We get fat from consuming more calories than we can burn up on any given day. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends an average 2,000-calorie diet for adults, adjustable up or down to accommodate individual metabolisms and activity levels. The foods that make us fat tend to have high proportions of protein, fat and sugar. Their accompanying high calories can overload your daily totals. Calories that you don't expend become fat stores, which you'll recognize as body fat.
Fast Foods
Fast-food menu items are among the most high-calorie foods. If you eat them often, you'll probably gain weight. The National Institutes of Health cite a 2005 study that revealed a 10-lb. weight gain in teenagers who ate fast food two times a week over those who didn't. That's no wonder, since a double hamburger -- 576 calories, large order of French fries -- 539 calories and a 16-oz. milk shake -- calories, total nearly a full day's calorie allowance. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Nutrient Database also lists submarine sandwiches, large tacos and biscuit breakfast sandwiches among fast foods with more than 500 calories per portion.
Snack Foods
High-protein snacks, such as trail mix, are designed as energy foods for vigorous activity. When eaten minus the physical exercise, the 707 calories in 1 cup of trail mix can quickly become body fat. Fried snack foods also carry high calories, especially when you routinely eat more than the suggested serving. According to the USDA, 1 oz. of potato chips adds 154 calories to your daily total; tortilla chips, 139 calories; and pretzels, 228 calories. If you usually eat more than 10 pieces of these snack foods, you might double or triple those numbers and add to your waistline.
Picnic Fare
Picnics and barbecues may seem like healthy meals, but many are not. The FDA considers foods over 300 calories high-cal, including 3 oz. pork spareribs -- 337 calories and 1 cup potato salad -- 358 calories. Moderate-calorie foods add up, such as hot dogs, 242 calories; baked beans, 283 calories; and coleslaw, 151 calories. Add to those foods snack chips and sweetened or alcoholic beverages, and you have the types of caloric meals that can make you fat.
Sweets
Sweets are major weight-gain culprits, according to the USDA, because many offer little nutritional value beyond calories from sugar. You eat them in addition to the meals most of your calories and essential nutrition come from. Starting with carbonated and alcoholic beverages, sweetened drinks such as a 12-oz. beer, 153 calories, and 12-oz carbonated cola, 137, add up quickly when you drink more than one serving. A chocolate candy bar, at 235 calories; piece of pecan pie, 460 calories; and 1/2 cup of vanilla ice cream, 184 calories, can exceed your calorie limits and end up as body fat.
References
- FDA: Food Labeling Guide: Appendix F: Calculate the Percent Daily Value for the Appropriate Nutrients
- NIH: Eating at Fast-food Restaurants More than Twice Per Week is Associated with More Weight Gain and Insulin Resistance in Otherwise Healthy Young Adults
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 22
- USDA: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010
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