As you try to lose weight, what you eat is just as important as how much you eat. Foods high in calories, fat, and sugar, and with low nutrient value, are considered empty calories. Empty calories act like rocks, slowing your body's ability to function properly. These foods cause fat-weight gain, water-weight gain, bloat, and are bad for your overall health. Eating foods high in nutrients --- which provide your body with the fuel it needs to run smoothly --- will help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
Added Sugar
Sugar occurs in foods naturally, and may also be added. Foods with natural sugars, such as fruit, break down in the body easily, and are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. Added sugars are high in calories but provide few or no vitamins and minerals. Packaged foods like candy, cakes, cookies, desserts, juices, and sodas are high in added sugars. According to the American Heart Association, foods containing added sugars can lead to weight gain, or even obesity, which are bad for your heart. "A Healthier You," a book from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service, suggests that, as you read food labels, you keep in mind the following ingredients, which are all names of added sugars: brown sugar, dextrose, fructose, fruit juice concentrates, corn sweetener, corn syrup, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, invert sugar, lactose, maltose, malt syrup, molasses, raw sugar, sucrose, and syrup.
Processed Foods
Processed, pre-packaged, and fast food are convenient, but are high in calories, fat, and sugar --- and are contributing factors in weight gain and obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These foods lack vital nutrients, and contribute to slower metabolism and a sluggish digestive system.
Hidden Fat
Bear in mind that not all dietary fat is equal. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats have a more liquid consistency at room temperature, and are vital for proper body function. Saturated and trans fats are more solid at room temperature, and raise bad cholesterol levels in your blood, according to the American Heart Association. Trans fat also leads to weight gain even if your caloric intake is low, according to a 2006 study published in "Science Daily." Another study, published in the "Journal for Diabetes Care," found that eating four to five servings of monounsaturated fats daily will actually decrease fat in the abdominal region. When deciding which fats to eat, avoid saturated and trans fats found in processed and fried foods. Instead, choose polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, found in foods like avocados, nuts, seeds, olives, oils, and dark chocolate.
References
- American Heart Association: Sugars and Carbohydrates; May 12, 2010
- Department of Health and Human Services: A Healthier You
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Climate Change and Public Health
- "Science Daily": Trans Fat Leads To Weight Gain Even On Same Total Calories, Animal Study Shows; June 19, 2006
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