This Is The One Bakery Item You Should Be Avoiding At All Costs If You Want To Lose Weight (It’s Not Donuts!)

Bagels

"Bagels are one of the worst bakery items to purchase due to their calorie density and the toppings that are typically eaten along with them," Richards explained. "Bagels are a dense bread, which are nearly 1,200 calories per pound making them a food that easily leads to weight gain." Say it ain't so!

The nutritional content poses some health concerns. "They are generally made with refined carbohydrates as well, which aid in weight gain through poor gut health and inflammation," she explains. "These carbs are processed quickly by the body causing a rapid glucose and insulin response. This leads to fatigue, irritability, and eventual overeating." Yikes!

Amy Adams, RDN, LDN, agrees that refined carbs can be detrimental to weight loss. "When you continuously experience these blood sugar spikes, your body works overtime to utilize that sugar. Eventually, if your body becomes overloaded with those sugars it cannot process, it will begin to store those sugars as body fat," she warns. For this reason, it's safe to say that avoiding these carbs as much as possible is important if you want to lose weight—and unfortunately, that also means avoiding bagels.

But that's not all; you typically don't eat bagels alone. The creamy, sugary, and highly processed toppings add a load of calories, too. "The cream cheese, sweeteners, nut butters and high fat meats used as toppings increase the calorie density of a bagel as well," Richard points out. Okay, we're rethinking that bagel sandwich we had planned for lunch...

Of course, moderation is always key. We're not saying you should never treat yourself to a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel every now and then. However, if you want to lead your healthiest life and lose weight, it's best to limit your bagel intake a bit.