Hard to believe, but true: There are foods that stimulate the appetite even more instead of filling us up. Read here what you should avoid if you want to lose weight.
There are foods that you actually want to do something good for yourself and your figure.
At some point, however, the astonishment arises: Why am I not really full, constantly getting cravings and where do the extra pounds suddenly come from, even though I actually wanted to lose weight?
This is often due to treacherous weight loss traps. This refers to foods that do not fill you up, but rather encourage you to eat more than you actually need. Luckily, there are healthy alternatives.
Fruit juices – try unsweetened smoothies
Juice is a classic weight loss trap: Due to its high vitamin content, it is considered healthy.
However, very few people know that it also provides a lot of calories due to the high fructose content.
During production, most of the pulp is removed from the juice. The remaining fructose ensures that the appetite center in the brain remains active and has a negative effect on blood sugar levels. Juice doesn’t make you feel full, but rather can trigger cravings.
Smoothies are a good alternative to fruit juice, provided you don’t add any sweetness. Although smoothies have a similar amount of calories as fruit juice, they also fill you up thanks to their pulp and healthy fats from avocado, nuts or seeds, coconut oil or dairy products.
Light drinks – it’s better to drink infused water
Those who want to lose weight often rely on light drinks in order to save on the high calorie content (approx. 40 calories per 100 milliliters) of a normal soft drink. But experts are sure that the low-calorie lemonades are not good for a diet.
Light drinks are particularly tricky because the sweetener they contain tricks the brain into thinking it is getting sugar. Insulin levels rise, but the expected sugar doesn’t arrive.
The need for satiety remains unsatisfied and the next craving is not long in coming.
To avoid this, it’s better to treat yourself to a glass of real lemonade every now and then. The best thirst quencher is of course water – often “infused”, i.e. mixed with fruits or cucumber etc., or even unsweetened tea.
Coffee – if you want to lose weight, you should drink it black
Coffee is considered a real fat killer because the caffeine it contains revs up your metabolism and fat burning. That’s partly true. But: This only applies to black coffee. As soon as sugar, milk etc. are added, the weight loss effect is no longer effective.
If you want to reduce your body fat, it is best to drink coffee black. You should avoid thick milk foam, syrup, cocoa powder, etc. Cold coffee specialties in particular are real calorie bombs.
Muesli – it’s better to mix it yourself
Unfortunately, anyone who thinks that they are doing something good for themselves with muesli is usually wrong. Finished products from the supermarket contain a lot of sugar.
They also consist of short-chain carbohydrates, which cause fluctuations in blood sugar levels. For this reason, the feeling of fullness after breakfast doesn’t last long and you soon find yourself grabbing a snack.
Ideally, you should prepare your own muesli mixture – for example from whole grain cereal flakes, nuts, fresh fruit such as berries, yoghurt, milk or a plant-based drink. This way you can ensure that breakfast doesn’t start with a sugar bomb.
Muesli bars – nuts are a good alternative
The sugar trap also applies to muesli bars from the supermarket: despite the marketing promises that adorn the packaging, the bars are often high in sugar and contain a lot of calories for a comparatively small snack.
Instead, a handful of nuts or a piece of fruit are suitable as a snack – preferably in combination with cottage cheese or skyr or low-fat quark. Alternatively, you can easily bake your own muesli bars for a little hunger in between meals.
Glutamate – unfortunately found in many ready meals
Glutamate refers to the esters and salts of glutamic acid and is found in many dishes: whether in Asian snacks, in ready-made and frozen meals, but also in seasonings and salad dressings.
By the way, ready-made salads often contain a lot of fat in the form of dressings and cheese – as well as bacteria and germs. So if you think that a salad from the refrigerated shelf is the best way to support your weight loss goals, you could be wrong.
It’s worth looking for the E numbers E 620 to E 625 on packaging, as they indicate whether glutamate is present.
Nutritionists are of the opinion that glutamate is able to prevent the production of the satiety hormone leptin and thus override the hunger barrier in the brain.
Glutamate manipulates the brain and causes people to eat more than they need. That’s why many of us find it so difficult to stop after eating a handful of chips containing glutamate.
In addition to glutamate, preservatives, sugar, flavors and other flavor enhancers also negatively affect our feeling of satiety. The best way to avoid this is to prepare your own meals instead of using ready-made meals.