17 Diet Foods That Can Trigger Weight Gain
You only eat healthy food!
You only eat real, unprocessed food!
You cook almost all of your meals!
But you are wondering why you cannot lose weight! We hear your frustrations.
You eat healthily, and you seem to be doing everything right, but the weight is not going down. And you may even gain more weight.
If that’s the case, then the primary weight gain triggers that you should be concerned about are the diet foods you eat.
Here are seventeen foods that can potentially trigger weight gain:
#1 Fruit Juice
Juicing is a big trend. It is readily available at coffee shops, supermarkets, and everyone seems to be going on a juice cleanse diet.
But, is it healthy if you were to consume it every day? Let’s take a look at apple juice. It contains 165 calories and 39 grams of sugar per serving, which measures about 9 teaspoons of sugar.
Fruit juice has zero fiber and is loaded with sugar, which can trigger weight gain.
#2 Salad Dressings
Most people think that eating a large salad is eating healthy. They are right – a large bowl of greens is high in fiber and low in calories.
It is packed with minerals, vitamins and it is very satisfying, but what you choose as a dressing can be a problem. It can quickly transform a healthy salad into calorie overload.
Most salad dressings have more than seventy calories per serving and more than seven grams of fat. If you take more than one teaspoon, you are likely to trigger weight again.
#3 Avocados
Avocados are not only nutritious, but they are packed with healthy fats and soluble fiber. Avocado is a superfood that can be used in almost everything.
But did you know that avocado is one of the most fattening foods? Although it is considered good and healthy fat, if you overeat it, it can lead to some extra pounds.
One standard avocado has between 250 to 280 calories and 22 grams of fat.
You can avoid unnecessary weight gain by consuming small quantities.
#4 Coconut Milk
Nowadays, coconut milk is regarded as one of the superfoods. It is also dairy free, which means the fatty acids in it has health benefits.
It can improve heart health, maintain healthier skin and hair, and aid in weight loss. However, all these are possible only if you consume it in moderation.
Full fat coconut milk is very high in calories. A single cup of coconut milk has about 552 calories as well as 51 grams of saturated fats.
#5 Vegetable Chips
A serving of vegetable chips is not an ideal substitute for fresh, frozen, or even canned veggies. They will not contribute to your healthy daily intake.
A single serving of vegetables contains about 25 calories and lots of minerals and vitamins. But when vegetables are processed, most of the plant chemicals and nutrients are destroyed.
This results in a food that is high in sodium, fat, calories, and with minimal nutrients. This type of food can easily trigger weight gain.
#6 Energy Bars
Energy bars are used as a meal replacement and as a convenient snack. They are superb if you do long endurance training or workout.
But they are not ideal if you are doing a lot sitting and snacking. Many of these bars are granola mixtures, but what’s scary is what is holding the nuts, dried fruits, and seeds together.
What usually holds the ingredients together is sugar, oil, artificial flavors, and preservatives. All these components can bring about weight gain if they are consumed regularly.
#7 Frozen Yogurt
Yogurt is a good substitute for ice cream because it consists of probiotics which is excellent for your gut.
However, most of the healthy probiotic (gut bacteria) in frozen yogurt won’t survive long enough for you to enjoy the benefits because the freezing process used kills some of the healthy bacteria for the gut.
Also, frozen yogurt is made up of more sugar than regular ice cream. Therefore, half a cup contains about 17 grams of sugar. If consumed in excess, it can cause weight gain.
#8 Nut Butter
Nuts are incredibly dense in calories. Can eating nut butter make you fat? If you were to eat the entire jar, then definitely.
If you were to portion it out, then you wouldn’t gain weight. It adds a lot of health benefits to your diet when consumed in moderation.
You can stir nut butter into your oatmeal, spread it on whole wheat bread, or on a spoon right out of the jar. Just be mindful of the calorie content.
#9 Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is heart healthy since it contains polyphenol compounds referred to as flavonoids.
This type of chocolate helps lower the risk of strokes and heart attacks. Some of the components in chocolate help decrease bad cholesterol.
Dark chocolate is not a food to be consumed substantially, but it is healthy food to be enjoyed in moderation.
Remember, this food is calorie dense. So, eating too much of it will undoubtedly lead to weight gain.
#10 Cheese
Cheese is one of America’s most loved foods. You can add it to any meal. Not to mention that it contains all the nutritional values of milk products.
However, most cheese products are high in fat. Therefore, cheese can quickly spark gain weight. You should add it to your meal in moderation.
#11 Eggs
Eggs are among the healthiest foods you can consume. They are remarkably rich in high-quality proteins, healthy fats, as well as essential minerals and vitamins.
They also have a few distinctive qualities that make them exceptionally weight loss friendly. They have fewer calories and will keep you fuller for longer.
All that said, you still have to be conscious of how much you are eating. Just like avocado, they are full of healthy fats, but too much of it can still prompt weight gain.
#12 Olive Oil
Olive oil is viewed as being a healthy food. It is a better choice compared to the fat found in animal products. Is it health promoting?
According to research, two tablespoons can effectively lessen your chances of heart disease. Such quantities also help with weight loss.
However, consuming more than the recommended amounts would have a negative impact on your weight.
#13 Smoothies
Smoothies have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities. However, they are hyper-concentrated fruit sugar sources.
Smoothies are nutritious, delicious, and a great source of calories. The bad news about smoothies is that it’s possible to provoke weight gain.
A smoothie may contain about 420 calories and 54 grams of sugar. So, if you consume smoothies, try to add more vegetables than fruit.
#14 Coffee
The caffeine in coffee suppresses your appetite and helps increase your metabolism rate. Coffee stimulates how quickly you burn calories.
However, the moment you start adding fatty products, whipped cream, and flavored syrups, you will be killing the protective qualities of coffee.
The added sweeteners introduce lots of calories to your beverage so be mindful of what you add.
#15 Prunes
Prunes are known to have a high content of dietary fibers. The health benefits of these fruits include a rich supply of potassium and vitamin C.
Prunes can be a regular addition to a weight loss diet, and you can consume them at any time of the day. These fruits are a great source of plant chemicals for preventing diseases.
However, a cup of prunes contains 65 grams of sugar, so you need to maintain moderate portions.
#16 Red Wine
A glass of red wine a day will help with weight loss. Moderate red wine intake is associated with a lower risk of heart disease as well as obesity.
But saving it up and drinking a week’s supply at once doesn’t do you any good. Just two glasses of red wine is equivalent to eating a cheeseburger so you can do the math in your head.
#17 Strawberries
Although strawberries can be consumed out of season, they could very well be the most enjoyable in the season.
Strawberries can help prevent strokes and heart disease, lower blood cholesterol, and to avoid night sweats.
The major flaw of conventional strawberries is the pesticides that cover them. The presence of pesticides makes weight loss difficult. It would be a better option to eat these in their organic form.