Foods To Avoid When You Want To Lose Weight
One of the most important factors that contribute to weight loss is the diet that you follow. If you are looking at shedding those extra pounds, there are two things that you should keep in mind- the calories that you consume and the nutritional value of the food that you
eat. There are certain foods that pack in several loose calories that slow down the process of weight loss. For a full 7-day diet plan for free, click here. Here are five foods that you should definitely avoid in order to start eating healthy:
1. Frozen foods
Frozen foods are chosen primarily for convenience. However, these foods contain an excessive amount of sodium. Sodium is a preservative that helps the frozen food last longer. When your consumption of sodium increases, you tend to retain more water, which makes you become more bloated. These foods also contain several calories that hinder the process of weight loss too. Of course, they also contain added flavors and preservatives that are artificial. These additives may also lead to other health issues besides contributing to added body weight. 2. Food and beverage with added sugar
This includes sodas, packed fruit juices, readymade sauces, flavored yogurt, and several other condiments. These foods contain sugar in the form of corn syrup, cane juice and fruit juice concentrates and are the most unlikely way of adding more sugar to your diet. When your diet is too high in sugar, you are also at the risk of type 2 diabetes and other heart-related issues. Try to include fresh produce along with natural drinks such as milk in your diet. While they contain natural sugars, they also give your body several other nutrients such as fiber and vitamins that help improve metabolism and keep you fuller for
longer. As for sauces and curries, try to make a large homemade batch that you can use multiple times instead of picking up the readymade options. 3. “Low fat” food For most people who are trying to lose weight, the term “low fat” is certainly very tempting. While it seems like the right choice given that cutting down on fat leads to weight loss, these foods are highly processed and can actually hamper the process. These foods are high in sugar. As a result, your body is loaded with additional calories. The sugar is added to make up
for the flavor that is removed when the food is made “fat-free�. Research also shows that people tend to overeat when they purchase foods with a low-fat label. The increase in consumption is a whopping 30%, which often leads to overshooting the daily-recommended calorie intake. These added calories are stored as fat, defeating the purpose of choosing fat-free foods in the first place. 4. Fried food This includes a variety of foods such as fried chicken, pizzas, French fries or just about anything that is fried or greasy. It is even worse when you buy these foods from restaurants as the oils used in their
preparation are often very low in quality and hence, unhealthy. These foods increase the chances of heart diseases and diabetes as well. They are loaded with polyunsaturated fatty acids that lead to plaque development in the arteries and increase the level of bad cholesterol in your blood.That said, fats are an essential part of your diet. However, you need to ensure that you include healthy fats in your diet to make it more balanced. Getting your daily dose of fats from unsaturated fat sources such as seeds, nuts, fatty fish etc is the healthiest option for you. 5. Alcohol
Alcohol in any form, be it beer or wine, is packed with calories. With most of the attention on the food that you consume, you often tend to overlook the ill effects of high-calorie drinks. Alcohol is all about calories and has no nutritional value. You also tend to eat more when you consume alcohol. Alcohol is considered a toxin by your body. It puts the liver into an overdrive in an attempt to eliminate this toxin. As a result, the fat burning process that the liver is mainly responsible for gets highly inefficient. While having one celebratory drink occasionally is not the culprit, a drink
each night and binge drinking leads to weight gain. Keeping away from these foods is simpler than you think. Make sure that you stock your kitchen with fresh produce. Also, try to carry snacks such as dry fruits with you when you leave out of the house. You can read more about snacking here. When you have options to curb your hunger, you are less likely to eat processed foods or food high in sugar and fat.