Foods That Cause Weight Gain

What you eat has an impact on what you weigh. Certain foods will cause you to gain more weight. All foods if eaten in excess, even if considered healthy, will cause you to gain weight.

Sugar

Sugar is converted into fat; therefore, any food that contains too much sugar will cause you to gain weight. Sugar is a simple carbohydrate (even natural sugars exist in fruit) that raises blood sugar rapidly when it enters the bloodstream. This causes the hormone insulin to enter the blood and move the sugar into tissues to be used later. This stored sugar turns into fat if not burned off as fuel through physical activity.
Studies find men and women today are eating more processed and refined sugar than have previous generations, contributing to a surge in obesity. White and brown sugar and honey are all very high in calories and have little to no nutrients.

Soda

Drinking excessive amounts of soda can cause weight gain. Soda has at least nine teaspoons of sugar per 12 oz. can. If a person who drank three cans of soda a day stopped just that habit, they would lose two pounds a week. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Americans are eating about 154 pounds of sugar a year, which is about three pounds of weight gain a month. Drinking diet soda or using a sugar substitute may not be a good alternative. In a study done on calorie-free artificial sweeteners, it was found that the sweet taste caused people to eat more. People who drink diet soda can develop a metabolic syndrome that causes obesity.

Fatty Foods

Fatty foods also cause weight gain. The fat content of a food usually means high calories as well. But choosing a food that claims to be low in fat or fat-free can also have a high caloric count due to added sugars for taste.

Weight Gain Foods

Foods that generally cause weight gain: pizza, french fries, red meat, sausage, hamburgers, fried foods, soda, sweetened fruit juices, whole milk, ice cream, baked potatoes with a lot of toppings, butter, mayonnaise, hot dogs, salad dressing, pasta, bread, processed foods, nuts, white rice, donuts, cake, muffins, fast foods, granola bars, cookies, frozen pot pies, frozen waffles, whip cream, milk shakes, chocolate and candy.

Substitutes

Substituting other foods for these high calorie, high fat foods is a good idea. Drinking unsweetened or lightly sweetened green tea instead of soda and juice. At first, this may not seem like a good substitute, but as you get used to it, you will start to enjoy and crave the tea taste. Water and sparkling water are also a good substitute for soda and juice. When eating salads or baked potatoes, use the dressing sparingly or make your own from plain yogurt. Make your own homemade granola using almonds, walnuts and dried fruit. Sweet potatoes are a good substitute for baked potatoes or sweet potato fries, baked in the oven and much healthier.