Health
These 6 ‘healthy’ foods won’t help you lose weight, nutritionist warns
While some foods are considered healthy and nourishing, they might not always be optimal for weight loss.
Registered dietitian nutritionist Ilana Muhlstein spoke with Fox News Digital in an interview about certain foods that could stunt health and fitness goals.
“There’s definitely a big difference between healthy and healthy for weight loss,” the Los Angeles-based expert said. “This is something that I see so many people struggle with.”
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It’s possible to eat healthy foods yet still pack on pounds, she noted, “which is not healthy for your overall body, especially if you have weight to lose.”
Registered dietitian nutritionist Ilana Muhlstein is the author of the weight-loss book “You Can Drop It!” and is known as NutritionBabe by her two million followers on TikTok. (BODi)
Here are six surprising foods that might not help you lose weight.
1. Granola and oats
While granola is a classic topping for healthy snacks like yogurt and smoothie bowls, Muhlstein likened it to a “crushed-up cookie.”
“People look at it as super healthy, but those oats are usually being tossed with nut butters, oils, maple syrup, honey, thrown-in chocolate chips and coconut shavings,” she said. “They’re baked, it’s dense and a cup of granola can be 600 calories.”
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Even a sprinkle of granola can add up to 200 calories, according to Muhlstein.
“[It’s] really not a great bang for your buck when you’re talking about filling up on foods and staying within a healthy calorie range for weight loss,” she said.
A sprinkle of granola can add up to 200 calories, according to the nutritionist. (iStock)
While oat-based foods like overnight oats and oatmeal can work well for people who are athletic, they might not be the best choice for those on weight-loss journeys, Muhlstein said.
“It kind of sits with them … they’re not able to burn it off so quickly,” she said. “It’s really good before a workout, as you’re taking those carbs and using them efficiently.”
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Muhlstein recommends pairing oat recipes with yogurt or protein powder for a more optimal meal.
2. Nut butters
Nut butters are “not a protein source,” even though whole nuts contain protein, the nutritionist stated.
Nut butters are not a good source of protein, the nutritionist said. (iStock)
They can be used to add flavor or healthy fat to recipes like salad dressing, stir-fry or smoothies, she said.
“If you are trying to eat peanut butter for protein and you’re having a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, you are having a lot of calories, a lot of carbs … and very, very little protein overall,” Muhlstein noted.
3. Chia seeds
Seed-based snacks like chia seed puddings have grown in popularity as a healthy breakfast option.
Chia seed puddings, however, can be made with sweeteners like honey, maple syrup and coconut milk, which make them “very high in calories” and low in protein, Muhlstein revealed.
Chia seed puddings can be high in calories due to added sugars, the expert cautioned. (iStock)
“It has plenty of good, healthy fats and could be great for your digestion, [with] Omega-3s and fiber,” she said.
“But overall, it’s not the slimmest choice if you’re trying to drop pounds on the scale and maintain a leaner frame.”
4. Avocado
While avocado is well-known for being a healthy fat, eating too much can hamper weight-loss goals.
Most women only need about one avocado’s worth of fat in a whole day, according to Muhlstein.
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“When you get a salad with half an avocado on top of the dressing, on top of the nuts and everything else, it’s probably a lot,” she said. “I usually recommend about a quarter to a third of an avocado at a time.”
Most women only need about an avocado’s worth of fat per day, the nutritionist advised. (iStock)
5. Sourdough bread
During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, many people turned to baking sourdough bread, which spiked its popularity.
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While sourdough does have some healthy qualities, as it’s fermented and can have a lower glycemic index, Muhlstein pointed out that it “still has calories.”
“It’s still not cauliflower,” she said. “It’s really funny how many people almost treat it like it is.”
Sourdough bread has been touted as a “health food,” the expert noted, but it still contains calories. (Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Some of Muhlstein’s clients have made a habit of baking a loaf of sourdough every week and then eating the whole thing, she said.
“It’s really not working for their weight loss,” she said. “But it’s the last thing they think is the problem, because it’s been touted as such a health food.”
6. Pesto
Pesto can be a delicious condiment on salads, vegetables and other dishes, but it is usually made with “lots of olive oil, lots of Parmesan cheese and lots of pine nuts,” Muhlstein cautioned.
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“When you have that dipped with your bread, and it becomes excessive, it is a very high-calorie condiment,” she said.
A pesto recipe can be thinned out with lemon juice, Greek yogurt or nutritional yeast instead of cheese and nuts, the expert suggested. (iStock)
The nutritionist recommends thinning out a pesto recipe with lemon juice, Greek yogurt, or nutritional yeast instead of cheese and nuts.
Adding more basil will help thicken the recipe, while more water will help blend it.
“I know that sounds sacrilege to some chefs, but if you are really trying to get the flavor, there are ways to make a leaner pesto,” Muhlstein added.
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A deadly, drug-resistant fungus already spreading rapidly through U.S. hospitals is becoming even more threatening worldwide, though there may be hope for new treatments, according to a new scientific review.
Candida auris (C. auris), often described as a “superbug fungus,” is spreading globally and increasingly resisting human immune systems, Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) researchers said in a review published in early December.
The findings reinforce prior CDC warnings that have labeled C. auris an “urgent antimicrobial threat” — the first fungal pathogen to receive that designation — as U.S. cases have surged, particularly in hospitals and long-term care centers.
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Approximately 7,000 cases were identified across dozens of U.S. states in 2025, according to the CDC, and it has reportedly been identified in at least 60 countries.
