Top 5 Most Fattening Foods -- Is Your Favorite on the List?

You've probably heard it a thousand times. "You're eating that? That's fattening." Or you flip open the latest fitness magazine to see a list of foods you shouldn't eat. Ever.

Don't eat bananas. Bananas are fattening.

Don't eat carbs. Carbs are fattening.

Don't eat rice. Rice is fattening.

Potatoes? Potatoes are fattening.

Cheese, avocados, pasta, bread, almonds, corn...

And let's not forget junk food: cookies, chips, doughnuts, pizza and every last bit of sugar.

It's enough to make you go hide out in a cave to get away from all the conflicting dieting advice.

(Wait. No. There's a diet for 'cavepeople', too. So, you're not even safe in a cave.)

But I've got your back when it comes to fattening foods. Here is the definitive list of the top 5 most fattening foods, backed by all the science in the world:

Wait a second, wait a second. Hold on.

Where’d that list go, Suzanne? All I’m seeing are blank lines.

And that, my friends, is exactly the point.

No one particular food is fattening. Or let me flip that around: all foods are fattening. Even the healthiest foods.

We need to get out of the mindset that the problem is a particular food or food group. Food has developed a severe case of 'bad rap.' Food has been demonized to hell and back.

The problem is an energy imbalance on the positive side: taking in more calories than your body burns.

See: Calories In Vs. Calories Out

Eating one doughnut is not going to make you fat.

Eating one banana is not going to make you fat.

Eating one doughnut when you've already eaten more than your body can burn in a day will make you fat.

Eating one banana when you’ve already eaten more than your body can burn in a day will make you fat.

See? It’s not like healthy food magically makes the fat disappear.

A banana is a better choice over a doughnut because of the quality of the food. A banana is packed full of nutrients. A doughnut? Not so much.

It's Time to Stop Being Afraid of Food
But we need to stop being afraid of food. We need to stop avoiding foods that we like just because ‘they’ say it’s fattening.

What we need to do is be aware of the amount of calories we eat in a day. We need to be aware of the quality of those calories. We need to be aware of these things so we can make informed choices about the foods we eat.

Fitness is a lifelong commitment, so you need to make choices you can live with the rest of your life.

The only times you should be cutting particular foods out of your diet is because your doctor told you to: for example, when you have food allergies, a disease where certain foods will harm you or an eating disorder.

But to cut out nutrient-rich foods or foods that you love just because someone says it’s fattening? Nah.

It's Time to Make Informed Food Choices

• What you need to do is understand how many calories your body burns in a day.
• You need to know how many calories you eat in a day.
• You need to understand portions and serving sizes.
• You need to know how to exercise to burn away those extra calories.
• You need to know how to create a calorie deficit so you can lose fat.
• And you need to know what foods are nutritious.

Ready to know how many calories you eat in a day? Sign up for a free FitWatch calorie tracker account here: Free Calorie Tracker.

If you don't know how to count calories, I have a 28 Day Calorie Counting Boot Camp. You can receive daily emails that will show you exactly how to count calories: 28 Day Calorie Counting Boot Camp.

Can you do me a favor? The next time you hear somebody say, "That food is fattening," point them to this 'definitive' list of the top 5 most fattening foods. It's time to change the "that food is fattening" mindset!

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