Prepare to be shocked (or at least surprised and a gasp would be a nice touch). We are overloaded with information regarding our nutrition these days but it might be hard to distinguish nutritional truth from fiction. In fact, there are foods that most people think are healthy but actually make you add pounds instead of shedding them.

Let’s face it. Most people are now mindful of what they eat and are more focused on exercising and try to maintain a healthy diet, notwithstanding the quick trip to the nearest fast food place for quick fixes of fries or banana splits (in their defense, these have fruit) are not making things better.

We are told to cut carbohydrates, saturated as well as Trans-fat, fructose, corn syrup and everything else the latest “health” book asks us to cut to be healthy, but does it work. Fortunately, we will not talk about that stuff anymore as this article is not about them. After all, there have been lots of articles written about them already.

Rather, what I will discuss today are foods that contain whole wheat. You have whole wheat cereal, bread, pasta, cookies, etc. Everybody has thought these foods are the better alternative to the regular variety of wheat because these foods have nutrients that have not been over processed.

Well, it turns out that despite its great attributes, whole wheat is a grain that cannot break down in our stomachs. On top of that quite a large number of people cannot tolerate gluten which is found in wheat (whole or otherwise) and various grains. The kicker is that most of us do not realize that wheat has only become a widely used grain for about a century.

The point is to recognize that whole wheat in itself although it has some health values will NOT help us lose weight. Rather, a diet rich in nuts, vegetables, fruits and various meats would be a better alternative to achieve our weight-loss goals.

Another staple of our diets that may shock you as being fattening is juice, specifically the fruity kind. If you are not getting your juice directly from the fruit itself (whether you are eating the actual fruit or juicing it), you are more than likely getting a mixture of sugars (artificial and non-artificial) combined with some of the juice of the fruit itself. In addition, those juices lack the fiber found in real fruits that help curb our appetite for carbohydrates and help regulate the response of our blood to sugars.

One option that may help a bit is the “no sugar added” juices. You may not get every healthy nutrient you might want but at least the sugars will no longer be an issue. Suffice to say drinking too much fruit juices will not help you shed pounds as you might think. Instead people should consider real fruits and other foods high in fiber and nutrients.

Your nutrition is an important part of any diet or weight-loss program therefore the less processed foods the better for your health. Add to that a steady and balanced exercise regimen and you are on your way to a healthier and probably slimmer you.