There are foods that make us feel full after just a small portion and foods we just can’t get enough of no matter how much we seem to eat. Nutritional qualities vary greatly across different foods and so do satiety levels. We might have become used to the ‘a calorie is a calorie’ mantra, yet it appears that there’s more to the story than first thought.
The fact that the healthiest foods are the ones that also generally provide the greatest level of satiety should be a good reason of excitement for those tackling the weight loss process with health aspects in mind. Because satiety is best provided by a mix of protein, fiber, water, turning to ‘real’ food instead of highly processed goodies is the best weight loss strategy one can adopt. Here are a list of food you should stay away from:
Pastries and baked goods Sweet, delicious and easy to grab, these products will spike your blood sugar and provide an impressive number of calories while providing little satiety or nutrients in return. The lack of fiber in combination with high amounts of sugar is the best recipe for energy spike followed closely by a crash shortly after, so keep pastries out of your daily menus.
Chewing gum Chewing gum might help keep your teeth clean, but it definitely doesn’t do your waistline any favors. The act of chewing stimulates saliva production, which signals the brain the fact that food is on its way, causing you to feel hungry by stimulating the production of gastric juices.
Frozen dinners Convenience is the greatest quality of frozen dinners, but a closer analysis reveals that it’s a rather inconvenient truth. Especially in the case of diet frozen dinners, the caloric intake is often too low to provide satiety. Furthermore, processing depletes a myriad of nutrients that would have helped nourishing our body.
French fries Being a fast food staple, it is abundantly clear that French fries are not exactly nutrition superstars. The frying process adds a lot of calories while depleting vitamins and other nutrients. Combined with ketchup, which abounds in high fructose corn syrup and makes you hungrier, these are the perfect recipe for diet disaster. Just like chips, it’s impossible to eat only one.
Some Chinese Take-out Although Chinese cuisine is generally healthy, not all foods are recommended if you are watching your calorie intake. Some foods have a high MSG content, a flavor enhancer that has increased hunger as a side effect, among others that should not be taken lightly.
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