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Eating for weight loss can feel like a minefield of decisions, especially when you’re not totally sure what foods can help you reach your goals and which are standing in your way. Although you can typically eat most of your favorite foods in moderation even as you work to cut down weight and create a calorie deficit, some ingredients can make it more difficult than others to create a healthy lifestyle if you’re consuming them regularly. When building your weekly meal plan for weight loss, this is the one ingredient you should be leaving out of your dinners because it provides minimal nutritional value and may actually cause further weight gain.
Carbohydrates are a necessary component of a well balanced diet, but the benefits all depend on the carbs you choose to include in your menu. While foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans are great sources of fiber and valuable carbs to include for weight loss, other refined carbs are much less nutritionally dense, providing empty calories and failing to keep you full. Verywell Fit explains, “The process of refinement removes much of the fiber and nutritional value and leaves you with sugary carbs and empty calories that can lead to weight gain. Because your body processes refined carbs so quickly, you're hungry again sooner, which means you're likely to eat more throughout the day.”
Opting for carbs that are lower in fiber may appeal more to your palate, but they are devoid of the nutrients necessary to help with weight loss, leaving you not as satiated as you would be after eating a complex carb. Healthline explains, “Blood sugar levels drop about an hour or two after eating a meal high in refined carbs. This promotes hunger and stimulates parts of the brain associated with reward and craving.These signals make you crave more food, and are known to cause overeating.” Naturally, overeating will make a calorie deficit more difficult to maintain, so choosing carbs that will satisfy your appetite will eliminate the issue while also reducing bloating in the belly.
Whole grain products are the best complex carbs to enjoy in your diet, so choosing a whole grain pasta, bread, or cracker in favor of a white flour option will provide you with more energy, keeping you full for longer and making weight loss easier. You can still enjoy a pasta dish for dinner, just make sure that you’re opting for a more mindful choice and pairing it with veggies to maximize the health benefits of your meal.
Filling your diet with an array of macronutrients is the best way to ensure weight loss without depriving yourself of your favorite foods. Opposing the false narrative that all carbohydrates cause weight gain, you can still consume a healthy serving of carbs each day without fear of packing on pounds. So long as you’re cognizant of choosing complex carbs, rather than the refined variation, you can still make progress towards your weight loss goals without sacrificing the best parts of your diet.
