Avoid These Foods to Lose Weight
I am all for having a cheat meal once in a while, as it is scientifically proven to help you on your journey, what I didn't realize though is that you may be cutting back on some foods and replacing them with so-called healthy foods and that is great, but what you don't know may be setting you back and you don't even know it.
As daunting as this may sound, there are foods out there that sound healthy, but are truly not! So if you are on your way to healthy weight loss, I have made a list of 11 foods that you may want to avoid if you are trying to lose weight.
1. Instant Soup: Instant anything actually should set off alarms and should be avoided but soup is up there on the list because it seems healthy. Home made soup is a wonderful and healthy way to flush out the system and lose weight but this is not true with packaged soups. They lose their health benefits because they lose nutrients being stored for long periods of time. Not to mention all the preservatives that most of these canned goods contain to improve their shelf life which is not good for our bodies and depletes the antioxidant qualities of its veggies. A great alternative is making soup at home or try bone broth. Bone broth is great for your gut health and is filled with nutrients, most are in the freezer or refrigerated areas of the supermarket.
2. Granola: Granola definitely seems healthy but they're packed with sugars and high in calories and oils that are no good. You could make your own, but who has the time for that? It's best to avoid granola and opt for a high protein snack instead.
3. Maple Syrup/Honey: These are supposedly healthy alternatives to white sugar, but it's still sugar! If you cut down on your sugar intake, not only will you see a difference in your weight, you will feel it. To make the best out of your weight loss journey, you should avoid fast-digesting sugars as much as possible. It's okay to indulge once and a while.
4. Juice: Chewing is actually an important step in our digestive system to kick start our metabolism, so that being said, drinking sugary calories are easily digestible and are quickly processed by our bodies. The sugars then kick in faster than our body has time to process it! If you are trying to lose weight, avoiding fruit juice is a must. Drinking a glass of oj is like eating 4 oranges at once! Try eating a piece of fruit instead!
5. Dried Fruit: Unfortunately, dried fruit is not so healthy compared to the undried version. This is because it is much smaller in size and can cause you to eat more than you would have if you had eaten the actual fresh version. So if you must eat dried fruit, make sure you get an unsweetened brand and make sure you don't consume too much.
6. Couscous: Couscous is very similar to white pasta, it's a refined grain and when you think of healthy eating, you don't think of pasta. I think that speaks for itself. Try eating quinoa instead, and if you cannot give up couscous, make sure it is whole-wheat.
7. Instant oatmeal: Instant, again, is never good. Why for oatmeal? Well they for one, are highly processed and usually are flavored and are packed with sugar and sodium than steel-cut or rolled oats. Avoid instant and opt in for the whole rolled oats and flavor them yourself with fresh fruit and healthy nut butters.
8. 8 grain/Multigrain/wheat bread: What? Aren't these breads healthy? That's what the unsuspecting person would believe. This is because most of these kinds of breads contain refined grains as well. Make sure you read the label and get whole wheat, whole wheat, or sprouted grain bread instead.
9. Energy Bars: If you look at the nutrition facts and ingredients on these little bars, you'll come to find that they are packed with sugars and artificial sweeteners. If you're looking for an energy boost for your workout, try eating a piece of fruit, a delicious and convenient substitute!
10. Too Much Fruit: Too much of anything is not good for you and this includes fruit as well. Even though it's natural and healthy, sugar is sugar and too much of it a ruin your weight loss efforts. 2 servings of fruit is recommended and you should stick to that amount and not go over.
11.Overripe fruit: This one is not common knowledge but overripe fruits, like bananas lose their nutrients fast and turn into a starchy mess. When it comes to bananas, the greener the better. It is a great source of potassium and magnesium and is a great source of energy. Plus it's delicious. The fresher the fruit, the better. It's best to avoid overripe fruit if you want to lost weight.
Keep up the great work, and don't forget to use your Trim and Tone belt to help you boost your weight loss!