13 Foods You Thought Were Weight-Loss Friendly, But Are Actually Making You Gain Weight
In a perfect world, the goal of food manufacturers is to support and perpetuate human health and longevity of life with quality food products. But we live in an imperfect world where food producers have one goal and one goal only: profit.
This dedication to the bottom line over our health and wellbeing often leads them to questionable behaviours such as lobbying governments and investing huge sums of money for the right to label their packaging in ways that mislead us into believing their products will help us lose weight, are heart healthy or contain high quality ingredients that in reality only appear in tiny, marginal amounts that provide little or no health benefit, or have been stripped of their nutritional value during the production process.
For decades, food manufacturers have been promising that certain food products will lead you to a slimmer waistline. Here are a few of the most notorious ones followed by a good reason or two why you’re better off leaving them on the supermarket shelves.
Without further ado, the 13 foods you thought were weight-loss friendly, but are really making you gain weight.
- Rice Cakes
Light, airy, fat free and low in calories, rice cakes are portrayed by manufacturers as the perfect diet food. They don’t make you feel full and bloated and appear on the surface of things to be the ideal alternative to bread. However, the truth about rice cakes is a bit different. They’re mostly refined carbohydrates and offer very little in the way of nutrition. The brown rice versions are a bit better, but not by much. Rice cakes come in on the glycemic index at a whopping 85 for 100g. And because they’re so light and crunchy most people feel free to fill themselves up on even larger portions. Like all refined carbs, rice cakes are simply better avoided if your goal is regulating blood sugar and accessing your fat stores for energy.
2. Granola
A tricky one indeed, granola is all over the glycemic index depending on what it’s actually made from. The healthiest versions contain rolled oats, seeds, assorted nuts and negligible amounts of honey. In the best case scenario, granola can be a nutritional powerhouse, providing high percentages of numerous vitamins and minerals. The problem is, if you’re buying commercial granola, it probably has added sugar, puffed grains, unhealthy oils and fats, sugary dried fruits and other hidden, high-glycemic ingredients that make it unsuitable for weight loss. Even in it’s best, homemade form made from whole ingredients and minimum added sugars, granola simply isn’t the best choice for weight-loss and low-glycemic living.
3. Skim Milk
The fat-is-evil frenzy of the 80s and 90s saw a boom in traditionally high-fat foods being sold in low-fat, so-called heart healthy and waistline friendly forms. And skim milk has become one of the stars of that show. Skim milk is whole milk that has been stripped of its fat. It’s true that skim milk contains far fewer calories than whole milk, while it remains a good source of calcium. However, by stripping skim milk of its fat, the omega 3 fatty acids linked to good heart health, reduced inflammation and higher satiety are also removed and replaced with added sugar. The lack of fat and the bump in sugar content results in much faster absorption than when you drink whole fat milk. That means the natural milk sugar, lactose, is very quickly converted into glucose, causing blood sugar spikes that ultimately lead to the accumulation of visceral fat. Moreover, the fat content in whole milk, whilst higher in calories, will fill you up faster causing you to consume less.
The topic of milk and dairy is a loaded one that deserves its own article, but for the purposes of this one, I recommend staying away from skim milk if your goal is losing weight.
4. Reduced Fat, Fat Free and Sugar Free Foods
The same goes for foods labelled Fat-Free, Reduced Fat and Sugar Free. These are nothing more than erroneous, misleading labels food manufactures slap on their packaging to encourage unwitting dieters to buy them. The irony is that these foods are usually worse for weight-loss, blood sugar regulation and overall health than their full-fat cousins. Foods that claim to have reduced fat are loaded with sugars to make them taste good. And foods labelled Sugar Free contain either sugar with unrecognisable pseudonyms that fool you into thinking they have no sugar, or with chemical sweeteners that do far more harm to your health than the sugar they’ve replaced. Moreover, many of the artificial sweeteners in sugar-free foods trigger an insulin response and regular use of them can alter the balance of our gut bacteria and can lead to the very thing we were trying to avoid by not eating sugar: insulin resistance.
