10 Foods That Lower Our Metabolism & Make Weight Loss Difficult!

If you are someone who has been trying to lose weight, then you would have done some research regarding it, right?

And you would have definitely heard or read that your metabolic rate closely depends on how much weight you can lose and how fast.

However, it is only recently that many of us laymen are becoming aware of the term "metabolism", as we are making more and more effort to gain insights about healthy and effective ways to lose weight.

May be a few years ago, the fad was to go on strict diets, almost to the point of starvation in order to lose weight quickly.

As the people who went on such kind of diets, hardly consumed food, they wouldn't have energy to indulge in exercising, so they would just lose a lot of muscle mass too along with weight, which is very unhealthy!

A number of people following such diets would be affected by ailments like nutritional deficiencies, lowered immunity, lowered metabolism, etc.

So, just starving yourself to lose weight, without exercising or following a healthy diet can only damage your system and be very ineffective in the long run.

Not consuming healthy food at regular intervals and not exercising could help you shed a few kilos quickly; however, the effect is usually temporary and it can also slow down your metabolism.

When your metabolism slows down, your body's capacity to burn fat reduces to a significant extent, thus even if you put in some effort later on, you may not be able to lose weight!

The key to a healthy weight loss regime is to consume healthy, low-calorie foods, which can boost your metabolic rate, combined with a good exercise regimen.

So, here is a list of foods that can slow down our metabolic rate and prevent weight loss. Take a look.

1. Soft Drinks

If you are someone who consumes soft drinks on a regular basis, including "diet" soft drinks, you could be lowering your metabolic rate, as the sugar and carbonated content in soft drinks can affect your metabolic rate and prevent it from helping you lose weight. Even "diet" soft drinks are equally harmful.

2. Frozen Foods

People who do not have time to buy fresh ingredients and cook may usually buy frozen vegetables, fruit and even frozen meals available today, to heat them up later and consume to save time. Frozen meals have a number of chemicals in them, which can also lower your metabolic rate drastically.

3. Alcohol

Consuming alcohol even occasionally can prove to be hazardous to health, both for the physiological as well as the psychological health, as it can cause organ damage and addiction. So, consuming alcohol on a regular basis can be even worse for your health. The toxins in it can slow down your metabolic rate too and prevent weight loss.

4. Low-protein Foods

Protein is one of the essential nutrients needed by your body, especially if you are trying to lose weight, as protein can boost your metabolism and tone your muscles. So, if you are not consuming enough of greens, milk, lean meat, eggs, etc., it could also slow your metabolism down.

5. Bland Foods

According to a number of research studies, adding spices like pepper, cloves, etc., to your diet can actually boost your metabolism naturally and speed up the weight loss process. So, people who prefer completely bland diets, without much spice can also experience a slowed down metabolic rate.

6. Wheat

Although wheat is considered to be healthier than white rice, consuming too much of wheat-based foods can also slow your metabolism down and prevent weight loss, as wheat contains gluten, which is one of the main components that is responsible for slowing down your metabolism and also a host of other ailments.

7. Sugary Foods

Consuming a lot of sweets, chocolates, milkshakes, etc., can also slow your metabolism down, as these foods contain a high amount of sugar in them. The high sugar content in your blood can also slow your metabolic rate and prevent weight loss, apart from causing other health complications.

8. White Rice

White rice is a staple food of many states in India and many of us consume it on a regular basis. However, it may not be a very healthy option because white rice contains refine starch, which can also slow your metabolic rate down and cause weight gain. Switching to brown rice is a healthier option.

9. Vegetable Oil

Most households here use vegetable oil to prepare foods on a daily basis, mostly refined vegetable oil. This type of oil contains certain fatty acids which are very unhealthy and can slow down your metabolism, apart from increasing your cholesterol levels.

10. Beef

Consuming beef on a regular basis, no matter how tasty it may be, is also harmful for your health and metabolism specifically because beef is very high in fat content and these fats can slow down your metabolic rate to a significant extent.