There are a lot of people who practice various things including extreme diet plans or exercising to shred some weight. And it is still wrongly interpreted that the less you eat, the more you lose in terms of weight, which is highly problematic. A diet that is less than 1000 calories a day will only fail to give you all the nutrition you need for your body to function healthily which can lead to several health issues. There are various weight loss foods that will not only help you cut some kilos but also provide your body with the nutrition that it needs. If you aren't aware of them yet, you can look at the below-mentioned list of weight loss foods, but before that, you need to understand how losing weight can benefit your health.
How Does Losing Weight Benefit Your Health?
It is not necessary that you lose hundreds of kilos in order to look slim and trim. If you're someone who struggles with an unhealthy heavy body or obesity, losing a small amount of weight will only help you improve your overall health. Overall, losing weight can help you with reduced joint pain, dropped risk of a stroke, lessened risk of diabetes, improved cholesterol, and blood sugar levels, decreased risk of sleep apnea, and much more. Once you switch to food for weight loss, you will not only help your body get in shape but also enjoy the added benefits of healthy living.
11 Weight Loss Food Items You Must Start Consuming:
This list of weight loss foods is safe for you to inculcate in your daily meals as they are high in nutrition.
1. Green Leafy Vegetables
If you're looking for the best food for weight loss, leafy greens top the chart. You can start including leafy greens like spinach, kale, Swiss chard, and a few others in your daily diet as they have many properties that will help you slim down. Green leafy vegetables are packed with fiber and nutrients that keep you hydrated and feeling full for long hours. This is important because when you learn how to respond to your body's hunger and fullness it helps you control your food intake which affects your weight.
2. Nuts
Nuts make for great weight loss foods as they are high-fat foods that provide your body with fiber, protein, and some plant compounds that benefit your heart health. You can snack on a handful of nuts like cashews, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, peanuts, etc. whenever you feel hungry during the day. Even studies have shown that consuming weight loss foods like nuts can improve your metabolic health and provide you with nutrients that can better your health. However, make sure you're only munching on nuts till a point of satiety.
3. Whole Grains
Whole grains like oats, brown and white rice, corn, barley, quinoa, millet, etc. will aid in weight loss. You can include cereal grains in your diet to improve metabolic health as they're loaded with fiber and protein. Refined grains that white bread and baked goods are made of are healthy as long as you eat them in moderation and don't rely on just them to cut down calories.
4. Cottage Cheese
Diet food for weight loss like cottage cheese contains a lot of protein and calcium. It will give a boost to your daily protein intake which helps you build muscle and also keep you feeling full for a long. If you're willing to look for other high-protein dairy products for weight loss, you can resort to Greek yoghurt and skyr (1).
5. Whole Egs
Whole eggs can actually turn out to be great weight loss foods. If you consume eggs moderately, it will benefit your protein intake. Just make sure that you don't eat more than 7-12 eggs a week as it can raise LDL cholesterol (2) levels in some people. Eggs can work as the best food for weight loss as they can help you feel full for a long which can control overeating that is driven by being famished.
6. Cruciferous vegetables
Another diet food for weight loss is cruciferous vegetables like Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli. These vegetables can provide you with more protein, fiber, and low-calorie content than other vegetables can, and thus, they can help you lose weight.
7. Beans and Legumes
Weight loss foods like lentils, kidney beans, black beans, and some others are protein and fiber-rich - two of the most important nutrients to help you keep satiated. As they are high in fiber, beans can cause gas and bloating in some people and so you need to cook them well to avoid these side effects.
8. Fruits
Fruits like apples, berries, melons, grapefruit, avocado, passion fruit, and many other aids in maintaining a healthy weight. Yes, they do contain natural sugars but they have low energy density and are packed with micronutrients. The fiber content in these fruits helps ward off sugar from being too overpowering and releasing into your bloodstream too soon.
9. Chia Seeds
Chia seeds serve as one of the best weight loss foods as they are the most nutritious containing 12 grams of carbs per 28 grams. They are the best sources of fiber and can keep you satiated for a long. They're also rich in omega-3 fatty acids that can help you maintain weight.
10. Lean meats and Chicken Breasts
Nutritionally, chicken and red meat can provide your body with high levels of iron and protein. Mainly skinless chicken breasts and lean red meat like tenderloin and flank steak contain protein and iron that can aid in weight management as well as heart health. However, you should make sure that you minimize the risk of fat drippings in red meat by limiting smoke, wiping away drippings, and consuming lean meat moderately. So, in total, you can consume not more than 85 grams of servings per week.
11. Salmon
Fatty fish like salmon is healthy food for weight loss as it is loaded with protein, fiber, and many other required nutrients - a combination of which keeps you full and helps you manage weight. Salmon also contains omega-3 fatty acids that aid in decreased inflammation and can play a big role in obesity as well as metabolic diseases.
Conclusion:
Overall, once you start including weight loss foods that can also support your body with nutritional value, it will only help you be fit and fine. A weight loss diet largely depends on foods that are packed with protein and fiber among other nutrients and the above-mentioned list is enough to get you started. Just make sure you include any of these foods in moderation in your daily diet along with regular exercise as it only serves better in your weight loss journey.
FAQs:
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Does diet food help you lose weight?
When your diet food contains healthy foods that are loaded with protein and fiber, it will help you shed some kilos. Weight loss is all about balancing the calories you consume and the ones you burn. When you burn more calories, you slim down and when you gain weight you are consuming more calories than you burn.
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What is the recommended number of meals per day?
Typically, your day should consist of three to four meals - breakfast, lunch, evening snacks, and dinner. Dieticians and nutritionists may add two snacks in a day to help you control your appetite.
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Is it possible to lose weight by skipping meals?
Skipping a meal may sound right to cut down weight but it is highly unhealthy to do so. Your body requires three to four meals per day in order to function well and maintain a healthy weight. So when you skip meals, you're only depriving your body of proper nutrition.
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