6 "Fancy" Food Store Fat Traps
Keep your belly flat and your wallet fat by steering your cart clear of these hidden calories at your favorite high-end food emporium
Walk into your local “gourmet” grocery store and you’re welcomed by piles of artfully arranged fruits and vegetables, beautifully packaged baked goods, more varieties of cheeses and charcuterie than you ever knew existed, and the mouthwatering aroma of all of them. Which makes for a more enjoyable (if pricier) shopping experience than you’d have at your average run-of-the mill supermarket, but it’s also easy to forget that, gourmet or not, calories still count. And even if you rarely shop at these spots, around the holidays there’s a good chance you may swing by for a specialty item or just to splurge.
There’s no reason, however, you need to pick up a few pounds while you pick up marinated olives and stuffed dates to take to your friend’s party. Watch out for these top temptations identified by Rachel Begun, R.D., a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and follow her advice so you don’t check your calorie sense at the door.
Yes, the aged double cheddar came from a quaint Vermont village, and the dark chocolate is local, artisanal and packaged in handcrafted recycled paper...but the calories add up quickly. “This is a classic example of mindlessly eating just because food is available to you,” Begun says. When you’re not hungry and have something that’s free money-wise, it can feel free calorie-wise, so you don’t account for it when adding up what you ate for the day. Although it depends on what and how much you munch, you can easily rack up more than 200 calories, especially if you pass by and indulge more than once.
