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[F473]Foods For Weight Loss

by Michael Russell, Mic

So you decided that you want to lose weight, you already know that you need to cut down on your calories by doing exercise or lowering the amount of food you eat, but what you should know is that it's your diet that's going to decide if you're going to lose weight. There are certain types of foods that are filled with sugar and fat that have zero nutritional value and are just empty calories. Here are the foods you should always avoid if your goal is weight loss.

White bread - most people can't imagine eating their breakfast without their toast, their hamburgers without their buns or simply wrapping their chicken in a white bread pita. What they don't know is unlike whole grain breads; white breads have been stripped of their nutritional value. Not only that, but because of heavy processing, white bread is equivalent to table sugar: it has a very high glycemic index close to glucose.

Table sugar - not only the table sugar you use to sweeten your morning coffee, but all candy, chocolate, soda and other sweets included. Table sugar, which is actually a 50/50 mix of fructose and glucose, has zero nutritional value and just a bunch of empty calories which will increase your blood glucose levels and force the body to release large amounts of insulin. Not to mention all the damage it can cause to the body.

Fried foods - all fried are bad for weight loss. First of all, they're mostly fat because of all the oil, which is mostly saturated and trans fat and they're high in calories. Second, because of the extreme heat when frying, it destroys EFA's (essential fatty acids) which are fatty acids that the body can't produce on its own and actually help with weight loss.

Doughnuts and other pastries - Imagine a bagel made up of white flour, deep fried and added with sugary toppings; that's how bad doughnuts are. Doughnuts are very calorie dense, high in saturated/trans fats and have a lot of sugar in them which is the complete opposite of what you want in a food when your goal is weight loss.

Ice cream - much like doughnuts, these are also very bad for you, but they can actually be worse because of the fact that they're extremely calorie dense. One cup of regular vanilla ice, which is a small serving for most people, has over 360 calories and half of those calories come from fat that are mostly saturated. The more tasty ice cream flavors contain a lot more calories, so you won't realize it but the time you finish your "little" snack, you'd have consumed close to 1000 calories.

Bacon, sausage - even though people have made this a standard feature for their usual breakfast, they fail to realize is that almost all the calories in these types of foods come from fat.

You can still eat these foods from time to time as long as it is not a big part of your diet and that you watch your serving size. But for everyone who wants optimal results, it is always best not to include these types of foods.

1.Caffeine - this is not just applicable coffee or tea but also to anything that has caffeine in it like some sodas. Along the same lines, cut out any beverage that contains aspartame (Nutra Sweet), high fructose corn syrup, or refined sugar. Since you need to drink a lot of water in order to lose weight, try water with a slice of lemon or lime in it.

2. Alcohol is a no-no in any weight loss plan. It's alright to drink a glass of wine with dinner, but not the entire bottle. There's no quicker way to pack on the pounds than to drink excessive amounts of alcohol ? even the ones that claim they have fewer calories. Moderation is the key with alcoholic beverages!

3. Boxed Pre-Packaged Foods - as a general rule, stay away from a lot of these products. If you cannot recognizethe ingredients you should just avoid them. In other words, anything with a lot of chemicals on the ingredient list are not going to be good for your diet.

4.White rice, while very filling, contains starches that can inhibit your weight loss. Stick to brown rice instead . Pasta mixes are usually also not good because of the starches they contain. Stick to whole grain pastas instead. They taste just as good.

5. Breads - white breads should also be avoided. Whole grain breads provide you with the carbohydrates you need and are less processed than the white breads. Be sure the bread you choose is made with whole wheat flour instead of just wheat flour. Believe me, it makes a difference. If you love Mexican food, stick to whole wheat flour tortillas or corn tortillas when you choose your burritos, enchiladas, or soft tacos.

6. Canned and Jar Foods - anything that is canned or jarred needs to be free of excessive chemicals. If the label contains ingredients with more than four syllables or are hyphenated, it won't be good for your diet. Chicken broth can be very fatty, so stay away. So are many soup mixes. The good news is that there are plenty of light or low fat choices out there. These are the ones you should choose.

Commercially-made tomato sauces or tomato based sauces contain ridiculously huge amounts of sugar and salt. A better choice is to make these sauces yourself where you can control what goes into it. If it's been canned, it's been cooked thus it loses some of its most beneficial nutrients. They can also contain processed or refined sugars, so stick to fresh fruits and vegetables instead. If you have to have a little oil to cook your foods in, choose extra virgin olive oil over the vegetable or corn based oils.

7. Meats - choose only lean meats to get your protein intake. It is commonly known that you should try to stay away from red meats like beef. Choose fresh fish instead of canned ones and be sure it's of the lower fat variety. This includes salmon, tilapia, and cod. Don't bread your fish either, broil it or grill it to get rid of any residual fat that might remain. White meat chicken breasts are better than dark meat because the darker meat contains more fat. The same applies to turkey. Tuna is always a good choice ? even if it's canned. Just be sure to get the tuna canned in water ? not oil!

8. Dairy - skim milk should be your first choice over whole milk. However avoid drinking too much milk, because it naturally contains some fats that can turn into unnecessary fat on you! Cheese, is unfortunately is also a big no-no during dieting. You can, however, find low-fat or fat-free cheese in most grocery stores, so always pick these first. But use it sparingly! Eggs are all right on your diet, but you're better off to use only the whites . Egg substitutes are a great way to get your egg fix, so look for these in the store as well. Fat-free sour cream is alright in moderation, but try to substitute with plain yogurt instead.

Article Source : Weight Loss Diets

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Both Michael Russell & Noraini Maskuri are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Michael Russell has sinced written about articles on various topics from Celebrities, Dieting and Diabetes Treatment. Michael RussellYour Independent guide to . Michael Russell's top article generates over 2240000 views. to your Favourites.

Noraini Maskuri has sinced written about articles on various topics from Network Marketing, Recipes and Family Concerns. Noraini Maskuri is an advertising veteran and now runs online business and owns a site on weight loss. Get free special report on Weight Loss Without Dieting from : http://rapidweightloss.nmaskuri.com. Noraini Maskuri's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.