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Creating healthy habits that you are able to stick to over time is the best way to reach your weight loss goals. And while the foods you choose to eat are the biggest determinants of how successful you will be in maintaining a calorie deficit, when you eat those foods is also important. A balanced and healthy diet can incorporate almost any of your favorite foods, so long as they’re consumed in moderation, but there are certain items that should be avoided earlier in the day if you want to see real results of your hard work. If you feel as though your weight loss has stalled and you aren’t sure of the root of the issue, according to a health expert, there’s one food group you should be avoiding entirely in the morning to net the best results.
Processed foods will realistically never be considered healthy, but it can be good for your mental health when consumed in moderation. However, relying on processed foods in the morning may actually be working against weight loss, even despite your other healthy habits. Nutritionist Lisa Richards explains, “Studies show what we feed our gut bacteria first in the day tends to be what we eat throughout the day. For instance, foods made from refined carbohydrates will feed the gut bacteria sugar and processed ingredients which may lead to excessive snacking and intake of foods that will cause a rapid glucose spike.”
While processed foods are inarguably delicious, eating them before noon makes it more difficult to maintain healthy eating throughout the rest of the day because this is what your body will crave. “It is best to avoid these types of foods before noon or you may set yourself up for eating foods rich in sugar and fat the rest of the day. These foods include pastries, chips, crackers, refined pastas, and baked goods,” says Richards. Remember, it’s perfectly acceptable to eat your favorite foods in moderation, but setting the tone of the day with items that are low in nutritional value makes it more difficult to eat healthy during the remaining hours.
Your body needs a range of different vitamins and nutrients to thrive throughout the day and encourage healthy weight loss, and frontloading with sugary, fat heavy foods will make it more difficult to reach your macronutrient needs. According to Healthline, “Refined carbs have been stripped of almost all fiber, vitamins and minerals. For this reason, they can be considered as “empty” calories. They are also digested quickly, and have a high glycemic index. This means that they lead to rapid spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels after meals. Eating foods high on the glycemic index has been linked to overeating and increased risk of many diseases.” If you do still wish to indulge in some of your less nutritional favorites, you can do so, but make sure you’re prioritizing healthy options in the morning to sustain your energy throughout the day.
A healthy diet that will lead to weight loss is a diet that you can maintain long term without feeling deprived. While cutting processed foods entirely from your diet will net faster results, they will likely not be sustainable if you remove all joy from your eating. When you construct a full day of eating for yourself, prioritize nutritionally dense foods in the morning that will fuel your day and keep the processed food to a minimum, starting after noon.
