Hey everyone, Summer here. So it's January, which means a lot of us are thinking about getting back in shape. Maybe you indulged a little too much during the holidays. Maybe you've been putting off taking care of yourself. Maybe you just feel sluggish and want to feel better in your own body. Whatever your reason, if you're trying to get healthier, one of the biggest factors is what you eat. And today I'm not going to give you some complicated diet plan or tell you to count every calorie. Instead, I'm going to talk about the foods you should avoid—or at least seriously cut back on—if you want to get back in shape. Because here's the truth: you can't out-exercise a bad diet. You can work out every day, but if you're eating foods that sabotage your progress, you're not going to see the results you want. So let's talk about what to avoid and why. PART ONE: ULTRAPROCESSED FOODS - THE BIGGEST CULPRIT If I could only tell you to avoid one category of food, it would be this: ultraprocessed foods. What Are Ultraprocessed Foods? These are foods that have been heavily modified from their original state, packed with additives, preservatives, artificial colors, flavors, and ingredients you can't pronounce. They're typically high in calories, low in nutrients, and designed to be addictive. Examples include: Packaged snacks like chips, cookies, crackersFast food burgers, fries, chicken nuggetsFrozen meals and TV dinnersBreakfast cereals (most of them)Packaged baked goods like donuts, muffins, pastriesInstant noodles and ramenProcessed meats like hot dogs, deli meats, baconSugary drinks including soda, energy drinks, sweetened coffee drinksCandy, ice cream, and most packaged dessertsWhy They're So Bad Ultraprocessed foods are engineered to hit your bliss point—the perfect combination of salt, sugar, and fat that makes your brain light up and want more. Food companies literally design these products to be addictive. They're calorie-dense but nutrient-poor, which means you can eat a lot of calories without feeling full or getting any actual nutrition. Your body gets energy but not the vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein it needs. Research shows that people who eat a lot of ultraprocessed foods consume about 500 more calories per day than people who eat mostly whole foods—even when they're allowed to eat as much as they want. The processed foods just don't trigger the same fullness signals. Plus, these foods spike your blood sugar, which leads to crashes, cravings, and fat storage. They promote inflammation in your body, which is linked to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and basically every chronic health condition. The Rule of Thumb If it comes in a package with a long ingredient list full of things you don't recognize, it's probably ultraprocessed. If it could sit on a shelf for months without going bad, it's probably ultraprocessed. Swap these for whole foods—things that look like they came from nature. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, nuts, seeds. Foods that don't need ingredient lists because they ARE the ingredient. PART TWO: ADDED SUGARS - THE SNEAKY SABOTEUR The second category to avoid or drastically reduce: added sugars. Not All Sugars Are Equal To be clear, I'm not talking about the natural sugars in fruit or milk. Those come packaged with fiber, vitamins, and other nutrients that your body needs. I'm talking about added sugars—the stuff food manufacturers put into products to make them taste better. High fructose corn syrup, cane sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, maltose, and about 50 other names they use to hide sugar on ingredient lists. Where It's Hiding Added sugar is everywhere: Obviously in soda, candy, cookies, cake, ice creamBut also in bread, pasta sauce, salad dressing, ketchup, yogurt, granola bars, protein bars, nut butters, condiments, crackersMost people eat way more sugar than they realize because it's hidden in foods you wouldn't even think to check. Why It Matters Sugar causes your blood glucose to spike rapidly, which triggers insulin release. Your body stores that excess glucose as fat. Then your blood sugar crashes, you feel hungry and tired, and you crave more sugar. It's a vicious cycle. Over time, consistently high sugar intake leads to insulin resistance, which makes it harder for your body to burn fat and easier to gain weight. It also promotes inflammation, damages your gut health, and feeds bad bacteria in your digestive system. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 25 grams of added sugar per day for women and 36 grams for men. One can of soda has about 40 grams. One flavored yogurt can have 20-30 grams. It adds up fast. What to Do Start reading labels. Look for added sugars and try to minimize them. Choose unsweetened versions of foods when possible—unsweetened almond milk, plain yogurt you can flavor yourself, unflavored oatmeal. Your taste buds will adjust. After a few weeks without added sugar, fruit will taste sweeter, and overly sugary foods will actually taste too sweet. PART THREE: REFINED CARBS - THE ENERGY DRAINERS Third on the list: refined carbohydrates. What Are Refined Carbs? These are grains that have been processed to remove the fiber and nutrients, leaving just the starchy, quickly-digested part: White bread, white rice, white pastaMost crackers and pretzelsPastries, donuts, muffinsMany breakfast cerealsPizza dough (usually)Bagels, English muffinsWhy They're a Problem Refined carbs act a lot like sugar in your body. They digest quickly, spike your blood sugar, trigger insulin, and then leave you hungry again soon after eating. They lack fiber, which means they don't keep you full. You can eat a bagel and be hungry two hours later, but if you eat the same calories from oatmeal with nuts and berries, you'll stay satisfied for hours. Refined carbs also don't provide much nutrition. They're mostly empty calories that give you energy in the moment but don't support your body's needs. What to Choose Instead Switch to whole grain versions: Brown rice instead of white riceWhole wheat bread or sourdough instead of white breadWhole grain pasta instead of regular pastaOatmeal instead of sugary cerealQuinoa, farro, barley instead of refined grainsWhole grains contain fiber, B vitamins, minerals, and protein. They digest slower, keep you full longer, and provide steady energy instead of spikes and crashes. PART FOUR: LIQUID CALORIES - THE HIDDEN WEIGHT GAIN Fourth category: liquid calories. The Problem with Drinking Your Calories Your brain doesn't register liquid calories the same way it registers food. You can drink 500 calories and your body won't feel any fuller, so you'll eat the same amount of food on top of those liquid calories. This means liquid calories are basically bonus calories that don't satisfy hunger but absolutely contribute to weight gain. What to Avoid Soda (regular,...
