Consuming a balanced diet rich in nutrients should always be a top priority, but it’s especially crucial if you’re trying to lose weight. And, with spring and bikini season just around the corner (check out the itty bitty black bikini Miley Cyrus just wore!), there are certain foods that you should be cutting out of your diet if you plan to shed a few pounds. Unfortunately, this includes a few delicious and tempting treats: French fries, sugary drinks, and frozen pizza.
To learn more about why women over 40 should think twice before having French fries, sugary drinks, and frozen pizza, we spoke to Catherine Gervacio, registered dietitian and nutrition writer for Living.Fit, Christine VanDoren, clinical nutritionist and certified personal trainer, Caleb Backe, certified personal trainer and health expert. We also reached out to registered dietitian-nutritionists Sara Chatfield and Susan Kelly, registered dietitian-nutritionist. They said foods like French fries, sugary drinks, and frozen pizza could lead to weight gain, inflammation, and belly fat if eaten often or in excess. Read on for all of her insight!
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French Fries
This won't come as a surprise to you, but it's worth repeating: fast-food French fries are no good for you. Not only is this fried, salty snack detrimental to weight loss goals, but fries can lead to numerous health concerns like heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. On a much smaller scale, the weight gain associated with French fries is partly due to the high fat and calorie content. They also offer virtually no nutritional value. Yikes!
"Not only are [French fries] high in fat—they are empty calorie foods, which means they don't contain substantial nutrients, they only give calories, which won't be helpful for weight management and health in general," Gervacio explains. French fries take little energy for your body to process. This means they can affect your metabolism. Say it ain't so!
But, that doesn't mean you have to cut out French fries (although that is recommended if you actually want to lose substantial weight!). Gervacio says you can instead cook up this starchy vegetable in healthier ways.
"Bake your own potatoes and make them crispy. Air fryers can also be considered to lessen fat intake. It may be even better than fast-food French fries," she suggests. Yum! While the homemade fries may not compete with McDonald's tasty side, they'll definitely be healthier for your body.
Sugary Drinks
As tasty as sugary drinks like soda and sweet iced tea may be, they wreak havoc on your overall health, ability to maintain a healthy weight, and your metabolism. The sugar in these beverages can disrupt the balance of your hormones, especially insulin. "When your hormones and natural energy are all over the place based on how much sugar you have had for the day, it is not likely that your metabolism will be constant," VanDoren notes. She recommends only providing your body with natural sugars in foods like fruit. That way your metabolism can stay strong. This, she says, can "prevent any slowing that can lead to weight gain that sugary sweet tea can also contribute to due to its higher calorie contents." And, sugary drinks are also extremely aging for the skin. Women over 40 who regularly consume sugary beverages like sweet iced tea struggle with more wrinkles, fine lines, and sagging skin. Sugar reacts poorly with collagen which causes a loss of elasticity in the skin.
Frozen Pizza
Lastly, frozen pizza is another big culprit when it comes to weight gain. And although it's tempting to just pop in a frozen pizza after the end of a rough day, this high-carb and high-fat food is definitely not something you should consume on the regular. It's loaded with fatty ingredients like processed dough, sauce, pepperoni, and cheese which all lead to weight gain.
"One of the biggest culprits of frozen foods that causes weight gain is frozen pizza," Backe notes. "Delicious, easy to cook, and with a very long shelf life, frozen pizzas seem to be the perfect dinner for when you can't be bothered cooking." However, he says to "not be fooled by the seemingly simple ingredients of pizza base, sauce, and cheese." The average total calories in a serving are a whopping 400 calories. This, Backe says, accounts for "close to half of your daily sodium and saturated fats recommended intakes."
Kelly agrees. She also warns against anything with frozen cheese, like macaroni and cheese, if you want to lose weight. "Skipping macaroni and cheese frozen items is advised as a single pack of this has more than 500 calories, 50 grams carbs, 24 grams fat, 7 grams sugar, and 1300 mg sodium," she says. But, there are still ways you can make your own pizza at home healthier. Opt for a cauliflower pizza crust and fresh ingredients. It makes a world of a difference!
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