Want to lose weight but don’t want to count calories or log every bite of food? One strategy is to eliminate (or cut back on) ultra-processed foods. Here’s why:

A study found that when people were allowed to eat as much as they wanted, those who ate highly-processed foods ate on average 500 more calories per day compared to the group eating whole foods. It’s easy to overeat highly-processed foods because they are very calorie-dense (and usually NOT from protein), they’re hyperpalatable (that blissful mix of fat, sugar, and salt), and they contain ingredients known to affect your gut lining and interfere with your body’s natural signals of fullness.

Eating ultra-processed foods, including fast food, is a recipe for overeating, weight gain, metabolic issues, and chronic health conditions. While avoiding these foods can help you cut excess calories every day so you can reach your health and weight-loss goals.

So how do you know which foods to avoid?

Ultra-processed foods are described as foods with more than 7 ingredients or with ingredients you can’t find in your pantry.

Here’s a list of 14 ingredients to avoid when deciding if a food is going in your cart or in your mouth:

1. MSG (monosodium glutamate)

2. Canola Oil

3. Corn Oil

4. Soybean Oil

5. Dyes/Colors

6. Soy Lecithin

7. Artificial Sweeteners (sucralose, aspartame, saccharin)

8. Sodium Nitrates

9. Hydrogenated Oils/Partially Hydrogenated Oils/Trans Fats

10. Guar Gum

11. Carrageenan

12. Sodium Benzoate

13. High Fructose Corn Syrup

14. Added Sugar by any of these names:

Dextrose, fructose, galactose, lactose, maltose, sucrose, beet sugar, brown sugar, cane sugar, Florida crystals, coconut sugar, confectioner’s sugar, corn syrup solids, date sugar, dextrin, ethyl maltol, maltodextrin, raw sugar, turbinado sugar, agave, barley malt, molasses, brown rice syrup, caramel, carob sugar, evaporated can juice, fruit juice, honey, malt syrup, maple syrup, sorghum syrup, sorbitol, D-ribose, yellow sugar, golden sugar.

While there may be debate about the safety of some of these ingredients, remember your intention: You are avoiding or limiting ultra-processed foods as an action step to decrease calorie intake to support your fat-loss goal. Foods with these ingredients are ultra-processed. The goal isn’t to eat 100% unprocessed foods or to obsess over every ingredient. All foods are processed to some degree. Olive oil, coffee, peanut butter, even chicken breasts and apples undergo some processing to get to the shelves for you to purchase. Simply use this list as a filter to know if a product is in alignment with your intention and your weight-loss goal.