Health & Beauty
Weight Loss: 15 Foods To Avoid
Weight loss
Diet plays a major role in weight gain and weight loss. The choice to consume unhealthy foods packed with sugar and additives which leads to weight gain or healthy food lies with you. In this article, we are going to look at 15 foods to stay away from if you’re serious about losing weight.
Food to Avoid in Weight Loss:
1. Sugar-Free Products
Sugar free products
Sugar-free products are consumed by people on a low-calorie diet. Though these products may appear low in calories, they aren’t healthy for consumption. These sugar-free products contain sugar alternatives which are unhealthy for consumption, mostly because they shoot up the body’s insulin level. The following are sugar alternatives
- Saccharin
- Aspartame
- Acesulfame K
- Sucralose
- High-fructose corn syrup
Steer clear from sugar-free products with the aforementioned sugar alternatives, they can be dangerous to your health and cause more harm than good.
2. White Bread
White bread
White bread is one food to avoid if you’re serious about weight loss. It is refined and produced with a lot of added sugar. On the glycemic index, white bread ranks very high because it increases the body’s blood sugar level.
Research has shown the connection between weight gain and white bread. The result from the research showed that consuming two slices of bread a day increases the risk of obesity and weight gain by a whopping 40%.
3. Ice Cream
Ice Cream
Don’t be carried away by the tastiness of ice cream, it contains large amounts of sugar and calories, hence it is unhealthy for consumption in large quantity.
If you’re that into ice cream, you have the alternative of making it at home, with minimal amounts of sugar and healthy ingredients like full-fat yoghurt and fruits.
4. Potato Chips
Potato Chips
Potato chips and French fries combined with ketchup tastes really good but has a high-calorie level.
Research has connected the consumption of potato chips to weight gain. Studies have revealed that potato chips lead to more weight gain per serving compared to other food.
5. Fruit Juices
Fruit juice
Most fruit juice displayed on the shelves of supermarkets and departmental stores has gone through processing with a high amount of sugar.
Since it has no fibre content and doesn’t demand chewing, its easier to consume more packs of fruit juice than actual fruits. Eating fresh whole fruit is healthier than consuming fruit juice.
6. Pizza
Pizza
Ordering pizza saves you the stress of cooking especially on days when you don’t feel up to it. But its a food you should avoid when trying to lose weight.
Its calorie level is high and the ingredients (processed meat and highly refined flour) are unhealthy.
7. Candy Bars
Candy bars
Candy bars do not have nutritional values for the body, they’re packed with sugar and calories. It would be wise to avoid candy bars on your weight loss journey.
Since they are loaded with added oils and sugar, refined flour and preservatives, replacing them as snacks with fruits like apple would do you more good than harm.
8. Fried Chicken
Fried Chicken
This is everyone’s favourite, but they are not an ideal food choice for anyone serious about losses weight because they contain a large amount of trans fat.
We’ve got healthy and unhealthy fats. Trans fats fall under the latter category. Consumption of fried chicken would lead to weight gain and accumulation of belly fat.
Fried chicken predisposes the consumer to diseases such as stroke, type 2 diabetes and heart diseases. You can consume alternative protein sources such as whole egg, lentils and beans.
9. Sugary Drinks
Sugary drinks
It is a norm for people to consume sugary drinks, with meals instead of water. Sugary drinks contain a high quantity of sugar and calories, and they do not give the feeling of satisfaction of fullness to the body. Hence, people tend to consume more of the calories to feel full.
Research has shown that consumption of sugary beverages has a direct connection to weight gain and diseases like type 2 diabetes, pancreatic cancer and a high risk of hypertension. Instead of sugary beverages, drink water which helps in the reduction of daily calorie intake.
10. Baked Goods
Baked goods
On your journey to weight loss another food you should avoid is baked food, such as pies, pastries and cookies. They may look and smell tempting, but they contain large amounts of added sugar, artificial trans fat, refined flour amongst other unhealthy ingredients which are added to prolong shelf life.
Consuming them can give a temporary feeling of fullness, especially when you’re hungry. This is because the ingredient raises your blood sugar level instantly after consumption, but in less than an hour, there would be a drop in blood sugar level which would make you feel hungry again.
11. Alcohol, Especially Beer
Alcohol
Consumption of alcohol leads to increased weight in the belly region. Consumption of all forms of alcohol results in weight gain. Reduction in beer intake will aid in weight loss.
12. Soybean Oil
Soybean Oil
This contains a large amount of omega-6 fatty acids, this increases appetite and slows down the process of fat burning in the body system. Avoid meals prepared withering soybean oil because they lead to weight gain. Opt for healthier alternatives such as coconut oil or extra virgin oil.
13. Protein Bars
Protein Bar
Like the candy bar, protein bars are unhealthy to the body. There is a large number of carbohydrates, high-fructose corn syrup and artificial trans fat. These lead to weight gain and inflammation.
14. Whole Milk
Whole milk
This contains large amounts of cholesterol and fat, consuming skimmed milk is a healthier alternative.
15. Salad Dressing
Salad Dressing
Salad has become an ideal food choice for people trying to lose weight, but consuming salad with salad dressing counteracts the purpose.
READ ALSO: 10 Amazing Health Benefits Of Tomatoes
Avoid processed junk food, they’re going to blow you up in the long run. Before consuming any product, do well to check the label to ensure that what you’re about to consume is healthy.
Food to Eat for Fast Weight Loss
Losing weight isn’t about avoiding certain foods or starving yourself, you might worsen things if you’re not careful. Below is the food you should consume for weight loss.
- Whole Grains
- Soup
- Potatoes
- Protein
- Nuts
- Seeds
Home Remedies For Weight loss
To achieve the best result, you can use the following remedies for weight loss at home.
Green Tea
Green tea
The antioxidant EGCG, which according to studies, facilitates fat burning a few hours after each meal, is contained in green tea. Studies have revealed that green tea aids the burning of fat in overweight people.
Water
Water
Taking a glass of water before each meal makes you eat less and it also increases energy consumption.
Vinegar
Vinegar
Vinegar helps in weight reduction
Sleep
Sleep
Quality sleep is important in your journey to weight loss.
Grapefruit
Grape fruit
Consuming grapefruit, according to research helps in weight reduction.
Coffee
Coffee
Coffee is packed full of antioxidant which is extremely good for burning fat. Coffee consumers weigh less than non-coffee consumers.
If you follow these tips, you’d begin to see its benefits in achieving weight loss in no time.
