Looking to lose a few pounds? Good for you! Analyzing your food intake is a great start. The formula for weight loss is simple: Eat fewer calories than you burn. Conversely, the formula for weight gain is eating more calories than you burn. With this mantra in mind, remember that some foods contribute more towards excessive calorie consumption than others, and should be avoided for weight loss.
Fried Foods
Some fried foods, like mozzarella sticks, are clearly guilty of tipping the scale. However, all foods submerged in oil for an extended period of time will be unhealthy. While fried zucchini, onions or mushrooms might sound innocuous due to their vegetable name, they are loaded with artery-clogging saturated fats and are high in calories. For weight loss, avoid foods cooked in oil. The better alternative is cooking vegetables in a layer of water to steam them. Oils and fats are not bad things (in actuality, they are essential to your diet), but they should be consumed in moderation. According to mypyramid.gov, the FDA suggests just 5 to 7 tablespoons of oils a day.
Processed Foods
Processed foods are stripped of essential nutrients and minerals, which means that eating them will make you hungrier for a longer time. Processed foods include white bread, donuts, cake, candy, and pasta made with bleached white flour. Replace these foods for whole wheat products. While carb-heavy foods, even whole wheat products, can contribute to weight gain, whole wheat foods rich in fiber help you feel fuller for a longer time. Though carbohydrates are an essential source of fuel for the body, limit starchy carbohydrates (like bread and pasta) if you do not exercise to promote weight loss.
Nutritionally Barren Foods
Your body will relay signs of hunger if nutrient deficiencies form. Hunger is the body's way of saying, "I need attention!" This could mean more fuel (carbohydrates), but it could also be a need for a particular nutrient. So long as the body does not get that nutrient, your body will want to eat until that need is met. Thus, avoid foods low in nutrients: they include potato chips, white bagels, muffins, crackers, and other foods high in carbs but low in fiber and minerals. Read the nutrition label to determine their fiber, iron and protein content. If these snacks do not contain adequate amounts of these nutrients (usually 10 to 20 percent of daily recommended intake), skip them. Many of these snack foods mentioned might be proclaimed as "low fat" or "low calorie," but that does not translate to satiating or nourishing your body. Eat nutrient-rich foods like fruits and vegetables to stay satiated and nourished. For more information on nutrient-barren foods and satiety, see Resources below.
Boredom Foods
Many people eat food in front of the TV, at the movies, while socializing--and the calories quickly pile on. "Boredom foods" are all those little snacks eaten throughout the day that go unnoticed by your brain, but are definitely noticed by your body. If you're sitting down to watch a TV show, plan ahead by grabbing a small bowl and filling it with food instead of eating straight out of the box. "Lifetime Physical Fitness and Wellness" found in one study that participants who received a larger bag of food for an afternoon snack ate more calories than those given a smaller bag of food.
If portion control is difficult, snack on foods with a negligible amount of calories like carrots or celery. When friends are visiting, arrange for healthy drinks and snacks like a fruit platter and club soda mixed with fruit juice. Either eliminating or substituting bad foods with healthy foods can keep "boredom food" consumption at bay.
Considerations
No single food should be avoided for weight gain. A cookie will cause weight gain if your overall diet is full of unhealthy foods. However, if your diet is rich in healthy foods, a small side order of fries once a month will not result in a five-pound weight gain overnight. Weight gain happens when you make habitually poor choices and, consequently, eat more calories than you burn. Be more mindful of overall diet than of particular foods for sustained, healthy weight loss.
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