Everyone always talks about ways to increase your metabolism. Consuming metabolism boosting foods such as green tea or spicy foods is a popular way to jumpstart your weight loss. But what are some of the foods that you should avoid when you are trying to lose weight?
These metabolism killing foods can actually slow down your digestive system, making it more difficult to lose weight and keep it off long term. In fact, you might even start to gain weight even though you are trying to cut calories or are religiously taking your weight loss supplements. Avoiding these 5 foods can be a simple way to keep your weight loss on track.
Metabolism Killing Food #1: Omega-6 Fatty Acids
While omega-3 fatty acids, those found in salmon, nuts, and eggs, can be very beneficial, omega-6 fatty acids can have the opposite effect. In the past, most people consumed a balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. However, with the uptick in processed foods came a decrease in omega-3 consumption. This imbalance can cause long term health problems.
Omega-6 fatty acids are most often found in fatty foods such as butter, sweets such as cookies, pork products such as bacon, and chicken thighs. These high calorie foods can cause weight gain on their own, but when coupled with the pro-inflammatory properties of omega-6s, they can lead to obesity and a slow metabolism.
Metabolism Killing Food #2: White Flour
Everyone knows that they should opt for whole wheat bread, but this can be difficult since white bread and white pasta are both so much more common than the whole wheat alternatives. Although it sometimes gets a bad rap, wheat is not an inherently unhealthy food, However, all of its best qualities are stripped from the final product during the process of creating white flour. In fact, all of the wheat grains’ naturally occurring fiber and antioxidants are removed during the bleaching process. While this improves the product’s taste and texture, it does not improve the flour’s health benefits.
Because all of the fiber is removed, white flour is much easier to digest than the whole wheat alternatives. This means that your body will quickly digest any foods that are made from white flour and quick digestion requires little metabolic energy. Whole wheat products, on the other hand, are high in fiber, making them difficult to digest quickly. This means that your body will have to increase metabolic activity in order to digest whole wheat foods. This increase can carry forward throughout the day, keeping your metabolism up for longer.
Metabolism Killing Food #3: Farmed Beef
When compared with grass fed beef, farmed beef is chocked full of antibiotics. These antibiotics can still be found in the meat after it is cooked and consumed. These antibiotics can affect your gut bacteria, limiting the diversity and making it more difficult to digest food efficiently. This can lead to weight gain. Over time, constant exposure to these antibiotics can cause a significant decrease in the good bacteria in your gut, making it easier for less beneficial types of gut bacteria to multiply. Choosing grass fed beef rather than farm raised can help you keep of weight and stay healthy for longer.
Metabolism Killing Food #4: Regular Produce
On a similar note, you should always opt for organic produce. Conventional produce is frequently covered in a type of fungicide that has been shown to cause weight gain in mice and hypothesized to cause weight gain in humans. In addition to the fungicides, conventional produce is laden with pesticides, making it easy for the fruit and vegetables to soak up bad bacteria. Buying organic and making sure to thoroughly wash all produce before you eat it can help to cut back on your fungicide and pesticide consumption.
Metabolism Killing Food #5: High Fructose Corn Syrup
High fructose corn syrup is most commonly found in soda, but it can also be found in other sweet, highly processed foods. These foods are high in fructose, a type of sugar, that is even more unhealthy than other natural sweeteners such as cane sugar or honey. The high amounts of sugar in these products can decrease your metabolic rate and increase your risk of developing metabolic syndrome, or heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
Avoiding these 5 food groups can help you live a long and happy life. To learn more ways to become the best version of yourself, browse our website to learn more about A New Me.
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