Hey there, peeps! We get it, dealing with obesity can be a real buzzkill. But fear not, because we’ve got your back. Let’s be real, our diets can be major players in this game. So, we’re here to spill the beans on the 30 absolute worst foods that are like, major culprits in packing on those extra pounds. Say goodbye to the bad stuff, and get ready to level up on your health journey. It’s time to kick these foods to the curb and say hello to a healthier, happier you!
Losing weight requires a lot of hard work. Eating nutritious foods, limiting calories, and exercising. But if your kitchen is stocked with diet-sabotaging junk foods, it is going to be quite difficult for you to lose weight. Some of the food appearing on this list may look healthy, many of them are high in saturated fats, calories and make your weight loss a distant dream.
1. Potato Chips
Okay, so you probably already know that potato chips are fattening. They also disguise hazardous levels of sodium. Potato Chip is the greatest enemy among all the items that might make you obese—soda, junk food, ice cream, and so on. According to a Harvard study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, potato chips are the food most strongly connected with the weight increase.
2. French Fries
The second food item that Harvard researchers discovered to be the most fattening is French Fries. French Fries is linked to an extra 3.35 pounds of weight gain. The tasty baked potato increases levels of blood sugar and insulin more quickly and to higher levels than an equal amount of calories from pure table sugar. French fries are as bad for your health as Potato Chips, but with an extra blast of fat.
3. Fatty Red Meat
Red meat is another of the top weight-gain-inducing foods, according to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. According to the China Health and Nutrition Survey, the difference between meat that induces belly weight gain and meat that keeps your metabolism working is the fatty nature of the cut. So, if you’re attempting to lose weight, stay away from fatty ground beef mixes that are 70% lean and 30% fat.
4. Processed Meats
Bacon, sausage, and hot dogs may taste heavenly, but pose a grave danger to your health. Over a four-year study, Harvard researchers have concluded processed meat consumption leads to an additional 0.93-pound weight gain. A higher risk of diabetes, cancer, and hypertension has also been linked to processed meat. But that doesn’t mean you immediately cut off processed meat altogether from your diet. Balance the portion of processed meat in your diet.
5. Restaurant Desserts
Sodium, along with sugar, calories, fat, and everything else, is a major weight contributor. These sweets are frequently large and served at the end of a luxurious supper, adding nearly a thousand calories to an already excessive meal. Eating out can be considered a treat, and if you’re truly there for the dessert, picking your dessert first is a better approach to balance your meal. According to a new study, choosing your dessert first can help you eat fewer calories overall! Adjust your main course to be healthier, and then split the dessert you truly want with a partner to make the dinner more balanced.
6. Alcohol
Relax, we’re not saying you can’t have a glass of wine or beer now and then, but it’s no secret that drinking too much alcohol can sabotage your weight-loss efforts and put your health at risk. Alcohol consumption has also been demonstrated to cause your body to eat more. Researchers at the University of Liverpool discovered that just two beverages can considerably boost the amount of food we consume by altering our perception of food and making it appear more delectable.
7. Sugary Cereals
Sweet squares and fruity puffs don’t help you stay healthy or lose weight, and several kinds of cereal have more calorie-dense sugar per bowl than a Boston Kreme Donut! If you want to lose weight, go for something more full like overnight oats. Even though the calories in both meals are the same, a study published in the Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism found that eating oatmeal for breakfast leads to more fullness, less appetite, and fewer calories are taken at lunch than eating corn flakes.
8. Sweetened Beverages
High-fructose corn syrup is used in a lot of sodas (HFCS). According to Princeton University studies, HFCS can induce the same amount of weight gain as ordinary table sugar. In one animal study, all of the rats who ate HFCS were obese, a finding that hasn’t been replicated in other diet studies. Even when their overall caloric intake was the same, rats fed other kinds of sugar gained less weight than those fed HFCS, according to the study. Substitute water, smoothies, tea, or coffee for soda. Check out the detox waters for weight reduction for more hydration ideas!
