 mg sodium
Looking beyond the raffinose-riddled broccoli, this meal is stuck with an absurd amount of sodium. If you're hungry enough to work through an entire bag, you've just exceeded your day's allotment by nearly 50 percent. Why is that a problem? Because sodium is an electrolyte that tells your body to withhold water. That's not the same as being properly hydrated. See, sodium-induced water retention causes you to carry water weight, which makes you appear swollen and puffy. Unless you're going for a beached-whale look, seek low-sodium foods before hitting the waves.
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Birds Eye Viola! Shrimp Scampi (1.75 cups)
190 calories
2.5 g fat (1 g saturated)
540 mg sodium
Russell Stover’s Sugar Free Toffee Squares (1.6 oz.)
210 calories
16 g fat (9 g saturated)
0 g sugar
Don't be duped into thinking that these candies are "healthy" just because they're sugar free. First, each serving has nearly half your day's saturated fat, and second, it contains 23 grams of sugar alcohol, a sweet carbohydrate that provides fewer calories per gram than actual sugar. These sweeteners aren't fully absorbed in the body, and as result, they simply ferment and emit gas. For some people, this causes severe discomfort and bloating. Stick with fruit and you'll avoid the problem entirely.
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Fruit Salad of Banana, Mango, and Papaya (1 cup)
78 calories
0 g fat
14 g sugar
Broccoli with ranch dressing (1 cup broccoli and 2 Tbsp dressing)
170 calories
14.5 g fat (2 g saturated)
370 mg sodium
Broccoli, like cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage, falls into a class of produce known as cruciferous vegetables. These vegetables are among the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet, and as such, they should be consumed as often as possible. That said, you might want to hold off your day's broccoli until you're off the beach. Cruciferous vegetables contain a sugar called raffinose—the same sugar that gives beans their heavy-winded reputation. In your gut, raffinose is fermented by gas-producing bacteria, which can make you feel bloated and gassy. That's not necessarily unhealthy, but it might lead to some awkward beach photos. Instead, if you're picking beach-bound snacks, pair high-fiber tortilla chips with low-calorie salsa. And be sure to avoid the dietary disasters on this list: The Worst Chips and Dips in America.
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Food Should Taste Good Jalepeno chips with salsa (1 oz. chips/2 T. salsa)
150 calories
6 g fat (0.5 g saturated)
340 mg sodium
Diet Coke (12 fl. oz. bottle) and other diet sodas
0 calories
0 g fat
0 g sugar
No calories, no fat, and no sugar—so what's the harm? For starters, the carbon dioxide that supplies soda's fizz will continue to burble and expand in your stomach, priming you for serious bloat. That's the short-term effect. The long-term could be even worse: The artificial sweeteners in diet soda might actually inhibit weight loss. Studies have shown that rats consuming artificial sweeteners consume more calories at subsequent meals. It's as if the promise of calories, without the payoff, causes the body to crave food. Below is a better beach-day beverage: Hint Water. By drinking water, you keep your body flushed out and your skin looking healthy, and since Hint uses natural flavors, you earn all the boons of hydration without suffering the downsides of sugar and artificial sweeteners.
Drink This Instead!
Hint Cucumber Water (16 fl. oz.)
0 calories
0 g fat
0 g sugar
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