The
foods you eat can have a major effect on your weight. Some foods, like
full-fat yogurt, coconut oil and eggs, help with weight loss.
Other foods, especially processed and refined products, can make you gain weight.
1. French Fries and Potato Chips
Whole potatoes are healthy and filling, but french fries and potato chips are not. They are very high in calories, and it’s easy to eat way too many of them.
One study found that potato chips contribute to more weight gain per serving than any other food.
What’s more, baked, roasted or fried potatoes may contain cancer-causing substances called acrylamides.
Therefore, it’s best to eat plain, boiled potatoes.
2. Sugary Drinks
Sugar-sweetened beverages, like soda, are one of the unhealthiest foods on the planet.
They are strongly associated with weight gain and can have disastrous health effects when consumed in excess.
Even though sugary drinks contain a lot of calories, your brain doesn’t register them like solid food.
Liquid sugar calories don’t make you feel full, and you won’t eat less food to compensate. Instead, you end up adding these calories on top of your normal intake.
If you are serious about losing weight, consider giving up sugary drinks completely.
3. Instant Ramen
Instant ramen is probably the most unhealthy of the processed foods to choose from in wanting to stay healthy.
The sodium in one serving of instant ramen alone makes up 33% of your daily intake.
But that’s just one serving, and really, who only eats half a package of instant ramen?
That means in one small package for a meal that will probably only hold you over for 30 or so minutes; there is 66% of the recommended daily intake of sodium.
That sodium is what makes your stomach so bloated and makes it hard to lose weight.
What makes instant ramen so popular is it is easy and cheap, mostly chosen by college-age kids or young adults.
If you want a healthier and equally cheap option, eat whole grain pasta instead. You can easily season it with my favorite combination of sea salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.
4. White Bread
White bread is highly refined and often contains a lot of added sugar.
It is high on the glycemic index and can spike your blood sugar levels.
One study of 9,267 people found that eating two slices (120 grams) of white bread per day was linked to a 40% greater risk of weight gain and obesity.
Fortunately, there are many healthy alternatives to conventional wheat bread. One is Ezekiel bread, which is probably the healthiest bread on the market.
However, keep in mind that all wheat breads do contain gluten. Some other options include cornbread and almond flour bread.
5. Fruit Juice
Most fruit juices you find at the supermarket have very little in common with whole fruit.
Fruit juices are highly processed and loaded with sugar.
In fact, they can contain just as much sugar and calories as soda, if not more.
Also, fruit juice usually has no fiber and doesn’t require chewing.
This means that a glass of orange juice won’t have the same effects on fullness as an orange, making it easy to consume large quantities in a short amount of time.
Stay away from fruit juice and eat whole fruit instead.
6. Pastries and cookies
Pastries, cookies and cakes are packed with unhealthy ingredients like added sugar and refined flour.
They may also contain artificial trans fats, which are very harmful and linked to many diseases.
Pastries, cookies and cakes are not very satisfying, and you will likely become hungry very quickly after eating these high-calorie, low-nutrient foods.
If you’re craving something sweet, reach for a piece of dark chocolate instead.
7. Salad Dressing
You may think the salad you made at home and are about to dig into will help you lose weight.
After all, salad is healthy. However, the salad dressing you bought at the store with your head held high for making healthy choices is not as healthy as you think.
Drop processed salad dressings to drop the pounds.
Salad dressings from the store include high amounts of fat, sodium, and sugar.
Adding these dressings to your salad ruins everything eating the salad would do for you.
Eat instead: Homemade dressing made with EVOO (heart-healthy!) and vinegar with seasonings. Use EVOO, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning.
8. High-Calorie Coffee Drinks
Coffee contains several biologically active substances, most importantly caffeine.
These chemicals can boost your metabolism and increase fat burning, at least in the short term. So, first things first, coffee and caffeine is good for weight loss.
However, the benefits of coffee and caffeine for weight loss quickly diminishes when you add unhealthy ingredients like artificial cream and sugar, vanilla syrup, honey, etc.
And then it makes your coffee drink a high-calorie drink that is really no better than soda. They’re loaded with empty calories that can equal a whole meal.
If you like coffee, it’s best to stick to plain, black coffee when trying to lose weight. Adding a little cream or milk is fine too. Just avoid adding sugar, high-calorie creamers and other unhealthy ingredients.