With plenty of innovative foods discovering now and then, it is hard to control ourselves and not indulge mainly when you are a foodie. However, when we are on a mission to lose weight and follow a diet plan for weight loss, certain food items must be avoided. Yes, there will be cravings but once our body is programmed accordingly it will start adjusting itself to it automatically. So, let us find out the foods that you should cut off from your diet plan for weight loss.
Losing weight needs a combination of eating healthy food, reducing calories, and being physically active, but if your kitchen is filled with diet-sabotaging junk foods, it becomes difficult for you to reduce your weight. Though the foods mentioned here seem to be innocuous, most of them have fewer calories and helps in slowing down your metabolism, making it difficult for you to reduce weight. Check out our list of foods that should be avoided if you are planning to lose weight and be inspired to make the right choices by throwing away all the unhealthy foods.
Important Diet Plan for Weight Loss
If you are planning to follow this diet plan for weight loss, then here is a list of foods that should be avoided.
Potato Chips- Okay, so most of you probably know that potato chips are fattening and can hide risky levels of sodium, but the surprising thing is that out of all the foods that can make you obese- junk food, soda, and ice cream- potato chip is the worst criminal. As per a Harvard study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, potato chips are associated with gaining weight over years.
Sugary and aerated drinks- These drinks are nothing but simple sugar. They play havoc on both our health and weight. While following a diet plan for weight loss, make sure you keep soda or diet drinks away from you as they are very unhealthy.
White Bread- You should avoid eating white bread if you are following any diet plan for weight loss. White bread is highly refined and usually consists of added sugar. Bread is high on the glycemic index and can raise your blood sugar level. A study conducted on 9,267 people found that eating just two slices of white bread a day was associated with a 40% higher risk of obesity and weight gain.
Luckily, there are several healthy alternatives for conventional wheat bread. However, remember that wheat bread available in the market contains gluten. Other options you can include in your diet include cornbread, almond flour bread, and oopsie bread.
Ice Creams- No doubt, ice creams are incredibly tasty but yes, if you following a strict diet plan for weight loss, then you should stop eating ice creams. It is high in calories and is loaded with sugar. A small amount of ice cream is okay now and then, but the issue is once we start eating ice cream, we end up eating a large amount in one sitting. So, how can you control your ice cream craving?
Try to make your ice cream by using less sugar and healthy ingredients like fruit and full-fat yogurt. Also, take a small amount of ice cream so that you can stop yourself from having too much ice cream.
Processed Meats- Eating sausage, hot dogs, and bacon can put your life at risk. According to Harvard researchers, consumption of processed meat can result in weight gain. You should not stop eating processed meat just because it increases weight but also because it increases the risk of cancer, hypertension, and diabetes.
Alcohol- It is not like you cannot enjoy beer or wine occasionally but overdoing it can ruin your weight loss goals and can cause health hazards. So, if you are on a strict diet plan for weight loss, make sure you drink occasionally. Consuming alcohol triggers our bodies to eat more. The University of Liverpool found that two drinks can increase the amount of food we eat as it changes our perception towards food and enhances its taste.
Another report in The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that consuming alcohol results in eating extra 384 calories a day. So, if you want to booze, try to take sips of water in between and avoid sugary cocktails.
Pizza- This is a popular fast food. However, commercially prepared pizzas are very unhealthy. They are high in calories and usually contain many unhealthy ingredients like processed meat and highly refined flour. If you want to eat a slice of pizza, try to make one at home using healthy ingredients. Homemade pizza sauce is much healthier, as the ones available in the supermarket contain lots of sugar. Another option for those who are following a diet plan for weight loss is to find a place that makes healthy pizzas.
Sweetened breakfast cereals- Breakfast cereals are nothing but processed cereal grain, like oats, wheat, corn, and rice. They are mainly popular among kids and are generally eaten with milk. To enhance their taste, the grains are first roasted, shredded, pulped, flaked, and rolled. They are high in sugar content. The main disadvantage of having breakfast cereals is they are high in sugar content. Some cereals are so sweet that they taste like sugar candies.
Instead of these sweetened breakfast cereals, you can always choose breakfast cereals that are high in fiber, but low in sugar. Another option is to prepare your own oats porridge from scratch.
Grilled, fried, and broiled food- Grilling, frying, and broiling are some of the unhealthiest cooking processes. Foods that are cooked using these methods are generally palatable and contain too many calories. Various types of unhealthy chemical compounds are also formed when food is cooked over high heat.
These include acrolein, acrylamides, oxysterols, heterocyclic amines, advanced glycation end products, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Several chemicals formed during cooking over high heat have been associated with increased chances of heart diseases and cancer.
For the betterment of your health, choose mild and healthy cooking methods, like stewing, boiling, steaming, and blanching.
Low-fat yogurt- Yes, yogurt is healthy. But most of the yogurts available in the market are bad for you. Agreed, they are low in fat but on the other hand, they are filled with sugar to compensate for the taste offered by fat. Simply put, most yogurt has had its natural, healthy fats substituted with an unhealthy item.
Moreover, many yogurts do not offer probiotic bacteria as believed by many. Often, they are pasteurized which helps in killing most of the bacteria.
To avoid health hazards, you must include regular, full-fat yogurt in your diet plan for weight loss. This type of yogurt contains active or live probiotics. Try to purchase varieties of curd from grass-fed cows.
Processed cheese- Cheese is healthy as it is loaded with essential nutrients and a single slice of cheese contains all the nutrients that are present in a glass of milk.
Still, processed cheese items are nothing like regular cheese. They are mainly made of filler ingredients that are prepared to have a cheese-like texture and appearance. While buying cheese, make sure you go through the labels to confirm whether your cheese contains any artificial ingredients or not.
Instead of buying cheese from the market, eat real cheese. Healthy types of cheese include mozzarella, cottage cheese, and feta. Several vegan cheese options can be healthy.
Conclusion
The foods that should never be included in a diet plan for weight loss include highly processed junk foods. These foods are loaded with added sugar, fats, and refined wheat. If you are confused about the food which you are picking is healthy or not, better read the label. However, be careful as different names may be used for sugar for misleading the customers. Also, be careful about the serving size. Some healthy foods, like dried fruits, nuts, and cheese are high in calories and you will not understand when you will have too much of it.
You can even practice mindful eating, in which you pay close attention to every bite, chew your foods quite slowly, and understand when you are full. This method can control your food intake.