5 foods you think are low-carb but can actually make you gain weight

When it comes to altering your diet to lose weight, cutting down on carbohydrates is the go-to approach for most people. Blame it on the hype around carbohydrates being energy powerhouses and raising your blood-sugar levels or simply on the fact that any unused energy from them is going to get stored as fat in the body.

The result? High-protein-and-fat diets and low-carb diets ruling the charts. Now, cutting down on carbohydrates can definitely work to your advantage. But you’ve got to understand the fact that eliminating this food group and refraining from complex carbs such as whole grains has a terrible downside.

Not only can it leave you fatigued and irritable, it can even slow down your metabolism in the long run and give you constipation due to lack of fibre from whole grains.

Also read: Here’s the whole truth about low-fat foods, so ditch that zero-fat salad dressing now

Not to mention, relying on certain low-carb foods is not always a good idea because some of them can actually make you gain weight. Here are 5 foods you must stay clear of:

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1. Coconut oil
Virgin, extra virgin, super-duper virgin—whatever quality of coconut oil you might be consuming after getting convinced by fitness influencers, can contribute to your weight gain.

Shocked? Well, it may be touted as a weight-loss elixir due to its appetite-curbing properties, but a tablespoon of this oil contains around 120 calories. Now, if you consume it with all three of your meals, it simply amounts to almost 360 extra cals.

2. Fancy salads
A bowl of salad does no harm, right? Well, what if that bowl of healthy, fibre-packed veggies is topped with not-so-healthy dressings like mayonnaise, honey-mustard, and Thousand Island, to name a few? The entire purpose of eating a salad is ruined and how!

You might not realise it but even though these dressings come with the promise of being low-calorie/fat-free, they contain a host of harmful ingredients such as sodium and preservatives that can make you gain water weight or simply slow down your metabolism if consumed in abundance over a long period of time.

3. Bulletproof coffee
Coffee powder, unsalted butter, and a medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil blended together make for a perfect cup of bulletproof coffee that has taken the fitness industry by storm.

The keto-friendly coffee has been proven to curb appetite and make you feel more energetic. But, did you know that MCT oils are a type of refined oil and can very much trigger obesity, immune dysfunction, heart problems, and even cancer?

Not to mention, the butter used isn’t any less of an evil as it can raise your cholesterol levels, give you blood-pressure problems, and increase the fat percentage in the body, contributing further to your weight gain.

That’s not it. Drinking this coffee can suppress your appetite and you might be able to skip your meals because of it. This can surely help you maintain your calorie deficit for weight loss. However, in the long run skipping meals can slow down your metabolism and make you gain weight.

4. Processed chicken and meat
Surely eating chicken breast and lean meat can give you a full-fledged dose of protein, which can boost your metabolism, help build muscle mass, keep you satiated, and ultimately help you with weight loss.

However, if your chicken and meat is the processed, packaged kind that is readily available in the market–then beware!

According to several studies, including the one published in the journal Cell Metabolism, consuming processed foods can lead to weight gain. Since these meats are high in salt, fats, preservatives, and certain sugars used during processing, they can make you crave for food and increase your overall caloric intake as a result.

5. Greek yogurt
Now Greek yogurt that is available in the market might claim to be nutritionally dense and great for your gut. However, the added artificial flavours and sugars can make them your weight-loss enemy. So, make sure you read the food label carefully before consuming them and obviously, don’t go overboard with its consumption.