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Weekends tend to be a time when people fall off their diets, but if you’re hoping to get a jump start on your New Year’s resolution to eat healthier, you should continue to follow the 80-20 rule which means eating *mostly* health 80% of the time. You might feel like having a cheat meal today, but when choosing your food options for the entire weekend, remember that certain foods will take you farther than others. Simple carbohydrates like white rice, and high-carb, high-fat snack foods like chips and dip, are some of those empty-calorie foods you should avoid–especially in the evening hours when you’re less likely to burn them off due to inactivity. This can lead to the dreaded abdominal fat that plagues so many of us in this country (and is linked to more serious health issues, such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes). Here’s what our leading health experts say about choosing your meals and snacks for this afternoon and evening:
White Rice
"It is best to avoid white rice after 4pm because the nature of this food can lead to abdominal fat," registered dietitian Trista Best of Balance One tells us.
Why did white rice top our list? The answer lies in the difference between simple and complex carbohydrates, she explains.
"White rice is a moderately processed version of brown rice. This process leads to white rice being considered a simple carbohydrate." Simple carbs are often considered "bad," she says, save for the ones found in milk and some fruits.
This form of carbohydrate is broken down quickly and used immediately by the body for energy. "Refined carbs can lead to abdominal fat and bloating as the body attempts to break them down and is met with rapid insulin spikes and inflammation," she warns.
But that's not all. "You are also likely to be less active after this time of day making it possible to retain these calories and store them as abdominal fat," she warns.
Bar Food
It’s time to unwind after a long week, and that may involve meeting friends at a bar or restaurant for a drink or appetizer. But these menus can include items that you don't get much nutritional benefit from, experts warn.
"Have you noticed that the items on a Happy Hour menu are oftentimes packed with carbs and fats?" Dr. Amy Lee, board certified doctor in internal medicine, medical nutrition and obesity medicine and partner of Nucific, points out. "That is probably why the price is ½ the cost of a regular entrée." So true!
And it's not just the nutritional content of these junky snack foods that is of concern to nutrition experts--its how you eat them, too.
"As much we like to just have one drink, it oftentimes lead to a couple and before you know it, you order something to eat such as that flat bread or chips and dips or perhaps, a basket of fries," Dr. Lee notes. "These types of food definitely don’t help with the waistline!"
