1. Fried Chicken
Fried chicken is a popular meal often shared amongst families for a crunchy, salty treat. Some people like to pick up buckets of fried chicken on an evening they don't feel like cooking, and others take the time to coat and fry chicken for a meal at home. While it can be delicious, this popular dinner entree can really do some damage when eaten in excess.
"Fried or breaded meats are frequently cooked in omega-6-rich vegetable oils that contribute to inflammation when consumed in excessive amounts," notes Dr. Joy. And those oils, together with white-flour coatings, create a one-two punch: upping both calorie consumption and oxidative stress. Even when it looks like a high protein content, the nutritional quality is null and void due to trans fats produced in the deep-frying process. This combination, over time, promotes body fat storage and increases the risk for heart and metabolic problems."
2. Cheesy or Creamy Casseroles
There are still numerous households across the country that cook and eat casseroles for dinner, as they're convenient and offer some great comfort food flavors. Nutritionally, however, they're not all great, as they can often be loaded with fattening ingredients that will easily lead to both inflammation and weight gain.
"They're comfort food, but that generally means gobs of saturated fat, cream, and sodium," explains Dr. Joy. "They're also dairy-rich, so if you can't handle lactose or casein, it could lead to inflammation. The pairing of white carbs and extra calories from cream-based sauces can also lead to fat storage. Over time, this eating pattern can lead to chronic inflammation and a harder struggle in keeping the waistline."
3. Pizza With Processed Toppings
Pizza is one of the most famous foods to order for takeout and is used to quickly feed yourself or your family when you're in a rush or not in the mood to cook. While there are ways to modify pizza recipes and make them more nutritionally friendly, like using whole wheat or cauliflower rice and light cheese, if you're putting processed meat toppings on your pizza, it's not going to work out.
"Regular pizza has several inflammatory ingredients - refined flour in the dough, saturated fat in the cheese, and processed meats as featured toppings, [like] pepperoni or sausage," says. Dr. Joy. "These elements are loaded with high levels of sodium and preservatives, which cause water retention that leads to all forms of bloating, both in the short term and long term. Eating pizza often can also upset hormonal balance and raise inflammation levels in the body."
4. White Pasta Dishes
Pasta is another favorite dinner dish, as it's super customizable and often super filling. You can pack pasta dishes with all sorts of protein, vegetables, and sauces, but eating a lot of white, processed pasta in a week is a recipe for an upset stomach and difficulty losing weight.
"Processed carbs such as white pasta and rice are devoid of fiber and essential nutrients, leading to blood sugar spikes and insulin rushes," explains Dr. Joy. "This, over time, causes excess fat storage most commonly around the belly area, resulting in increasing weight gain. These foods also do not contain the anti-inflammatory antioxidants and fiber necessary to decrease inflammation. Regularly eating it can knock gut balance out of whack and induce the kind of inflammatory response that your body has a hard time burning fat properly through."