If you are on a diet, you are doing something healthy to lose weight and improve your health. Filling your plate with low calorie and nutritious foods will help you accomplish your goal more quickly than eating unhealthy junk foods. There are several foods to eliminate from your diet while trying to lose weight and improve your health.
French Fries
French fries are a staple at many fast food restaurants and are a popular food item around the world. Most French fries are deep-fried in saturated fat laden oil that decreases the nutrition of the potato and adds a large amount of fat, calories and salt to your diet. Eating a diet high in French fries, or other fried foods, can cause you gain weight and can also increase your risk of many different diseases and conditions, including heart attack. Ben Lerner, author of "Body by God: The Owner's Manual for Maximized Living," recommends gradually decreasing your intake of French fries because it is easier to succeed with your diet this way rather than eliminating them all at one time. Work on eliminating other fried foods, such as chicken nuggets, fried chicken and battered fish fillets, from your diet as well.
Frozen Dinners
While some frozen dinners are low in calories and fat, most of them are high in sodium, which can lead to bloating, heart disease and high blood pressure. Marissa Lippert notes in her book, "The Cheater's Diet: The Sneaky Secrets to Losing Up to 20 Pounds in 8 Weeks," that preparing your own meals using wholesome ingredients will satisfy your hunger and help you shed excess weight. Many frozen dinners are also very small, which may lead to overeating later because you did not eat enough to keep you full until your next meal. Replace frozen dinners with home cooked meals and you may notice a difference in just a few days.
Candy
Foods high in sugar, such as candy, are also high in fat and calories and low in nutrition. Limiting your intake of sugar is one way to help you shed extra pounds as well as improve the health of your entire body. Candy includes a great deal of calories for a small amount of food so if you choose a candy bar over something more nutritious, such as an apple, you are not satisfying your hunger. Choose honey-sweetened yogurt or fresh fruit to satisfy your desire for something sweet because they are more nutritious and will give lasting energy. Other sweets, such as cake, cookies, pie and soda should also be restricted from your diet.
Whole Milk
Whole milk is a notable source of calcium and protein, but is also packed with an unhealthy amount of saturated fat and calories. Saturated fat is unhealthy and can stand in the way of both your weight loss goals as well as your overall health. Replace whole milk with 1 percent milk or skim milk because they supply the same amount of protein and calcium for far less fat and calories. Other full-fat dairy products, such as cheese, ice cream and yogurt, should also be replaced with lower fat options to help keep your caloric intake and fat consumption low enough that you are able to lose weight.
References
- "Body by God: The Owner's Manual for Maximized Living"; Ben Lerner; 2007
- "The Cheater's Diet: The Sneaky Secrets to Losing Up to 20 Pounds in 8 Weeks"; Marissa Lippert; 2010
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