9. Diet Soda
Low-calorie does not always imply low sugar. Artificial sweeteners are used in most diet sodas, and they have the same effect on your body as refined sugar. Artificial sweeteners cause weight gain and lead to obesity. Diet soda drinkers had nearly three times the amount of belly fat as individuals who didn’t drink diet soda, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
10. White Bread
When it comes to losing belly fat, excessively processed white bread should be avoided at all costs. According to studies, eating whole grains reduces abdominal fat deposition, whereas eating processed grains increases them. For food that won’t ruin your waistline, try reworking your favourite recipes with whole wheat flour or almond flour.
11. Chocolate Bars
All of us know chocolate and weight loss don’t go hand in hand. Well, you might want to rethink that. Dark chocolate provides a slew of health benefits, including weight loss. Milk chocolate, on the other hand, is a common cause of growing waistlines, thanks to its high-calorie content and high sugar content, which contribute to visceral fat accumulation. Chocolate bars were shown to be the food with the highest calorie density, and hence the most connected with weight gain, so it’s probably best to leave them out of your weight reduction diet.
12. Granola
Granola can be a tasty addition to yoghurt or cereal in the morning, but certain varieties are high in fat and added sugars, adding up to 220 calories or more per 1/4 cup. If you are a granola fan, try to opt for a low-sugar variety. You could also make your homemade granola with any ingredients you choose.
13. Canned Soup
Soups aren’t all made equal. Especially those made with cream and those fresh from the can. Soups made with cream include a lot more calories and fat. And canned soups are manufactured foods that are high in sodium, which promotes bloating in the stomach, as well as increasing your appetite and impairing your capacity to recognise when you’re full, which is counterproductive to weight loss.
14. Pancake Syrups
Famous syrup brands like Aunt Jemima and Mrs Butterworth contain two substances you should avoid at all costs: high fructose corn syrup and caramel colouring, both of which are harmful to your health and grow your gut. High fructose corn syrup is a substance that has been associated with abdominal obesity, overall weight increase, insulin sensitivity issues, and the desire to consume more. Stick to 100 percent pure maple syrup in moderation if you wish to reduce weight.
15. Juice
Although juice cleanses are fashionable right now, it’s the technique used to prepare juice that is problematic. Packaged juices remove the most satisfying component – fibre – from the sugary beverage. With no fibre, you’re left with a calorie-dense beverage that boosts your blood sugar. Studies have shown that the calories in juice do not fulfil our bodies any more than the calories in food. So drink water for thirst and hydration and eat entire fruits and vegetables with their fibre intact.
16. Pie
We know it’s not easy to make a pie, but be cautious in the region of lattices and crumble tops. One of the most effective sources of trans-fat in the American diet is baked desserts. A 14-year study involving 80,000 women discovered a link between heart disease and trans fatty acid consumption, so steer away from it at all costs—your ticker and waistline will thank you!
17. Muffins
The name of your muffin top is apt: A normal blueberry muffin has approximately 400 calories and a third of the fat for the day. Furthermore, many commercial muffins include waist-widening soybean oil and trans fats, a substance linked to an increased risk of heart disease. Worst of all, muffins are nearly entirely made of sugar. Because this sugar is quickly digested and absorbed, your body is left hungry for more. If you want to lose weight, skipping Starbucks’ pastry case is a no-brainer.
18. Bagels and Croissants
Even though both of these selections look to be large and filling, they are made of white sugar and flour. They are devoid of fibre and nutrients. As a result, your blood sugar spikes and then plummets, making you feel even hungrier than before you started eating these delights. And you won’t get any closer to your weight loss goals if you’re always hungry.
19. Doughnuts
Julieanna Hever, a plant-based dietitian and author of The Vegiterranean Diet and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition, says, “It’s no surprise doughnuts are nearly entirely made of sugar.” “Doughnuts quickly break down into simple sugars in the body, prompting the release of more insulin. When you have a lot of insulin, a lot of sugar goes into your cells, leaving no sugar for your circulation. The end consequence is a drop in blood sugar, which makes you hungry quickly after eating.”
20. Drive-Thru Fast Foods
If you want to lose weight, keep driving as fast as you can. “Preservatives, trans fats, HFCS, and salt are all included in these highly processed meals. Preservatives and trans fats interfere with our stomach’s ability to connect with our brain, which is why you should be concerned, “Rebecca Lewis, RD at HelloFresh, adds. “As a result of the lack of satiety-related hormones and neurotransmitters in the brain, the brain loses its ability to identify when we are full, and we just eat more.”
