6 Foods That Will Wreck Your Metabolism

There is nothing worse than starting an exercise program to burn fat, making some good diet changes, but still not seeing the results you want to see. Has that ever been you? It can be really frustrating.

The reason this happens is, even though you think you’re consuming a healthy diet, there is often some hidden food in your diet that is ruining your weight loss efforts.

Here are the 6 metabolism death foods you need to switch out of your diet to take your metabolism and fat burning potential to the next level!

1. Fruit Juice

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Contrary to popular belief, fat isn’t the first thing that will make you fat — it’s consuming too much sugar. Drinking fruit juice and consuming too much sugar will absolutely wreck your metabolism!

Fruit juice including most apple, orange and grape juice is basically chemically laden sugar water! I know something like apple juice sounds healthy, but the process of turning an apple into juice is as follows.

First, they press the apple and remove all of the fiber, then they heat it up through pasteurization at 280 degrees, then it’s dried and turned into a concentrate, then finally, they add in sugar, food coloring and flavorings and that is the apple juice you buy today.

One eight-ounce glass of fruit juice contains 30 grams of sugar, while a soda contains 28 grams of sugar!

What to do instead: To replace fruit juice, I recommend making homemade lemonade, mixing real lemon juice, water and stevia. Kombucha is another great option as well as herbal tea mixed with raw honey.  Or, drinking coconut water, which is nature’s gatorade, is another great option!

2. Whole Grains

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Whole grains may be the No. 1 offender when it comes to ruining your metabolism and weight loss efforts. I know it may seem like “whole grains” like wheat bread are healthy, but most are far from helping your metabolism.

Three of the main compounds in grains hurt your metabolism include gluten, starch and phytic acid. Gluten causes inflammation, which is the root of all diseases — starch turns into sugar quickly and phytic acid binds to minerals, so you’re not getting most of the minerals and vitamins from whole grains that could have helped your metabolism.

Some of the biggest whole grain offenders include: bread, pasta, cereal, crackers, muffins, desserts, flours, chips and granola bars.

What to do instead: A better option for fat loss is replacing your daily intake of grains with fruits and vegetables or consuming up to one piece daily of a sprouted grain bread (like Ezekiel bread) or sourdough.  Also, the best flour replacement to use instead of wheat flour is coconut flour. Coconut flour is a dieter’s best friend because it’s high in fiber, which supports rapid fat loss and contains fats your body can burn as fuel.

3. Canola Oil

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Using the wrong type of oil can keep you from losing that last 10 pounds and put a halt to any results you might see. If you use canola oil or other vegetable oils, it’s sure to slow down your fat loss efforts and cause you to store unwanted body fat. Canola oil contains hydrogenated oils which cause inflammation throughout the entire body, disrupting your hormones and metabolism.

What to do instead: Replace all vegetables oils with coconut oil and grass-fed butter to boost your metabolism. I always say, butter is your belly’s best friend. Grass-fed butter supports your metabolism because it is high in CLA, and coconut oil supports fat loss because it’s high in MCFA’s. Consuming these two sources of fat will turn your body into a fat-burning furnace!

4. Peanut Butter

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Yes, peanut butter is tasty, but it can also kill your gut health. Peanuts are grown in the soil and stored moist in silos, which then cause them to grow a type of fungus called aflatoxins and can effect the health of your gut.

Peanuts are one of the most common allergens today and have been linked to food sensitivities, leaky gut syndrome and a slow metabolism. This aflatoxin in peanuts can actually compete with probiotics in your gut and thus damage digestive health.

Also, peanuts are very high in omega-6 fatty acids, which can cause serious inflammation in the body. For these many reasons, peanut butter is a metabolism death food!

What to do instead: If you want to start revving up your metabolism, then make a switch to almond butter. 

5. Granola 

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This “health food” has had a health halo around it for years, but it’s secretly been hiding as a wolf in sheep’s clothing that kills your metabolism.

Today’s granola has many issues because it’s made up of whole grains and sugar.  Now what’s most surprising about granola is that the honey in it is a major cause of weight gain. A study at Texas A&M University tested honey and found 76 percent of it contained no pollen whatsoever; in addition, it had been high-temperature pasteurized, so it’s no better than corn syrup!

The combination of gluten, phytic acid and processed honey is what makes this treat lethal to your metabolism and diet goals.

What to do instead: A great replacement to store-bought granola is to make homemade sprouted granola.  Simply soak almonds, pecans, cashews and chia seeds in water for eight hours, then set them out for a day on a paper towel. Then mix these ingredients with raw local honey, raisins, coconut flakes, cinnamon and sea salt.  Place them in a dehydrator or oven, and you have a great tasting metabolism-boosting snack.

6. Artificial Sweeteners

(AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Of all the metabolism death foods, artificial sweeteners including aspartame and sucralose are probably the most deceiving.

Aspartame and sucralose (Splenda) can stimulate your appetite and increase cravings for carbohydrates. The calorie “savings” from consuming foods sweetened with aspartame ends up not saving you anything due to the increase in appetite and, therefore, calorie consumption.

What to do instead: Switch out artificial sweeteners for stevia, an all-natural, no-calorie sweetener. Also, raw honey and dates are other great options.

Fitness Health 9:50 AM