Foods to Avoid if You Want to Lose Weight

Learn which three foods you must avoid

if you want to lose weight

The worst diet devastators are sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and white flour, and they should be avoided at all costs if you want to lose weight successfully.

• Sugar. Sugar can destroy your health. It is creating an obesity epidemic in our nation. And it’s at the root of numerous other debilitating health conditions. Sugar comes in many forms. I recommend you read all labels to make sure you and your loved ones are sugar free! You will be surprised at how much you consume! Watch for my upcoming "Martha's Minute" on the 49 reasons you should avoid sugar.
• High-fructose corn syrup. A Princeton University research team has demonstrated that all sweeteners are not equal when it comes to weight gain: Rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS )gained significantly more weight than those with access to table sugar, even when their overall caloric intake was the same. High-fructose corn syrup  is a chemically altered sugar manufactured from cornstarch, but because it goes through extensive chemical tweaking, it is far from natural and decidedly unsafe. More and more I see children who are reacting to this harmful substance. HFCS completely disrupts your body’s natural ability to tell when you’re satisfied and should stop eating, effectively increasing appetite and weight gain. Completely eliminating HFCS from your diet should be your goal, but be aware that can be a tall order. HFCS is added to hundreds of best-selling foods—again, check labels carefully to avoid foods that contain this harmful sweetener.
• White flour. White flour is another diet offender. It has no nutritional value and can cause blood sugar control problems. Fortunately, there are several healthy, tasty and readily available alternatives you can try, like oat flour, whole wheat flour (spelt is usually best), and rye flour. Some clients prefer to try a Gluten Free diet. A Gluten Free Diet is a diet that avoids gliadin, the protein offender in gluten. Gluten is found in all forms of wheat, common cereal grains and also in rye, oats and barley. Wheat also includes semolina, durum, spelt, triticale, and kamut. Being on a gluten free diet is not just the avoidance of bread and pasta. Gluten is found hidden in items such as cold cuts, prepared broths and soups, most processed foods, and even in pharmaceuticals and body products. Some items on labels that are questionable include “natural flavorings, flavor extracts, or spice extracts”, and need to be avoided because gluten may be used in processing them.

Many people with digestive issues, allergies, fatigue, ADD, autism, neurological disorders, and more are turning toward a gluten free diet with successful relief. Many times one may not even know they are reacting to gluten because there may be no discomfort, bloating, gas or constipation. If you are suffering from health issues, eating Gluten Free is not something you do for a couple of weeks and then go back to your old habits. Gluten can stay in the body for approximately 6-8 weeks and is cumulative. Even if you only have a bite or two here and there, it all adds up! It is very important for you to take ownership of your diet - phone calls, reading, attending events will all assist you in learning about a whole new lifestyle.


NOTE: I am not suggesting everyone has to go on a gluten free diet forever: Some people without health issues avoid gluten for 6-8 weeks and then find they are able to tolerate it again in moderation. Some people do it as sort of a cleanse to give there body a break for awhile and get energized and notice their digestive complaints disappearing. Depending on your situation, you will need to decide what type of diet modifications are best for you. Most people I have worked with seem to feel better when avoiding wheat - and many of them lose weight!