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Foods Not to Eat While on a Diet

May 25, 2011 | By Chris Blank
Foods Not to Eat While on a Diet
Photo Credit Unhealthy food image by Kondor83 from Fotolia.com

If you're trying to lose weight, fad diets that promise dramatic weight loss in exchange for cutting whole groups of foods can be tempting. However, restrictive diets are nearly impossible to maintain over the long term and often fall short of providing necessary nutrition. A healthy diet that includes a balance of fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, lean meats and a moderate amount of the right fats will help you maintain a smaller waistline. Nonetheless, there are foods that can sabotage your weight-loss efforts.

Excess Sugar

Even if you make an effort to limit your sugar intake, you may be consuming more sugar than you think. Many processed foods contain high levels of sugar for flavor and bulk and as a preservative. A 12-oz. can of pop contains a whopping 10 to 12 tsp. of sugar and 150 calories. Diet soft drinks don't contain sugar but may provoke sugar cravings. Many so-called low-fat foods replace fat with sugar, resulting in foods that have nearly as many calories as the regular dish.

Excess Sodium

If your shoes and rings are uncomfortably tight, if your ankles are swollen or if you feel generally bloated, water retention due to high sodium intake may be to blame. You may not add salt to your food at the table or even while you are preparing your meals, but canned foods, convenience foods and even your favorite takeout meal may contain high levels of sodium. Although water weight gain is often temporary, high sodium intake can lead to hypertension and other serious health problems.

Energy-dense Foods

Energy-dense foods pack a real calorie punch in proportion to their serving size. Even nutritious foods can be energy-dense. For example, 1 cup of raisins contains about 434 calories. However, 1 cup of grapes contains only about 104 calories. Reducing the energy density of the foods in your diet does not mean giving up your favorite dishes. Substituting non-fat milk and light cream cheese for whole milk and regular cheese can eliminate more than 200 calories from a 1-cup serving of macaroni and cheese.

Bad Fats

Monounsaturated fats assist in regulating insulin levels, while polyunsaturated fats help to maintain healthy blood pressure, according to MayoClinic.com. Saturated fats and trans fats, found in many processed foods including sugary snacks, may raise your LDL, or "bad," cholesterol levels in addition to packing on unwanted pounds. Trans fats, also known as partially hydrogenated unsaturated fats, result when food manufacturers add hydrogen to liquid fats to convert them to solids. Trans fats often result in more abdominal weight gain than consuming the same amount of calories from other sources, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center states.

References

Article reviewed by S.C. Ville Last updated on: May 25, 2011

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