Did you know that 68% of the population in the USA is overweight? With this fact on the plate, it is seriously time to ask ourselves, are we in that percentage, and if the answer is yes – what can we do to regain our ideal weight and health.
The first thing to do is to start eating healthy and exercise. But shading pounds isn’t the easiest task, and we definitely need help in the process. Knowing which foods are right for us is indeed helpful.
This is why we decided to find out which foods we should cut out of our diet to lose weight. Although most of them are widely known for promoting weight gain, you will be surprised to find some of them on the list as they are believed to be “healthy.”
1. Juice
photo via en.wikipedia.org
And you would think orange juice is healthy and promotes weight loss. Wrong! The juice is empty of calories and fructose, aka fruit sugar, which makes the juice taste sweet. When drinking juice, your body loses the ability to recognize when it’s full. This means eating more and having a greater chance of developing diabetes. This stands even for 100% juice. Reason enough for us to avoid juice from now on.
2. Potatoes
photo via kitchenmonsters.co.uk
Yes, veggies are good for you, but potatoes are one of the foods most closely associated with weight gain. This includes potato chips and french fries, of course. If you manage to eliminate them from your diet and eat other forms of potatoes like mashed, steamed, or baked only in moderation, you will surely lose weight.
3. White Bread
Ok, this is pretty obvious. We know how unhealthy white bread is, so you should definitely avoid it, even if you are not trying to lose weight. This is because it doesn’t offer any nutritional values. White bread is low in fiber, high in carbs, making your blood sugar levels rise. Eat whole what bread instead, but in moderation, if you are dieting.
4. Fast Food
photo via woliper.com
You already know that fast food is bad for you. And if you want to shed some pounds, you should totally forget it exists. Fast food offers a quick hunger fix with only one result – making you fat! Don’t be fooled by “healthy options” offered in the fast-food chains – they all contain hidden carbs, fats, and most of all, empty calories.
5. Buttered or Flavored Popcorn
photo via cupcakesandkalechips.com
While popcorn is low in calories and can actually help you lose weight, if you eat large portions topped with fat-filled butter, you will put weight instead. See it like this – one spoon of butter adds 100 calories and 11.4 grams of fat. The same goes for flavors that are filled with sugars and artificial colors. If you like a healthy snack in the form of popcorn, use your favorite spices on top of them instead of unnecessary fats and flavors. Try cinnamon, curry, Italian seasoning, etc.
6. All Deserts
photo via kingarthurflour.com
Cakes, puddings, cookies, pies, ice cream, candy, chocolate… All deserts will only make you add weight. Skip the dessert – it is the no.1 rule if you want to shed pounds. If you have a sweet tooth and can’t imagine a life without desserts, at least try to avoid high-fat desserts like pies (especially cream filled) and ice cream.
7. Breakfast Foods
photo via ylakeland.com
We mean the (unfortunately) most common options like sausages, bacon, and biscuits by breakfast food. The thing is, most calories come from fat, and these foods are filled with it. And fat equals bad nutrition. Both sausages and bacon are high in calories, mostly from the fat, while just a single biscuit contains 212 calories! That is without any toppings added!
8. Soda
photo via iran-daily.com
Want to lose weight? Cut soda from your diet, and you are on a good start. You will see a difference within weeks as soda is one of the top reasons for gaining weight. By drinking soda, you add more sugar than eating sweets and desserts. And there is caffeine as well. These two ingredients combined are truly making us “addicted” to soda. Carbonated drinks are high in sugar and have no nutritional value. They contribute to obesity as well as diabetes, tooth decay, and weakened bones.
9. Alcohol
photo via nydailynews.com
Drinking may pack on the pounds even more than you know. This is because alcohol is filled with calories. Can you imagine that when you drink a glass of wine, you intake as many calories as when eating a slice of cake? And one pint of lager contains the same amount of calories as one slice of pizza. When alcohol is in your system, it’s harder for your body to burn fat that’s already there. So avoid drinking if you want to lose weight.
10. Nut Butters
photo via inspiredtaste.net
Nut butter is packed with proteins and fat; although healthy, it will make you gain weight. One tablespoon of peanut butter, for instance, contains around 100 calories and has 4 grams of protein. One cup of almond butter has about 1580 calories. And the worst thing is that nut butter is not satisfying, and you will not stop at just a spoon. It is most likely you will overeat, which means tons of calories.
