When you’re trying to lose, weight picking the right foods is a must. Going down the freezer section and picking up frozen diet foods isn’t the best strategy.
Are there certain foods that can help you lose weight? Yes, but the keyword is help because the number one factor with weight loss is calories in vs calories out. Even if you eat the worst junk food in the world if you keep the calories low you will lose the weight. It just isn’t the optimal approach to losing those extra pounds.
High quality foods packed with protein, fiber, good fats and micronutrients is a great plan to help you lose the weight because it will keep you full longer and cover all your nutritional needs.
Here are some foods that will help you lose weight.
Fruits
Fruits are a great snack when you’re trying to lose weight. Fruits are packed with fiber, vitamins and phytochemicals which provide you with nutrients that your body needs. When you snack on processed foods you will feel hungry quickly because they lack the fiber that fruits have. When you eat fruits like apples make sure to eat the skin because this is where all the nutrients and fiber are found. You may find some information on the internet saying that fruit will cause you to gain weight but this is untrue. The only way you can gain weight eating fruit is if you eat a ton of it which is a challenge because fruit has a high volume. Foods with a higher volume tend to make us feel full longer and help us stay on track.
Vegetables
Next up on the list is vegetables. Veggies are the best thing you can add to your diet if you’re trying to lose weight. They are full of fiber, vitamins and phytochemicals and are extremely low calorie. The darker the veggie the better because they contain more phytochemicals than the lighter ones. When picking out veggies the top 3 I pick are broccoli kale and spinach because they are the biggest power houses when it comes to nutrients. Kale, broccoli and spinach have a ton of fiber per calorie which makes it a great choice because it helps you feel full longer than processed foods. A good rule is to have a large size portion of veggies with every meal taking up most of your plate. Adding extra veggies will help you lose weight fast because of the high amount of fiber in the food.
Salmon
Salmon is a good choice if you’re looking to lose weight. It’s lean and has a lot of good fat which may help reduce your midsection. Salmon is a great source of protein that will help keep you full. The fat in salmon is good fat which means it will help promote healthy cholesterol levels. Make sure to go for wild salmon because it tends to have less mercury. Limit your salmon intake to a few times a week because of the mercury that might be in the fish. Cold water fish is a solid pick when your goal is weight loss. Make sure to add it to your diet a couple of times a week. Foods high in omega 3 fatty acid will help you lose weight.
Chicken
Pairing chicken with your veggies is a great choice because chicken is packed with protein. One chicken breast may have up 45 grams of protein which is huge because of its low calorie to protein ratio. Stay away from fried chicken because the extra fat will bump up the calories quite a bit. Picking chicken over other foods like beef is a good choice because it is a lot leaner. Chicken is a top food that will help you lose weight.
Eggs
Eggs can be a great addition to your diet if you’re trying to lose weight because they have a good amount of protein and b12 in them. Each egg contains about 6 grams of protein and they’re low in calories, around 75 per egg. Eggs also are a wonderful snack that keeps your hunger at bay. Don’t forget to eat the egg yolk because this is where you’ll find all the b12. Eggs can be paired with veggies in many ways. Making an omelet is a great way to get more veggies in your diet. Add eggs to your food plan because they are a great food to help you lose weight.
Oats
Eating a bowl of oats in the morning can help you keep hunger down. A bowl of oats is packed with a lot of fiber. The high fiber in oats will keep you full without needing a midmorning snack. Adding berries to your oats is a wonderful way to add some flavor to your meal. Berries also provide a lot nutrients and fiber that the body needs. Oats are low in fat, which keeps calories low and that’s the name of the weight loss game. When picking, oats go for steel cut because instant oats are processed. Unprocessed oats is a good choice and will keep you feeling full longer which will assist in your weight loss goals.
Yogurt
Yogurt is a food high in protein. Most yogurt is low fat which mean low calorie. Yogurt is easy to bring with you to work and makes a great snack. The probiotics in yogurt may provide extra help with weight loss but the jury is still out. One study on probiotics found that mice with good bacteria vs mice with low probiotics had more issues with weight even when calories were the same. Just remember that we’re not mice, so the results may not apply to humans.
Whole milk
Whole milk is on the list because of Swedish researchers found that people drinking milk over a 12-year period weigh less than people that didn’t. This may be because of the high protein in milk causing people to feel full or the high calcium in milk may help with weight loss. Milk is not for everyone if you have an issue with an allergy eating a diet high in veggies should cover you on the calcium. Try to limit the amount of whole milk that you take in because it is high calorie.
Nuts
Nuts are full of fiber and have good fats which help reduce belly fat per some studies. Nuts contain mostly unsaturated fat. This kind of fat is linked to reduction in diseases like heart disease. Many large observational studies found that people that eat nuts tend to weigh less than people that don’t. Researchers are not sure why this happens. There isn’t any downside to trying it out. One reason might be that nuts are satisfying. This may be due to the high amount of fat and fiber in the nut itself. Adding food like nuts will help you reach your weight loss goals.
Key Points
Building your diet around these foods may help you with your battle to keep off the weight. Try adding all the food listed above to see if you see any changes. Some people have allergies to nuts and fish so skip those if this applies to you. Focus on a diet full of whole foods like fruits and veggies. Keep your meat lean like chicken or fish. Don’t eat too many processed foods. Eating these foods will help you lose the weight and keep it off.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23320900
https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/nutrition/pdf/rtp_practitioner_10_07.pdf
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/nuts-and-weight-loss#section3
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-weight/best-diet-quality-counts/
