11 Foods To Swear Off in 2016

This year, commit to making yourself a healthier you. It's a lifestyle change you'll need to ease [...]

This year, commit to making yourself a healthier you. It's a lifestyle change you'll need to ease into and one way to do that is by cutting out foods that are bad for you. If you want to see results, try ditching the following foods.

1. Potato chips: This thin chip is packed with fat and calories. Plus, Pringles isn't joking around when they say, "Once you pop, you can't stop". Chips are really hard to portion control. Next time you need a crunch, make some Baked Sweet Potato Chips! They'll satisfy your craving without packing in calories.

2. Soda: It's time to say goodbye to soda pop. And that means diet soda too. It's a can of chemicals that is standing in your way of weight loss and can have a psychological impact. Learn more about how you can give up soda by clicking here.

3. White rice: White rice isn't just missing its color. It's missing antioxidants, fiber and nutrients, too. Your body absorbs white rice quickly, making your blood sugar and insulin spike, which can lead to extra fat storage.

4. Movie popcorn: Movie popcorn is pretty much absent of anything healthy. It's a large bucket of butter, oil pretending to be butter and a whole lot of trans fat. If you like popcorn for a snack, air pop your own and try and skip out on the salt and butter, opting for healthy toppings instead.

5. Sugary cereals: You may think your cereal is healthy by the photos and confusing words, but have you checked the labels? You may be surprised to see just how much sugar you're eating in the mornings! Instead, try one of these fast and healthy breakfast recipes.

sugary cereal
(Photo: Eat This)

6. Sprouts: You won't hear us typically saying no to eating your greens, but skip the sprouts. These little guys are notorious for causing food-borne illness (think salmonella, E. coli and listeria) because they grow in warm and moist conditions — which is also optimal for bacteria growth. Next time you want the crunch of a sprout in your meal, use cabbage or shredded carrots.

7. Canned soups: There's a good chance you have a lot of cans of soup stacked in your pantry because they were on sale for $1 a piece, but did you read the labels? Canned soup has enough sodium to make your blood pressure go through the roof. Plus, most canned soups are so processed that they have lost almost all of their health and nutrition benefits. If you want an easy and convenient meal, check these out instead.

campbells soup

8. Fruit juice: Why drink your calories? If you want the nutrients from an orange, eat an orange. Fruit juices have unnecessary additives that fruits do not. Drinking fruit juices also causes spikes in blood glucose, where eating the fruit itself does not. Next time you get a hankering, eat the fruit and just drink some water. Or consider dressing your water up by adding fruit to it!

9. Granola bars: Many granola bars are loaded with sugars and oils. Be careful about what you purchase. Try a Kind Bar or make your own. Alternatively, grab a whole fruit and a small handful of almonds for an on-the-go snack.

KIND snack
(Photo: KIND Snacks)

>> Read more: Which 'nutrition bars' are causing you to gain weight? Find out here.

10. Bagels: Bagels, while delicious, are not a good way to start the day. There are plenty of ways to make them skinnier, but in general, a bagel is only going to give you carbs and calories. Not to mention their high ranking on the glycemic index, which gives your body a bad spike in insulin and inflammation of the body.

11. White bread: Much like white rice, this bread is essentially stripped of all its nutrition, leaving you with a processed spice of something that will only cause weight gain. Instead, opt for whole-wheat bread. It'll give you more energy, keep you full longer and actually provide your body with some nutrition.

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