5. Pita Bread
Many people trying to lose weight view flat breads like pita as a lighter and friendlier substitute for bread. In some cases this can be partially true. Flour tortillas, particularly the whole grain ones, do indeed have a low glycemic index and can be consumed in moderation by people trying lose weight. Pita bread, unfortunately, is not on that list. Pita comes in on the glycemic index ranging from 68 to 75, depending on the manufacturer. If they’re made from refined white flour, the fact is that they turn into glucose long before your body is able to use them as energy. The good news is that wholegrain pita bread is much better because it has a higher fibre content and metabolises much more slowly. Still, if you’re really trying to lose weight and access your fat stores for energy by keeping blood sugars down, don’t be fooled by the light, low-cal appearance of pita bread.
6. Gluten Free Foods
Many of my weight-loss clients ask me about gluten free products thinking that gluten is the reason they are experiencing weight gain. The truth is that you should avoid gluten if you have a gluten intolerance, celiac disease or other gluten associated medical problems. But if you’re just trying to lose weight, manage blood glucose levels, reverse insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, gluten-free foods are not going to help. Most gluten free products replace wheat flour with corn or other starchy flours that tend to have lower fibre content and are very high on the glycemic index. Gluten free bread for example ranges from 69 to 75 on the glycemic index, making it unsuitable for a low-glycemic diet.
7. Yogurt Drinks
This one makes me flat-out angry. Big food companies touting probiotic yogurt drinks sporting active, ultra-fit women on their packaging promise that millions or even billions of healthy bacteria will magically make your gut happy, slim your waistline and provide you with the new-found energy you’ve been seeking all your life. The truth is that these products are highly processed, pasteurized junk food loaded with sugars, chemicals and artificial flavorings disguised as the miracle answer to all your weight problems. Another example of how Big Food exerts its influence and misleads us into spending far too much money on food that doesn’t contain much food in it at all.
8. Multi-Grain Foods
Over the last thirty or forty years food manufacturers have managed to confuse consumers into believing that ‘multigrain’ is the same thing as ‘wholegrain’ or ‘wholewheat’. The fact of the matter is that multigrain says nothing about the quality of the grains contained within. The term ‘wholegrain’ or ‘wholewheat’ means the products are made from whole grains of wheat that still contain all three components of the grain — the germ, the brand and the endosperm. As a result of the flour being milled completely intact, wholewheat is very high in fibre, extremely nutritious and low-glycemic. Unlike refined white flour which is made only with the endosperm of the grain, wholewheat metabolises slowly and does not trigger dramatic spikes and dips in blood glucose. If you read the packaging on multigrain products, the most common ingredient topping the list is refined white flour. And while it may contain some grains of wholewheat or other cereals, they are often in minuscule quantities or they have also been refined and heavily processed. Moreover, many food manufacturers will add brown coloring to their multigrain products to make them look wholesome, healthy and authentic. If it says wholegrain, read the label carefully and avoid products heavy in white flour. Better yet, avoid wholegrain products completely.
9. Enhanced Water
This relatively new trend of adding aromas and artificial flavors to water and then sweetening it just enough to taste good but not enough to seem as sugary and naughty as soft drinks is the latest attempt by food manufacturers to trick us into thinking a product is healthy. The attractive, modern, packaging with floral patterns and an all-natural vibe reflect not reality but a calculated brand positioning. The truth is that these products contain added sugar or harmful artificial sweeteners that are no more healthy for you than cola, sweetened fruit drinks or other sugary beverages. There’s just no way around the fact that nothing replaces water as the only liquid you really need to drink, especially if you want to lose weight. If you want to flavor your water, add fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice, and whatever garden herbs you fancy. Mint, Melissa or Lavender are among nature’s finest flavor enhancers.
