“You know what the secret to weight loss is? Don’t eat much”- Simon Cowell. But, “not eating much” won’t help you much in losing weight. Rather, eating right food is more important for losing your extra weight. Because, even if you are eating less but those are full of fat, sodium, carbohydrate etc, and then you are going to gain weight. Some of the best-tasting foods are actually some of the worst in terms of fat and calories.
Losing weight is never an easy task. Changing your lifestyle and eating habits is a challenging endeavor. You need motivation and determination to do that. It is very important to choose the healthy food to eat and know which food to avoid. We may be eating unhealthy foods only for our ignorance. Many foods at the grocery stores contain hidden calories, fat, sodium, carbohydrate. But, it can be hard to avoid them. There are some foods those really deserve the ax, especially if you are trying to lose weight. So, take a look at the list of foods you should avoid (whenever possible) to help your weight loss task.
1. Avoid Artificial Sweeteners.
Many of us replace sugar with artificial sweeteners in the belief that this will reduce our calorie intake and cause weight loss. There has been a real push in the last decade or so to avoid regular sugar and switch to artificial sweeteners instead. However, research has shown that artificial sweeteners can increase appetite and maintain cravings for sweet food. Thus, artificial substitutes actually promote weight gain as opposed to weight loss. Avoid them and you’ll likely lose some unwanted fat as well.
2. Avoid Frozen Meals.
In our fast moving lifestyle, frozen meals have become a very popular choice. But these foods are often heavily processed and loaded with sugars, fat, and sodium. To make fresh ingredients last long in your freezer, food manufacturers often load frozen meals with sodium, and other preservatives (like salt). These additives can lead to weight and heart problems. They can raise your blood pressure and put you at a danger for stroke. Moreover, they also contain plenty of calories. Frozen foods will never get you closer to your weight loss goal, so it is the best to avoid these convenience meals and focusing on organic meals.
3. Cut down on alcohol.
Alcohol is one of the slow poisons which will kill you from inside. A standard glass of wine can contain as many calories as a piece of chocolate. It also contains pure concentrated sugar that will make you gain fat easily. Over time, drinking too much of alcohol can cause many healthy issues like weight gain, heart stroke, pregnancy problems, like spontaneous abortion, liver abnormalities and even instant death. So, cut down on alcohol or even better you stop drinking alcohol.
4. No Fast Foods.
Fast foods like pizzas, burgers, cakes, hot-dog are an unhealthy saturated type. These foods have low nutritional value and high amount of calories. Fast foods lead to instant weight gain as well as other health problems. Regularly eating these kinds of foods even causes you to a increased risk of heart disease and colon cancer. So, avoid fast foods and try homemade foods.
5, Say No to Sugar.
Sugar is one of the most hazardous foods with high amount of calories. It also contains two molecules: glucose and fructose. Glucose is absolutely vital for life, while Fructose, however, is very different. When you eat a lot of refined sugar, the liver gets flooded with fructose and is forced to turn it all into fat. The natural sugar found in fruits and vegetable are not harmful due to the fiber in it. But, refined sugar is your decisive enemy when you are trying to lose weight.
6. No More Fried Foods.
Fried foods are not healthy and can instantly add weight to your body. These foods are of little nutritional value and can cause some serious health problems. They are associated with higher cholesterol, which decreases your cardiovascular health and makes you more likely to suffer from heart disease or strokes. These foods can also upset the digestive system. Anything that is fried, even vegetables, will be a source of trans fat. So, avoid eating these fried foods whenever it is feasible.
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7. Diet Soda.
Even there is no straight-up sugar in diet soda, they’re not necessarily any better. Research has shown that the artificial sweeteners in diet soda actually cause weight gain as opposed to weight loss. It can cause you depression, tooth decay, heightened risk of strokes and heart attacks, pancreatic cancer, and even premature birth. If you replaced a 20o z bottle of soda with water daily, you would easily lose up to 35 pounds in one year.
8. Sauces/Ketchup.
Sauces or ketchup makes our food tastier. A little amount is not harmful, but the amounts we like to slather onto our burgers and fries is a problem for us. These foods are extremely high in both sugar and salt which are used to dilute them. Also, sodium is used as a preservative for the longevity of the product. Even soy sauce contains these elements. And you should know that these elements in sauces will cause weight loss problem for you.
9. Granola.
Granola is a delicious topping to desserts, yogurts, and cereals. Granola and granola bars are almost always very high in sugar and low in nutrients. It is also very low in fiber. Granola contains modified sugars, high fructose corn syrup, modified soybean oil and soy lecithin. All of these are causes for gaining weight. Despite their healthy marketing image, avoid them for your better health and weight loss success.
10. White Rice.
Rice is a common ingredient in recipes, and it is also a popular dish. But, white rice is refined and stripped of the layers of grain, removing most of the fiber, nutrients, and proteins. Any kind of rice is packed with carbohydrates and also has a high glycemic index. White rice digests rapidly in your body, likely to leave you unsatisfied and you feel hungrier. Eventually, it will lead you to overweight and obesity.
11. Salads with Salad Dressings.
Salads have a reputation for being healthy, and it is a great choice for us when we are dieting and trying to eat more nutritious foods. But, we overlook the ingredients on salad dressings. Salad dressings are packed with unexpected calories. Salad toppings can also include some hidden calories. They are worse when they are cream-based dressings. So, look for low-calorie dressing options like olive oil.
12. Margarine.
Margarine is considered as the healthy alternative to butter. But experts say that margarine is high in salt, contains artery-clogging trans fats and saturated fats, and is not quite so healthy. Margarine also increases your cholesterol, which can lead to heart disease and stroke. It is better to stick with small doses of butter or use heart-healthy olive oil.
13. Avoid White Flour.
Foods made of white flour (white bread, pasta, noodles) are high glycemic foods. These can lead to high blood pressure, heart attack, obesity, high cholesterol and other health issues. Rather, choose whole wheat over white and you will make your heart and your waistline happier.
14. Processed Baked Foods.
These foods are so convenient, so tasty, but not so worth it. Those pre-packaged mini muffins, donuts, and dessert cakes will add tons of calories and loads of unwanted sugar to your diet, plus they aren’t easy to digest. And as I told before refined sugar is your decisive enemy when you are trying to lose weight.
Every day thousands of people are shifting to eat healthy foods. But unfortunately, many of us fail to do so. We all know what to eat and what not to eat, but still we lose our willpower to control our healthy diet. If you are trying to lose weight, you can try this diet program for the better result.
