The Best Foods for Losing Weight

A balanced diet is good for our health for many reasons. In this article, we’ll discuss the foods that you should consume to maintain your correct weight.

Generally, when talking about foods for losing weight, we usually associate them with drastic diets and lots of exercises. This combination, although effective in the beginning, can also imply a serious imbalance in health. It’s preferable, then, to opt for progressive methods and nutrient-rich foods.

These unhealthy consequences that we mentioned are due to the shortage of vitamins, minerals, and calories that result from these drastic behaviors. All of these components are necessary to keep the body healthy and functioning properly.

The “rebound” effect

Another problem with strict diets is that it’s common to return to the old routine after completing the diet plan. This means that you can end up regaining the pounds that you lost.

To lose weight successfully, it’s essential to follow an adequate and sustainable diet over time. This diet won’t only help promote weight loss, it can also be extended.

For this reason, it’s crucial to learn to recognize foods that are able to satisfy our body’s needs naturally and yet simultaneously, help us to lose weight.

The best foods for losing weight

Cereals

Also known as whole grains, they’re foods that contain high levels of fiber and calcium. Among them, we can find:

• Oats.
• Brown rice.
• Barley.
• Wheat.
• Corn.

Increasing the consumption of these foods during the week will stimulate the body’s gastrointestinal movement. Thus, enabling detoxification and weight loss.

Fruits

Besides being able to eat them at any time of the day, fruits offer the best sources of vitamins and minerals. Among the most recommended fruits for losing weight are the following:

• Apples.
• Berries, such as strawberries.
• Peaches.
• Grapes.
• Papayas.
• Watermelon.

We can also prepare them in shakes and juices, which will make our consumption more diverse and pleasant. However, we must be more careful with avocados, olives, and nuts, because they contain higher levels of sugars and fats, thus providing the body with more calories.

Lean meats and weight loss

Lean meats contain low levels of fat and also contain protein with thermogenetic effects. Moreover, the body burns 30 percent of its calories while digesting them. These characteristics make lean meats one of the best food options for losing weight.

In this category, the best lean meats are the following:

• Chicken.
• Turkey.
• Veal.
• Pork loin and tenderloin.
• Rabbit.

Vegetables

Vegetables are the staple of a good diet, as they not only contain few calories, but are also full of vitamins, fibers, and minerals that can complement any possible deficiencies. These are some of the finest vegetables for losing weight:

• Spinach and Swiss chard.
• Cucumbers.
• Peppers.
• Garlic.
• Onions.

To lose weight quickly, it’s necessary to maintain a constant consumption of vegetables. In general, we advise doubling the number of vegetables in relation to the meat that goes with them.

Low-fat dairy

Cheeses, milk, and yogurts are in this group. Low-fat dairy products contain proteins and low levels of calories. They also provide calcium, which is essential to keep the body functioning optimally.

Furthermore, these foods are able to suppress calcitriol, the hormone responsible for reproducing and expanding fat cells. These cells store large amounts of triglycerides within the white adipose tissue, mostly known as fat, in the human body.

This reproduction, storage, and constant expansion make their elimination difficult. For this reason, the suppression of calcitriol allows you to lose weight more easily.

Foods with resistant starch

Resistant starch is a dietary fiber found in:

• White beans.
• Bananas.
• Potatoes.
• Lentils.
• Oats.
• Wholewheat bread.

This resistant fiber is responsible for preventing the storage of fat and extending the time of satiety after a meal. With this in mind, it’s possible to lose between 10 and 20 percent more weight if we include it in our diets.

Water

Water is the most important element when it comes to the human body’s health. It’s a vital liquid, capable of providing an extensive amount of benefits, such as:

• Promoting the body’s detoxification.
• Helping to avoid oral diseases.
• Allowing for the absorption of nutrients.

• Maintaining the functions of the digestive and immune systems.
• Improving ligament resistance.
• Strengthening cell regeneration.
• Facilitating weight loss.

Unquestionably and beyond the particularities of each person’s body, the foods on this list make up what would be an “average” diet for losing weight. Of course, it’s always the best option to consult with a specialist to evaluate the requirements of each person and choose the most convenient foods to lose weight.