What foods cause the fastest weight gain?

What foods cause the fastest weight gain? To help you along, here are some food (and food groups) that you should avoid to prevent unwanted weight and, particularly, fat gain.

Refined starchy food

Several usual suspects fall under this category, but arguably the most common are potatoes, white bread and pasta.

Boiled potatoes are generally acceptable, but its processed version in the form of french fries, hash browns and chips are definitely not. These are loaded with high calories and are often quickly over-consumed as fries, chips and mashed, thus leading to rapid weight gain.

White bread and pasta have little fibre in them, which means they get easily digested, causing a spike in our blood sugar levels. In response, our body will release a surge of insulin to counter the effect, and this causes you to feel hungry soon after. Very soon.

Sugar is not sweet

It may evoke all things sweet in the head, but sugar is everything bad for the body. Candies, cookies, ice cream and just about every sugary food are synonymous with weight gain and bad health. They affect the body the same way, just like refined starches.

Sugar-sweetened beverages, like that glass of your favourite soda, are disastrous for health! They contain calories, and consuming them on top of your daily solid food intake is a rapid weight and fat gain waiting to happen. We do need sugar for energy, but they often extracted from the food we eat. So added sugars are not necessary.

The tricky bit is sugar in artificial sweetener form can exist in diet food advertised as low-fat, low-calorie and fat-free food alternatives. So be mindful.

Processed meat

Processed meat like sausages and hot dogs are common culprits behind weight gain. They contain high amounts of saturated fat, which poses a health risk to your cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

Eating them in large amounts can lead to the development of belly fat in particular, and that's the last thing anyone wants. Additionally, you are putting your heart at risk. This is not only true for processed meat but for red meat in general as well.

The ideal first step towards weight loss is to consult a doctor or a nutrition specialist who would advise you better on what your body needs and doesn't need. In general, when it comes to prevention or gain, it is best to watch what you eat in terms of amount and the type of food.