The figures are shocking:
- 2/3 Americans over age 20 are overweight
- Nearly 1/3 of Americans over age 20 are obese
- Worldwide obesity has nearly doubled since 1980.
Obesity is now classified as a disease by the American Medical Association (AMA).
Eric Schlosser in his book “Fast Food Nation” says that the annual health care costs in the United States from obesity is close to $240 billion.
We can’t afford to be overweight and obese. Let’s learn how to do something about this now! Start with learning which foods make us fat.
10 Foods Guaranteed to Make You Fat
1. Artificial Sweeteners:
Diet soda does have less calories and less sugar than regular soda. This doesn’t mean it’s healthy. A study found that people who drank two or more diet sodas a day had six times the waistline compared to those who skip the diet cola.
Research has also shown that NutraSweet, one of the most popular artificial sweeteners, leads to the same surge of insulin as white carbs (see No 7 food below) –- because of sweetness detectors in the small intestine.
2. White sugar is full of calories that sabotage healthy eating and prime your palate to crave sweets.
The world is filled with sugar addicts. When our blood sugars are high we are high. When our blood sugar is low, we feel totally run down and exhausted and want more sugar. Sugar has no vitamins or minerals, just lots of fat-building calories. Watch out for hidden sugars!
3. Cheese can be a fattening food.
It contains a large amount of fat and is hard to digest
. (a deadly combination)
Poor digestion causes weight gain! Fat has nine calories per gram, protein and carbohydrates have only four.
The most fattening food in the world is considered to be cheese fries.
4. Gluten rich foods are fattening but so are most common gluten free packaged products.
Read the labels; they are full of starch and sugar. A study discovered that it was easy to eat too many slices of bread in one sitting.
All forms were found to be fattening. Every serving of fries eaten in a day was linked to weight gain of more than three pounds, while eating an extra serving of potato chips led to a gain of 1.69 pounds.
6. Alcohol blocks the body from burning fat.
Alcohol increases the release of the hormone cortisol that breaks down muscle and retains fat. The loss of muscle can slowdown metabolism making it easier to gain weight. Also, alcohol causes a drop in testosterone in men, a hormone which helps burn fat.
Fat metabolism can be reduced by as much as 73 percent after only two drinks of vodka and lemonade in a one hour time period. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition). Alcohol dehydrates the body which needs to be hydrated to build muscle and burn fat.
7. White Carbs (white rice, pasta, white bread, and starches) are fattening because they are high glycemic index foods.
8. Fats and Oils are fattening especially when they come as deep fried foods and baked goods.
Fats and oils also contain 120 calories per tablespoon. Even olive oil has lots of calories even though it has significant health benefits.
9. Processed Foods are loaded with calories and almost no nutrients!
Diet microwave meals and frozen meals are high in sodium and calorie-rich fat to preserve flavor. Eating them causes you to retain water in your arms and legs, leaving you puffy.
Research by the London University College team, suggests that a diet high in processed food increases the risk of depression.
10. Processed meats (lunch meats, bacon, sausage, hot dogs) are high in calories, fat and sodium.
Sixty eight percent of bacon’s calories come from fat, almost half is saturated fat and each ounce has 30 milligrams of cholesterol.
Too much salt in your body leads to water retention and bloating. NO amount of processed meat is considered safe to eat, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research.
We are the result of what we eat.
Let’s not short change our body with foods high in fat, sugar, and chemicals. If you are still eating many of the foods listed above, simply start decreasing the quantity until you are in control. (Every bit helps!)
How do you decrease the “bad” foods. It’s simple. Increase the GOOD ones!
Everyone already know the good foods: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and quality proteins. If you needed to choose the best food group, it would be vegetables.
