There’s a lot of food that you’re not allowed to eat when trying to lose weight. Telling you what you can’t eat won’t really help with making you lose weight. Completely dropping certain foods in your diet can cause you to break your diet or binge eat. It’s absolutely okay to treat yourself sometimes. Go eat that piece of cake or have that slice of pizza. A few extra calories to your regular and well balanced diet won’t cause you to gain a lot of weight. Though there are certain foods that you need to avoid as much as you can but not completely remove from your diet.
We know about greasy burgers and sugary ice cream, but what about the food that you always have in your pantry. Here are some snacks that you need to avoid during weight loss and why they could hinder your progress.
GRAPES
Grapes are healthy and great for the body, it’s not something that you should avoid completely, but limit the amount you intake. Grapes are incredibly delicious, but dangerously high in sugar. The sugar content of grapes can cause you to have sweet cravings and create an unhealthy cycle of craving unhealthy sweets while consuming grapes. You can counteract the cravings by cutting your grape intake in half and substituting it with protein. So, instead of eating a bowl of grapes, cut it in half and pair it with low calorie string cheese. The protein will help maintain your blood sugar levels.
WHITE RICE
There is something about white rice that makes it the perfect accompaniment to main dishes. White rice is a not the healthiest option. It has a less value of nutritional content than brown rice. White rice is a high source of sugar and is quickly digested by the body. This most likely will increase your sugar levels and make you crave more foods that are likely high in sugar, fat or salt. The spikes in your sugar level will also cause your energy levels to crash. Your body will start to crave more food due to the lack of energy. You can simply substitute white rice to brown rice. It has more nutrients and takes a lot longer to digest. This will help maintain your blood sugar and prevent excessive snacking.
DIET SODA
Diet soda nutritional labels usually indicate zero calories and zero caffeine, but this drinks substitute the flavor of the soda using artificial flavors and sweeteners. Diet sodas are said to actually increase the weight of the consumer that assist with weight loss. This is said to be caused by the either the artificial sweetener or the mentality of the consumer. Artificial sugar actually increases the need for the body to consume more sugary rich food. This starts the craving for junk food and sweets that are hard to control. The other reason may be due to the mentality that you can increase your intake due to the low calorie of the soda. Thinking that they can eat more because they chose the diet soda instead of the sugary filled one. Whatever reason your weight gain, avoid drinking diet sodas. Opt for a healthier choice, such as fresh fruit juices or good ol’ water.
SOME BREAKFAST CEREALS
Most breakfast cereals are lower in calorie and fat, than those designed for children. There is also breakfast cereal made for adults that are made with high sugar content. Sugar can provoke food craving and can cause multiple health risk. It can cause diabetes, obesity and heart problems. Eating these types of cereals will inhibit weight loss. When choosing cereals, pick ones that are high in fiber and protein. Look through the nutritional label and analyze the sugar content.
LOW CALORIE SNACKS
There are so many snacks in the market right now labelled “no sugar added”, “High in Fiber” and of course “Low Calorie”. Though you might think that eating these type of foods will do your body good, it won’t. Substituting regular full meals into small low calorie snacks will only leave the body craving for more. Low calorie snacks are often cut down on portion and nutrition to cut back calories. Prevent hunger pangs and excessive snacking by eating a full meal instead.
Losing weight is a hard struggle, it takes a lot of patience and discipline. Especially when it comes to food, processed and fatty foods that are highly accessible has made eating healthy a lot harder than it was before. These snacks should be avoided as much as possible for consistent weight loss. Don’t let these snack sabotages all your hard work.
