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Super Foods, Weight Loss & Weight Gain

Super Foods Can Cause Super Weight Gain

Weight Loss & Dieting Tips to Assist the Dieter in Safe, Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss

Super foods. They are a bit like Santa these days - they're everywhere! And more often than not, they are accompanied by a super food health plan which includes daily recommendations of super foods that will empower the mind, the body and the spirit, with some super foods being more super than others. Oh my, I can feel my feet lifting off the ground for take-off!

Take this example: 2 cups of blueberries daily, 1 cup of cranberries daily, 1 cup of strawberries daily, 1 cup of purple grapes daily, 1 cup of raspberries daily, 1 serving of walnuts five times per week, 1/2 cup of 100% pomegranate juice daily, 2 cups of spinach daily, 1 serving of almonds five times per week, 1 orange daily.

Yes indeed - all of these super foods contain amazing healing and preventative powers. Some examples:

A tasty orange promotes eye and heart health and assists in boosting immunity.

Almonds assist with brain and eye health.

But there is something that often escapes the super food daily diet - calories. Calories are recognized by the body as energy; too many calories per day derived from any energy food source (including beverages) are stored in the fat cells, even extra calories from super foods. The great news is that super foods are in their natural state, therefore they tend to be naturally low in calories. However, consuming too many super foods can cause super weight gain. Remember those old fat cell storage bins..

Let's take a deeper look at the calorie content contained in the above super foods, and how incorporating the daily recommended amounts contained in many super food health plans can create weight gain.

Blueberries - 1 cup of fresh or frozen unsweetened blueberries contains about contains 90 calories.

Cranberries - 1 cup of unsweetened cranberry juice contains 116 calories.

Cranberries - 1/3 cup of dried, sweetened cranberries contains 123 calories.

Purple Grapes - 1 cup of purple grapes contains about 104 calories.

Strawberries - 1 cup of fresh, raw strawberries contains about 50 calories.

Raspberries - 1 cup of fresh or frozen, unsweetened raspberries contains about 64 calories.

English Walnuts - 1 ounce OR 14 halves of raw English Walnuts contains about 185 calories.

Almonds - 1 ounce OR 23 whole kernels of almonds contains 164 calories.

Pomegranate - 1 fresh pomegranate about 4" in diameter contains about 234 calories.

Pomegranate Juice - 1 cup of unsweetened pomegranate juice contains about 134 calories.

Spinach - 1 cup of fresh spinach contains about 7 calories, 2 cups contain about 14 calories.

Oranges - 1 raw Florida Orange contains about 65 calories.

Next, let's calculate the calories contained in the 'daily must-have's for optimum health' commonly recommended by many super food health plans:

Blueberries - 1 cup for 90 calories; Cranberries - 1 cup of unsweetened juice for 116 calories; Purple Grapes - 1 cup for 104 calories; Strawberries - 1 cup for 50 calories; Raspberries - 1 cup for 64 calories; English Walnuts - 1 ounce for 185 calories; Almonds - 1 ounce for 164 calories; Pomegranate Juice - 1 cup of unsweetened juice for about 134 calories; Spinach - 2 cups for about 14 calories; and Orange - 1 for about 64 calories.

TOTAL CALORIES = 985

A weight loss plan is generally comprised of 1,500 calories or less per day. Although the super food list contains ample fruit, it is lacking in meeting the body's daily nutrient requirement for proteins, dairy, grain and vegetable consumption.

Let's take a look at daily nutritional needs based on weight and the required daily servings.

Super Food Summary & Recommendations

The super foods mentioned above only skim the water as almost all foods in their natural state are considered super foods. Certain individuals, such as those facing a serious health issue, may benefit greatly from combinations of particular super foods.

However, while dieting, the dieter should pick and choose their super foods wisely - based on the super foods that pack the most nutritional punch, as well as those that make the best calorie choice. The key to weight loss and weight maintenance is budgeting the calories contained in super foods to fit nicely into the recommended food groups based on daily caloric intake. Take note that although two individuals may be the same size and weight, daily calorie needs can vary based on the amount of muscle mass, gender, ethnic background - even climate. Therefore, charts should be used as a pattern and should never be set in stone.

Also keep in mind that while super foods can be super good for one's health, super foods can also cause super weight gain.