21. Refined Sugar
Refined sugar, in all of its forms, is a key contributor to belly obesity, and we, as Americans, sadly, treat it as a diet mainstay. While the World Health Organization recommends that we consume no more than ten percent of our total calories from sugar, UCSF researchers found that the average American consumes three times the recommended daily limit. Fortunately, with increasing food labelling for added sugars, sugar slipping into anything from cereal to pasta sauce is easy to notice.
22. Bottled Smoothies
The fact that bottled smoothies contain fruit does not imply that they are healthy for you or your waistline. Many of them have shockingly high sugar content, with some bottles containing as much as 52 grams of sugar per bottle! Instead, mix your smoothies at home using components that will speed up your metabolism and activate your fat-burning genes.
23. Dried Fruit
Although dried fruit appears to be a healthy snack option, most dried fruits are sweetened and include an average of 16 grams of sugar per ounce. This quickly adds up, especially when it goes unnoticed as a “healthy” item, making it easy to eat by the handful.
24. Refined Pasta
Whole grain pasta can be a healthy part of your weight-loss plan if consumed in moderation, but refined white spaghetti will slam into your belly with a vengeance. There are two main reasons for this: first, refined pasta has had the majority of its nutrients and fibre removed, and your body treats it like sugar, storing fat in your belly. Second, most individuals eat pasta with store-bought sauces, which are high in sugar and sodium, adding to your ever-increasing girth.
25. Beer
The dreaded “beer belly” is well-known, and studies suggest that consuming beer is linked to a higher BMI and a wider waist circumference. But, aside from its high calorie and carb content, it’s possible that this isn’t due to any mystical features that distinguish beer from other types of alcohol. Beer drinkers may make less nutritious food choices overall, leading to their rising waistlines, in addition to the hundreds of calories a beer or two a day can contribute to your diet.
26. Large Coffee Drinks
While coffee has certain benefits for decreasing belly fat, most frozen coffee drinks are the enemy of your waistline. Some of this dairy- and sugar-laden alternatives from your local coffee shop may pack in up to 600 calories per drink, or even more if you add a dab of whipped cream on top! According to a 2017 study published in the journal Public Health, approximately 70% of coffee drinkers add caloric add-ins (such as sugar and creamers) to their coffee, and these persons consume up to 16% of their daily calorie intake from sipping on their coffee concoction.
27. Cookies
Oreos, America’s favourite cookie, are filled with double the trouble. According to 2013 animal research, Oreos are more addictive than cocaine and morphine because they contain palm oil, a lipid that stimulates fat-causing inflammation. Cookies were determined to be one of the most difficult items to eat in moderation, according to a second study.
28. Soybean Oil
Manufacturers shifted to pumping their products with vegetable oils such as soy, corn, sunflower, safflower, or palm oil after we learned about the artery-clogging consequences of trans fats, which wasn’t any better. This is because these vegetable oils are heavy in the inflammatory fat omega-6 and low in the anti-inflammatory fat omega-3. Inflammation has been linked to obesity, therefore eating inflammatory foods like soybean oil won’t help you lose weight.
29. Burgers
Saturated fats may have been cleared of their link to heart disease, but that doesn’t mean they’re out of the woods yet. This is because saturated fats have been linked to inflammation in white adipose tissue (fat tissue) in several studies. This white fat stores energy rather than burning it as brown fat cells do. According to a study published in the journal Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy, as your fat cells get larger as your saturated fat intake increases, they release pro-inflammatory chemicals that promote systemic inflammation and weight gain.
30. Pizza
Pizza isn’t exactly a “diet food,” as we all know. It contains a lot of calories, saturated fat, sodium, and refined carbs, which all contribute to belly fat gain. Pizza is also second only to burgers and sandwiches in terms of the amount of saturated fat it contributes to Americans’ diets. Pizza accounts for 6% of your overall saturated fat intake in terms of calories per day. And, because saturated fat consumption is linked to inflammation, it’s likely to stymie your weight-loss efforts.
It’s easy for people to feel overwhelmed by the daily barrage of media attention concerning obesity, weight, and health. However, there are easy steps you can take to help maintain a healthy weight and reduce your risk of many chronic conditions.