Certain foods support your efforts to lose weight better than others. But including some fun foods in moderation even while dieting can help you avoid feelings of deprivation. While you should not label foods as "good" or "bad," limit your intake of specific foods to maximize your weight-loss results and your health.
Soda
Called liquid candy by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, sugar-laden soda provides no nutrition and significant calories. One 8 oz. soft drink contains 130 calories and 8 tsp. of added sugar. The American Heart Association recommends that women take in just 6 tsp. of added sugar per day and men just 9 tsp. Cut out one soda a day for a year and potentially lose 10 lbs.
Commercially Fried and Baked Goods
Trans fats, a manmade fat that helps increase shelf life, are found in commercially fried foods and many processed baked goods. These fats raise your level of bad cholesterol while lowering the level of your good cholesterol. A study in the journal Obesity in 2007 showed that trans fat consumption can contribute to intra-abdominal obesity. Wake Forest University researchers fed a group of monkeys a low-calorie diet that included trans fats and found that they gained belly fat, while another group who did not take in trans fats did not. Read food labels and look for the words "partially hydrogenated" on the label, which indicates the presence of these fats.
Fatty Cuts of Meat
Protein is an essential macronutrient and can assist with weight control by making you feel full and supporting exercise-induced lean muscle mass. Not all sources of protein are created equal, however. For example, a 6-oz. serving of porterhouse steak contains 38g of protein but also 16g of saturated fat while the equivalent amount of salmon contains only 4g. Other fatty cuts of meat include ribs, brisket and prime rib. Overconsumption of saturated fat correlates with obesity and the development of cardiovascular disease. Other sources of saturated fat include poultry skin, full-fat dairy and palm oils.
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