By Ms. Preety Tyagi
Nutritionist and founder of MY22BMI
Limiting certain food items from your pantry might help you stay on track with your weight loss goals and improve your overall health. Here are six food items to look out for.
10 Foods To Remove From Your Pantry
1. Added Sugar
Products with large amounts of added sugar should be avoided when trying to achieve a healthier lifestyle and weight loss.
Added sugar has low nutritional value and offers calories that you don’t necessarily need. Eating too much can lead to health conditions such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.
Review the nutrition facts and ingredients of all your food items — it may surprise you how many of them have added sugar. Added sugar comes in many different forms and may be disguised through names such as granulated sugar, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, and molasses.
As a rule of thumb, any ingredient with the ending “-ose” may be a source of added sugar. Always make sure that sugar isn’t the first ingredient listed when purchasing a product.
2. White Flour
White flour is flour that has been bleached and processed, reducing fiber and nutritional value. This may leave you feeling bloated and constipated.
Review all of your carbs foods, such as bread, pasta, bagels, pretzels and see if they are primarily made with white flour.
Aim to choose the whole grain versions, which are higher in fiber and nutrients, and known to reduce the risk of certain diseases. Whole grain products can help prevent you from overeating by keeping you fuller longer.
3. Factory made chips, nachos etc…
It’s better to source your snacks from a home chef or a baker or to cook your own snacks. It’s always convenient to open a bag of chips and eat the chips straight away, but this practice can be highly damaging to your health in the long run.
4. Processed and Prepackaged Food
Avoid eating too many processed foods altogether such as chips, cookies, and lunch meat.
Processed foods are usually high in sodium, which can cause your body to hold more water and raise blood pressure. This might make you feel bloated and mask weight-loss progress.
Choose low-sodium options, or replace these foods with fresh food that you can prepare yourself.
5. Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
You don’t need partially hydrogenated vegetable oil because according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the trans fat found in this oil can increase your chances of heart disease.
This type of oil is typically found in margarine and baked goods.
Choose products that contain healthier alternatives such as olive, sesame, or grape seed oil.
Health advantages of these oils:
· Olive Oil contains nutrients that are anti-inflammatory and lowers the risk of a stroke.
· Sesame Oil is a great source of Vitamin E and might be able to help reduce blood pressure.
· Grape seed Oil contains Vitamin E, anti-inflammatory nutrients, and is a rich source of Omega-6 fatty acids, which promote heart health.
6. Artificial Flavor Enhanced Foods
Choose wisely when it comes to food with artificial flavors because they might not be the best option. Why not go for the “real” thing? It will provide you with more nutrients!
For example, instead of eating processed blueberry muffins, eat a cup of blueberries. Blueberries have a lot of vitamin C and potassium that are beneficial for your body!
Eat foods in their natural state since they can provide the proper vitamins and minerals your body needs to function properly and effectively.
7. Canned Foods and condiments which come with chemicals to enhance the color and taste.
It’s important to keep our diet completely chemical free in order to promote mental health and a healthy heart. Taste enhancers and artificial colors have a direct correlation with a person’s poor mental health.
8. Sugary drinks and instant pop corn
There is a reason why this snack is only constraint to movie watching in theaters. Don’t make it a regular in your kitchen. Reason being, high in bad carbs, and full of artificial flavors and chemically enhanced taste.
9. Instant Oats
Always opt for rolled out, old fashioned oats instead of Instant Oats. They may take longer to cook, but are far more nutritious, delicious and our slow burning for our metabolic rate.
10. Margarin, Salted Butter
Best is to opt for home made butter, or Salt free butter or ghee for fat requirements?
Remember, the more natural and as nature intended ingredients and snacks. Most often, a fruit is the best type of snack and is readily available.