Candida auris is a drug-resistant fungus spreading in hospitals worldwide. (Nicolas Armer/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)
The review, published in Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, helps explain why the pathogen is so difficult to contain and warns that outdated diagnostics and limited treatments lag behind. It was conducted by Dr. Neeraj Chauhan of the Hackensack Meridian CDI in New Jersey, Dr. Anuradha Chowdhary of the University of Delhi’s Medical Mycology Unit and Dr. Michail Lionakis, chief of the clinical mycology program at the National Institutes of Health.
Their findings stress the need to develop “novel antifungal agents with broad-spectrum activity against human fungal pathogens, to improve diagnostic tests and to develop immune- and vaccine-based adjunct modalities for the treatment of high-risk patients,” the researchers said in a statement.
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“In addition, future efforts should focus on raising awareness about fungal disease through developing better surveillance mechanisms, especially in resource-poor countries,” they added. “All these developments should help improve the outcomes and prognosis of patients afflicted by opportunistic fungal infections.”
Candida auris can survive on skin and hospital surfaces, allowing it to spread easily. (iStock)
First identified in 2009 from a patient’s ear sample in Japan, C. auris has since spread to dozens of countries, including the U.S., where outbreaks have forced some hospital intensive care units to shut down, according to the researchers.
The fungus poses the greatest risk to people who are already critically ill, particularly those on ventilators or with weakened immune systems. Once infected, about half of patients may die, according to some estimates.
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Unlike many other fungi, C. auris can survive on human skin and cling to hospital surfaces and medical equipment, allowing it to spread easily in healthcare settings.
“It is resistant to multiple antifungal drugs, and it tends to spread in hospital settings, including on equipment being used on immunocompromised and semi-immunocompromised patients, such as ventilators and catheters,” Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst and clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone, previously told Fox News Digital.
Scientists say the unique cell wall structure of C. auris makes it harder to kill. (iStock)
It is also frequently misdiagnosed, delaying treatment and infection control measures.
“Unfortunately, symptoms such as fever, chills and aches may be ubiquitous, and it can be mistaken for other infections,” Siegel said.
In September, he said intense research was ongoing to develop new treatments.
Only four major classes of antifungal drugs are currently available, and C. auris has already shown resistance to many of them. While three new antifungal drugs have been approved or are in late-stage trials, researchers warn that drug development has struggled to keep pace with the fungus’s evolution.
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Despite the sobering findings, there is still room for cautious optimism.
The fungus can cling to skin and hospital surfaces, aiding its spread. (iStock)
In separate research published in December, scientists at the University of Exeter in England discovered a potential weakness in C. auris while studying the fungus in a living-host model.
The team found that, during infection, the fungus activates specific genes to scavenge iron, a nutrient it needs to survive, according to their paper, published in the Nature portfolio journal Communications Biology in December.
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Because iron is essential for the pathogen, researchers believe drugs that block this process could eventually stop infections or even allow existing medications to be repurposed.
“We think our research may have revealed an Achilles’ heel in this lethal pathogen during active infection,” Dr. Hugh Gifford, a clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter and co-author of the study, said in a statement.
New research is underway to develop better treatments and diagnostics for C. auris. (iStock)
As researchers race to better understand the fungus, officials warn that strict infection control, rapid detection and continued investment in new treatments remain critical.
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Health experts emphasize that C. auris is not a threat to healthy people.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the CDI researchers and additional experts for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Angelica Stabile contributed reporting.
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Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel joins ‘America’s Newsroom’ to warn of a new strain of the flu that is spiking hospitalizations across the country and newfound risks of medical marijuana’s link to psychosis.
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The New York State Department of Health reported a record surge in influenza activity, with 71,123 positive flu cases recorded statewide during the week ending December 20.
Health officials said the figure represents the highest number of flu cases ever reported in a single week since influenza became a reportable disease in New York in 2004.
State health data show the weekly total reflects a 38% increase from the previous reporting period, signaling a rapidly intensifying flu season.
There have been 189,312 reported positive flu cases so far this season, while influenza-related hospitalizations rose 63% in the most recent week.
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New York reported the highest weekly total of cases ever recorded since influenza became reportable in 2004. (iStock)
“We are seeing the highest number of flu cases ever recorded in a single week in New York state,” Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said in a press release.
There have been 189,312 reported flu cases so far this season, with influenza-related hospitalizations increasing 63% in the most recent week. (iStock)
Earlier this month, the department declared influenza prevalent statewide, a designation that requires unvaccinated health care workers to wear masks in patient care settings.
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Health officials continue to emphasize that vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent severe illness and hospitalization from influenza.
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New Yorkers who have not yet received a seasonal flu shot are still encouraged to do so, with experts saying vaccination can offer protection even later in the season.
Health officials continue to urge New Yorkers to take preventive steps, including vaccination and staying home when sick, to limit further spread. (iStock)
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To help limit further spread, the department advises individuals experiencing flu-like symptoms — including fever, cough, sore throat, or body aches — to stay home. State health officials also recommend frequent handwashing, using hand sanitizer, and avoiding close contact with sick individuals.
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For those who become ill, officials say antiviral medications are available and are most effective when started within 48 hours of symptom onset.
Health officials also added that people at higher risk for complications should contact a health care provider promptly for evaluation and possible treatment.
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The department noted that flu activity typically peaks in January, meaning case counts could continue to climb in the weeks ahead.
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