What foods are most fattening and should we eat less of them?

Being overweight is harmful to your health. Even though it is a fact that everyone knows, many people cannot avoid it for various reasons, for example bad eating habits, stress and sedentary lifestyle.

Various scientific studies have demonstrated what they are Lfoods that they make us fat. As you can easily deduce, many of them are “the usual suspects”: chips, fast food, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, candies and packaged biscuits.

The most appropriate way to consume this type of food is in moderation or avoid them altogether If what you want is to lose weight or not gain it. But there are also other foods that set off the alarm when we step on the scale.

That’s how it is though carbohydrates, proteins and fats They are fundamental nutrients for our body, eating any type of food that contains them in excessive quantities will make us gain a few pounds. And, in the specific case of saturated fats, their consumption is directly related to obesity since this type of fat is deposited in adipose tissue.

There is no magic: the most effective way to fight excess kilos is to have a balanced diet linked to a physical activity routine.

Saturated fats and added sugars

“Unless you need that fat right now, it will stay stored,” says dietitian Melanie Murphy Richter in an article on AARP, a site aimed at the interests and needs of people over 50. Although the expert recognizes the temptation of this type fat: “The problem is that fat is what gives food its flavor…”

What have food companies replaced fats with? With added sugar (high in calories, but low in nutrients). The problem is that, over time, the body converts excess sugar into fat which you cannot use to produce energy.

He excess packaged foods in their diet has led to the adult population of the United States currently consuming an average of 17 teaspoons of sugar per day, which is more than two to three times the 9 teaspoons per day for men and 6 teaspoons per day for women. advise the American Heart Association.

Added sugar is also an enemy of the heart. A study published in the scientific journal Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that people who consumed between 17 and 21 percent of their calories from added sugars also had a 38% more likely to die from cardiovascular diseasecompared to those who ate only 8%.

The foods that make you fattest the most

These are, according to l AARP and to the site Men’s health the main foods that we should avoid because they are the ones most likely to make us fat:

• Fast or junk food. Hamburgers, battered fried chicken, french fries and hot dogs are not healthy at all. Saturated fats, few nutrients and many kilos. If it is not possible to avoid them, it is recommended to consume them in moderation and exceptionally.

• Sausages. Difficult to avoid, they provide high amounts of saturated fat, calories, salt and dyes. It is recommended to consume them with great moderation and, above all, to do it as something exceptional.

• Sodas. One can of soda contains 10 teaspoons of sugar. And drinking a couple of glasses every day increases blood glucose levels and, therefore, the risk of suffering from diabetes and being overweight.

• Walnuts and hazelnuts. Two super foods rich in vitamins and nutrients. But they represent a problem if what we are looking for is not to gain weight… Walnuts provide 600 calories per 100 grams and hazelnuts 625 calories in the same dose. If you want to stay fit, we recommend consuming them during daily physical activity and always in moderation.

• Ice-cream. Difficult to avoid in summer, it is best to always eat them in moderation because they make you fat, a lot. Fact: Flavors that contain milk or chocolate can provide more than 400 calories per 100 grams.

• Alcoholic beverages. Nobody defends them… Because they are not healthy and moreover they make you fat. For every gram of alcohol we ingest we receive 7 calories (almost double those of sugar). They do not provide the body with nutrients, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins or fats. Furthermore, the next day drinking alcohol will make our body require sugars and carbohydrates, which will make us gain weight.

• Dressings and other sauces. Regardless of whether we eat varied and nutritious foods, mayonnaise, ketchup, golf sauce and other condiments are a fundamental mistake in our diet. They contain a lot of calories and are not even healthy. We even fool ourselves when we eat “healthy” salads with olive oil and dressings. Caesar dressing, for example, contains 80 calories in just one tablespoon.

• Pasta. It is impossible never to eat them if we are Latin, and even more so, of Italian origin. But you have to limit them in your diet. Any nutritionist will tell you that white pasta is “pure processed and refined carbohydrate”. Pasta contains high glycemic levels, helps you gain weight and, in excess, can contribute to the development of diabetes and coronary heart disease. Furthermore, as in every liturgy, who isn’t tempted to accompany pasta with crusty bread, a glass of wine and a touch of parmesan on top?