What we all know by now about weight gain is that if someone consumes more calories than the body requires to perform daily activities and life-sustaining functions, the excess energy is stored as fat. Overeating and lack of exercise are two major reasons behind the excess calorie buildup. Hormonal imbalances such as hypothyroidism and PCOD also contribute to excess weight gain in different ways by slowing metabolism, increasing appetite, and also triggering insulin resistance. Most importantly, wrong food choices can cause obesity in several ways. In this article, we list out 5 wrong food choices that lead to weight gain.
1. Consuming Too Many Processed and Ultra-Processed Foods: Consuming more calories than your body needs leads to weight gain, and processed and ultra-processed foods are usually high in calories, sodium, unhealthy fats. Most fast food joints use highly inflammatory oils such as canola, blended seed oils that contribute to fat gain as well. A recent study done on mice, showed that just 2 tbps of canola oil per day can cause weight gain and memory loss! Also, convenient snacking options like chips, biscuits, cookies, etc., also have fat, sodium, sugar content, apart from the fact they have no nutritional value, making them a poor food choice if someone is trying to lose weight and get healthy in general. The empty calories from processed food lead to quick wight gain and that’s why it’s important to replace them with whole grains, fruits, veggies, etc. Also read: “10 Ultra-Processed Foods you Should Avoid Buying To Lose Weight.”
2. Eating Foods High in Sugar: Nowadays, it’s extremely difficult to find packaged food options without sugar in them. From bread, biscuit, muesli, to even sugar-free stuff, sugar is everywhere, just disguised under different names. Regular consumption of sugar, whether it’s white sugar or added sugar from cookies, biscuits, baked goodies, candies, chocolates, ice cream, cola, energy drinks, aerated beverages, also packaged fruit juices can contribute to weight gain due to their high sugar content. Insulin, which is blood sugar regulating hormone, also facilitates conversion and storage of excess calories into fat. Sugar-rich foods tend to elicit a sharp insulin response which would lead to weight gain over time. Cut down sugar, if possible, do try to eliminate added sugar completely from your diet.
3. Consuming Unhealthy Fats Such as Transfat: Consuming unhealthy fats, such as transfat, found in fried foods, fast food, baked cookies, contribute to weight gain and increase the risk of heart disease. Research done at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center found that transfat increases belly fat, by not just adding new fat around the abdomen, but also by mobilizing fat from other areas to the belly area! Also read: “15 Transfat Food Items you should Avoid to Lose Weight Effectively.”
4. Too Many Refined Carbs, Too Little Complex Carbs: Fad diets have villianized carbs, but not all carbs are bad, you just need to pick the right kind of carbs! It’s a fact that there are too many refined carbs in our diet. From white polished rice (stripped of its fiber and nutrients), to white bread (staple breakfast for so many households), to delicious naan, kulcha (made from maida), to sweets and desserts (many of them made using maida), to everyday snacks like biscuits, to instant noodles, pasta, breakfast cereals – all these convenient food options are majorly have refined carbs. There’s little space to accommodate complex carbs that we can get from whole grains, millets, legumes, fruits, vegetables, etc. So, do make that important swap from refined carbs to complex carbs.
5. Not Consuming Enough Protein and Fiber: Protein and fiber are two nutrients that boost weight loss a great deal. Protein keeps you fuller for longer periods of time, which in turn, curbs appetite and prevents overeating. Protein is also thermogenic in nature and requires more energy to be digested and broken down, it also boosts metabolism, so it can help you burn more calories throughout the day. Fiber, on the other hand, does not get digested by the digestive system. It passes through the gut intact and feeds the healthy gut bacteria, and helps in maintaining good gut health. These bacteria that constitute the gut microbiome influence metabolism, immunity, nutrition, weight, and any disruption to the gut ecosystem can affect all of them. From thyroid to estrogen, melatonin, and cortisol – gut microbiome has a huge impact on these hormones. But what is interesting is that a robust gut microbiome helps with weight loss by boosting metabolism, absorbing nutrients better, and encouraging fat metabolism. In addition, a healthy gut can help to regulate appetite and reduce cravings for unhealthy foods.
Summing up, by following a proper weight loss diet plan which would help you to make healthier food choices, giving importance to nutrient-dense foods, avoid sugar and unhealthy fat, and incorporating protein and fiber into your diet, would help you drop oodles of weight. You can find such diet plans on the Rati Beauty app, download the app for more details.
15 Transfat Food Items you should Avoid to Lose Weight Effectively
10 Ultra-Processed Foods you Should Avoid Buying To Lose Weight
