Bathing suit season is fast-approaching, and you may be trying to remove excess pudge brought on by too many winter treats.

No surprise, processed foods can be particularly troublesome for your waistline, so heed these ten good reasons to stay away from processed foods if you want to squeeze into your summer shorts.

Top Reasons to Ditch Processed Foods to Reduce Weight

1. Processed foods don't lead to satiation and thus lead to overeating. Processing removes vital nutrients, like fiber, water, and phytonutrients, and thus reduce feelings of satiation from these denatured foods.

2. Processed foods artificially stimulate dopamine, which plays a role in addiction. With extra dopamine circulating, you feel good when you eat processed (junk) foods. Craving  the pleasurable feelings associated with processed foods creates genuine food addictions.

3. High fructose corn syrup linked to obesity. Regular sugar or glucose is broken down nicely in the digestive tract and used for energy by cells.  In contrast, high fructose corn syrup goes directly to the liver, triggers signals to store fat and slow down fat burning, and then leads to unhealthy  triglyceride levels and "bad" cholesterol build-up. 

4. Excitotoxins like MSG and aspartame linked to obesity. MSG is the chemical of choice for creating obese animal subjects in laboratory experiments. In fact, MSG stimulates the pancreas to triple its output of insulin, with ensuing huge drops in blood sugar creating lethargy and hunger, both of which lead to overeating.  Aspartame use, in addition to to being carcinogenic, is linked to greater weight gain than use of regular sugar. Studies have shown, for example, that for every diet soda ingested each day, the risk of being overweight goes up a whopping 41%.  Apparently trying to fool the body with fake sugars makes the body retaliate with bigger cravings for more calories!

5. Processed foods feed unfriendly bacteria, yeast, and fungi, which are linked to cravings and obesity. As bad bacteria, yeast, and fungi overtake friendly bacteria in the intestines, fierce cravings for carbohydrates and sugars kick in to feed the bad guys. Friendly bacteria, in contrast, thrive on whole foods with plenty of fiber. 

6. Processed foods are part of “eating on the run” and foul up appetite and digestion. Multitasking (eating while trying to do something else that requires concentration) causes people to lose touch with their natural appetite and sense of satiation. Eating fast food in a hurry while doing something else also sends the wrong signals to the digestive system, which needs rest to digest properly.

Ah, the old adage, "don't mess with Mother Nature" has never been more true.  ^..^

Co-op Products to Help Your Waist Line

• Fiber Fit - Fiber helps fill your belly and slow  digestion without adding extra calories.

• Soothing Greens - In addition to a big dose of fiber and protein for satiation, Soothing Greens provides powder-stable probiotics (friendly bacteria) to fight the bad guys (and their nasty sugar cravings).

• Constant Health - Constant Health also has a big dose of protein and fiber to satisfy your appetite for hours while providing dense nutrition to heal the gut.

• Cinnamon - Cinnamon slows digestion and thus insulin surges by the pancreas.

• Green Tea Extract - Green tea extract supports thermogenic activity in the body, which increases heat and speeds up metabolism. Green tea extract has shown to increase energy efficiency, exercise capacity, and fat-burning potential, all beyond the levels that would be explained by its low caffeine content!

• Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) - CLA has shown to support the development of lean muscle mass and loss of fat when combined with other weight loss efforts.

P.S. If you're looking for a more rigorous diet with a personal touch of support, send Teri a note requesting information on the Ideal Protein wellness program.