10. Baked Crisps and Chips
Another newish trend in the food business is taking chemically processed snacks like potato chips, crackers, tortilla chips and other salted junk made from refined heavily processed flours, baking them in an oven instead of frying them in a deep fryer and peddling them as ‘healthier’. But if you look on the ingredients list, they almost always contain an unhealthy hydrogenated oil, sugar in one of its many hidden forms, loads of salt and pretty much nothing that would actually benefit a person trying to lose weight, minimize blood sugar spikes and burn fat. Moreover, most of them are made from high glycemic ingredients to begin with and don’t need any more help in the way of being bad for your waistline.
11. Energy Bars
The truth about energy bars is that the only energy many of them provide is in the form of sugar. Energy bars often contain more sugar than cookies, cakes and other sweet snacks. The healthy looking packages with claims like High In Protein or Low Fat are designed to mislead you into thinking they will help you lose weight and get healthy. It’s true that some reputable brands make energy bars that are high in fibre and nutrients while coming in low on the glycemic index. When deciding which energy bar to buy, read the label carefully and avoid ones with fortified nutrients, chocolate coating and sweeteners. Better yet, eat some mixed seeds and nuts, an olive or two and a couple of florets of broccoli the next time you want some added energy.
12. Smoothies
This one is controversial. People love their smoothies and don’t want to hear that they may not be the best breakfast or snack choice if you’re trying to lose weight. The fact of the matter is that while fruit smoothies often contain real fruit, pulverising that fruit into a liquid purée all but strips it of its fibre content and turns what was once a relatively slow metabolising food item into something your body sends straight to the liver to be converted to glucose long before it has a chance to be used as energy. To make matters worse, most people put loads of sugar or honey into their smoothies because the fruit doesn’t provide enough sweetness, or they pour in some kind of liquid base that may contain hidden sugars, GMO or high glycemic ingredients. If you insist on your smoothie and just just can’t live without it, opt for one heavier in veggies, higher-fat ingredients like avocado, nuts or coconut oil and sweetened with a modest amount of lower glycemic fruits like berries or apples.
13. Fruit
Fruit is one of the most misunderstand food sources amongst people who want to lose weight. It’s easy to think that unlimited fruit-eating is okay, because fruit, like vegetables, is a product of nature and therefor can’t be bad. But fruit isn’t called nature’s candy for nothing. Fruit contains the natural monosaccharide fructose which can be tricky for those of us who have developed metabolic issues over the years. Although fructose raises blood sugar less rapidly than glucose, its relationship with the liver can pose problems. Unlike glucose which can be transported to your cells by way of insulin, fructose travels straight to your liver where it’s converted into glucose before your body can use it for energy. Eating too much fructose can indirectly result in insulin resistance, the accumulation of visceral fat and higher blood triglyceride levels. It’s true that fruits are loaded with vitamins and are a great source of fibre. Still, the unchecked consumption of fruit can negate many of those benefits. If you’re trying to lose weight, regulate blood sugar or reverse insulin resistance, it’s best to stay away from high glycemic fruits. Tropical varieties like pineapple, mango or bananas are fairly high on the glycemic index and should be eaten sparsely. Opt for berries, apples, grapefruit or cherries. Always in moderation. And never over do it.
There you have it. The 13 foods you thought we’re helping you lose weight but are actually making you put on more. If you can think of any I missed, I’d love to hear from you. Together we can eat to defeat obesity, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.
And if you like this article don’t hesitate to follow me on Medium. I’ll be posting more articles like this one sooner than later.
More about me
I’m Scott Cohen — I run a coaching business called Kitchen Therapy where I help my clients learn to live with type 2 diabetes, obesity and metabolic disorders by learning how to live without them. https://www.kitchen-therapy-coaching.com/about-me
If you like this article and want to know whenever I publish a new one, please follow me on Medium. I will truly appreciate it!
