We all need nutrients from food to help our bodies function well. Hence, starving ourselves in a bid to lose weight does little good, especially for our health and wellbeing. Instead, they key is knowing what’s good to consume, and more importantly, what to avoid putting into our bodies. Here’s all you need to know.
Losing weight may seem like a struggle for many of us – there’s just so many temptations in the form of yummylicious foods all over the place! The bad news is, many of these foods only hamper your efforts to lose weight, whereby most of them aren’t even good for your health. Here, we list down a number of foods to exclude from your meal plan for quickier and more permanent results when you’re trying to shed those kilos.
French Fries
We get it – french fries are yummy, and they go well with cheeseburgers (we’ll get to that later). But it’s also chock-full of bad fats that not only seek permanent residence in your belly, hips and thighs, but they also tend to clog up your arteries and pave the way for heart diseases as well. And let’s face it, for most of us, there really is no such thing as a tiny serving of fries, for it’s the kind of food that you can continue eating until you feel uncomfortably full, but not for long. It lacks protien and fibre, meaning that as full as you feel after your fill, you’ll soon feel hungry again!
If you have weight loss on your mind, skip the fries and double up on healthy, vitamin-rich greens, we say!
Roadside Or Restaurant Burgers
Burgers per say aren’t necessarily unhealthy – it depends where they’re coming from, or more importantly, how they’re made. Burgers eaten at most restaurants, fast food establishments or bought from stalls, for intance, have a really high fat and calorie content, which does not help if you’re trying to lose weight. There actually have been studies in the past that suggest that people who ate fast-food burgers at least twice a week had a much higer risk of becoming obese compared to those who consumed them sparingly – five times or less in a year.
A home-made burger on the other hand, made from lean, ground beef can be quite a healthy meal if it is prepared without too much added fats or oils. In fact, a good homemade burger can be a good source of protein, iron, and some B vitamins. In any case, when trying to lose weight, it is best to avoid over-cunsumption of burgers, especially if you have to accompany it with a plate of french fries. More healthful alternatives can include grilled chicken, fish, or salads with grilled meat.
Cakes And Cookies
What we mean here is basically most baked goods including pastries. The culprits in most baked goods that hamper weight loss and increase the risk of obesity are fructose and trans fats, especially partially hydrogenated fats (PHOs). A study in 2015 managed to point out that people who ingested fructose experienced greater hunger and desire for food than those who ingested glucose, another type of sugar.
Sugar, whether we care to admit it or not, is addictive as well as uniquely fattening. In other words, it may take quite a bit of discipline to cut off baked goods from your diet and replace them with healthier options – such as fresh fruits. One thing’s for sure though, and that is omitting cakes, cookies and pastries from your diet will be of great help in helping you lose weight and in gaining better overall health.
White rice
This is bad news for most of us Malaysians, for it’s our staple food, but yes, rice is fattening despite the fact that it contains almost no fat. It does, unfortunately, fall into the category of foods with a high glycemic index, which means that it can cause a sugar spike in your blood after consumption, due to its high carbohydrate content. For Malaysians and most other Asians, this harsh reality could mean that a whole lot of us are in danger, and looking at the rising number of diseases among us, such as diabetes, heart diseases as well as obesity, what’s there not to believe? After all, we eat white rice at least twice a day, every day!
Back to our main topic of discussion – if weight loss is truly what you’re after, omiting white rice and replacing it with foods such as cauliflower rice (see recipe given), quinoa or brown rice will not just aid in your efforts, but it will also boost your health significantly, dramatically lowering your chances of obesity and other health issues!
Foods made from white flour
Foods such as white bread and most pastas that are made using refined wheat flour is typically high in calories and carbohydrates – two known enemies of weight loss. They are also lower in fiber, protein, and other nutrients compared to the healthier versions, which are whole grain breads and pastas. Similar to white rice consumption, loading up on white bread and pastas increase your carbohydrate intake, which in turn trains your body to use it as fuel instead of turning to body fat to burn. This makes it difficult to lose weight, no matter how much exercise you perform. Cutting off foods made from white, refined flour will help you train your body to tap into fat for fuel, and in the process, helps you lose weight more effectively.
EASY CAULIRICE RECIPE
Ingredients:
- 1 large head cauliflower, separated into 1-inch florets
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
Method:
- Trim the cauliflower florets, cutting away as much stem as possible.
- In 3 batches, break up the florets into a food processor and pulse until mixture resembles couscous.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. At the first wisp of smoke from the oil, add the onions, and stir to coat. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the onions are golden brown at the edges and have softened – this should take about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the cauliflower, and stir to combine. Add 1 teaspoon salt, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the cauliflower has softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Spoon the cauliflower into a large serving bowl, garnish with parsley, sprinkle with the lemon juice and season to taste with salt. Serve warm.
Dried or candied fruits
Fresh fruits contain fiber and beneficial nutrients and are generally low in calories. Dried fruits, however, can be more calorie dense. And as they contain much less water, dried fruits are a concentrated source of fructose. As a result, gram for gram, dried fruits contain more calories and sugar than fresh fruit.
While dried fruits still contain fiber and nutrients, making them a better sweet snack option than cookies or candies, if you’re serious about losing weight, limit your intake of these foods. Check too that you’re buying the kind that do not contain added sugars, for that’s the last thing you need! Did you know that many commercial dried fruits may contain as much sugar as a candy bar?
Alcoholic beverages
Alcoholic beverages are calorie dense and generally high in sugar, but they contain little or no protein and fiber. Here are more reasons why you should omit them from your diet if you’re trying to lose weight:
- a regular 12-ounce (oz) beer contains about 153 calories
- a light 12-oz beer contains approximately 103 calories
- a 5-oz glass of red wine contains close to 125 calories
- a 1.5-oz glass of an 80-proof distilled spirit contains an average of 97 calories
People who are trying to lose weight can still enjoy the occasional alcoholic beverage if they wish. However, it is best to drink alcohol in moderation.
Ice cream
Any way you look at it, ice cream does nothing for people who are trying to lose weight! It offers little else than a temporary sugar high, which is quite expected for the high-calorie dessert that it is! It also offers very little protein and no fiber. The thing about ice cream is, it’s really easy for those with a sweet tooth to exceed a reasonable portion size of half a cup, given it’s addictive sweet taste. Consider frozen fruit for an alternative cold and sweet treat. Or, blend Greek yogurt with fresh fruit and freeze the mixture into popsicle molds for a homemade frozen treat.
Sweets/candy bars
Candy bars are generally unhealthful due to their high calorie, sugar, and fat content.
However, a person trying to lose weight can still enjoy chocolate in moderation. It is usually best to choose one or two small pieces of dark chocolate with a minimum of 70 percent cocoa, whereby the darker the chocolate, the better it is for you. Dark chocolate typically contains less sugar than milk or white chocolate varieties, as well as other candy bars.
