The first step to losing weight is cutting out the junk from your diet, but did you know that there's a high chance your “healthy” food might be causing you to add more pounds instead of dropping them? Well, that's because some of the healthier foods you swap them for are shockingly high in fat and calories, and that's why serving size matters. In this article, we will reveal certain calorie-dense healthy foods that can potentially cause excessive weight gain.
What are calorie dense foods?
The term “calorie-dense foods” refers to foods that contain a significant amount of calories in proportion to their serving sizes. Among the three main sources of calories (fat, protein and carbohydrate), fats contain the most calories per gram, making fat-rich foods the most popular calorie-dense foods. Excessive intake of calorie-dense foods can quickly cause weight gain, therefore the intake should be kept under control by those who try to maintain a healthy weight.
Here are eight healthy foods that can cause excessive weight gain and what you can do to make sure you're eating as healthy as possible:
1. Salmon
While salmon is a very good source of protein, the calories in it aren't as light as you think. One portion of salmon consists of 26 gram of protein, omega-3 and only one gram of saturated fat. Salmon is a little higher in calories when compared to chicken breast, which is about 1/2 the caloric weight, but the nutritional advantage is better than calories and fat.
One fillet of salmon is about six ounces and could contain about 400 calories and 20 grams of fat. Keep your proportion in check or cook yours at home to prevent a high calorie dish whilst enjoying the health benefits.
2. Granola
Granola is one of the most valued healthy breakfast foods for many health-conscious people. While granola does contain nutritious ingredients such as oats, seeds, nuts and coconut, many are infused with copious amounts of sugar. To control your sugar intake, take granolas with no more than six grams of sugar per serving, or you can make your own granola at home by baking oats, nuts, coconut, dried fruits and coconut oil at a low temperature as a healthier sugar-controlled alternative to store-bought granola.
With 597 calories and 29 grams of fat per cup, one cup of homemade granola filled with calories can be served up as a full meal. However, it is one of the foods you should skip if you want to lose weight.
3. Trail mix, nuts and seeds
Trail mix, seeds and nuts are excellent snacks filled with omega-3 fatty acids, protein, vitamin E, fibre, but are also high in calories. It is okay to eat high-fat food, but it’s also advisable you know what serving size is best for you. Trail snacks have about 700 calories per cup, considering the large variety of ingredients which have great health benefits, it's easier to save calories by skipping the store-bought brands.
Nuts such as pecans are an essential source of protein, good heart fat and lots of vitamins and minerals. An ounce serving size of pecan seeds has 196 calories, however, trail mix, seeds and nuts are usually mindlessly snacked on. For a healthier diet, measure out a serving instead of consuming it directly from the container.
4. Olive oil
Despite the availability of health enriching components in olive oil, it is important to have the right amount of this oil to extract the health benefits and to maintain your weight naturally.
Olive oil is rich in good fats such as monounsaturated fatty acids and has a fat-dense structure. One milliliter of olive oil contains approximately eight grams of calories, which will increase the consumption of fat and calories, if not taken moderately.
The fat dense composition usually leads to the curbing of appetite and keeps you satisfied for a long time, but adding too much olive to your food and salads can increase your weight. Therefore, to maintain optimum weight, it is essential to check the amount you should consume daily.
5. Avocados
Avocados are an effective means of adding nutritious fat and fibre, as well as multiple minerals, including vitamin C, vitamin E and potassium to your diet. So it’s surprising to find one of the ultra-healthy fruits, here in the list of food that leads to weight gain. But despite their popularity as the best nutritional food, avocados are still one of the best weight gaining foods.
Avocados are naturally high in fat and calorically dense, that a single avocado can provide more than 350 calories. That means that the little guacamole bowl you love so much is more than a snack, the more you eat it the more it progresses to a whole meal.
6. Dark chocolate
Dark chocolate containing 70% or more of cocoa is very healthy mainly because of the high levels of antioxidants. The many benefits of consuming dark chocolate includes enhanced brain function and a decreased chance of heart failure.
Dark chocolate contains polyphenols that fight disease and has also been linked to weight loss. That's if you don't eat that much. An ounce of dark chocolate is saturated with 155 calories and nine grams.
No doubt we all love to snack on a good old rich dark chocolate bar and because this tasty treat is so delicious we get carried away and consume more than we should, now just because it’s dark doesn’t mean it’s low in calories. This treat is always packed with sugar and some bars can contain as much as 600 calories so eating too much dark chocolate may leave you constipated or feeling uneasy.
To enjoy this delicious treat whilst maintaining a healthy diet, it’s best to snack on dark chocolate that contains a high percentage of cacao, which means there is less sugar.
7. Fruit juice
Fruit juice is also considered a healthy option. However, most brands contain the same amount of sugar as soda - if not more. They lack fibre and other nutrients present in whole fruits as well and drinking unhealthy quantities of fruit juice, particularly for children, has been associated with an increased risk of obesity.
In order to promote health or to boost weight loss, many people use fresh juices made of fruit, vegetables or both. While not all juices are high in sugar and calories, most fruit juices are. Drinking fresh fruit juice frequently can lead to excessive calorie consumption, which can lead to weight gain.
Control your calorie intake with juices that usually contain non-starchy vegetables such as kale or low-sugar fruits such as lemon. Choose unsweetened, 100 percent fruit juice, and keep your portion up to 5 ounces per day if you want to have fruit juice on your diet.
8. Peanut butter
Peanut butter is one of the most classic weight gain high-calorie foods. It’s known to help build muscle, burn fat and even battle heart problems. But if you’re aiming for a healthier rich diet, you might as well avoid taking a spoonful directly out of the container.
Nevertheless, peanut butter can be healthy for you if taken in a moderate quantity. This is true because it is made with nutritious ingredients such as roasted and ground peanuts with a little salt and not the commercially made peanut butter which is infused with extra sugar, vegetable oil and too much salt, making it very unhealthy.
If you can reduce your consumption, it shouldn't be a challenge to have peanut butter in your diet. However, it might be necessary to stop if you struggle to control your portions.