The only food to avoid if you don’t want to gain weight

In the middle of the holiday season, many of us are stressed about putting on extra pounds. Let’s face it: with so many parties and mouth-watering treats (Christmas cookies and cocktails, anyone?), it’s hard not to indulge.

To manage your weight, it helps to know which foods to avoid, some being worse than others.

If you are watching your weight, stay away from this food

The worst foods for weight control are ultra-processed foods. Research suggests that the more ultra-processed foods in your diet, the harder it is to maintain a healthy weight, Elizabeth Ward, MS, RDN.

In the United States, 58% of our calories come from ultra-processed foods.

Ultra-processed foods make it easier to eat more calories. These types of foods are very low in fiber and protein, two nutrients that help you feel full longer, and they’re also high in added sugars, fats and starch, Ward says. Therefore, you may need to eat more ultra-processed foods to feel full, which makes it difficult to control your weight.

“If I had to choose the worst ultra-processed food, it would be any sugary soft drink,” Ward says. “There’s no point in drinking your calories, and they offer little or no redeeming nutritional value.”