Navigating eating for weight loss can be tricky – contradictory advice abounds, even among nutritional experts. However, often when you focus on eating healthfully, the weight eventually takes care of itself. Below are some food tips that will help you clean up your diet and make more healthful choices, which will help you lose weight as a result.
Emphasize Proteins
The most crucial nutrient for weight loss is protein. A high-protein diet has been shown to boost your metabolism naturally, and being a slow-burning energy source, it also keeps you satiated and reduces calorie consumption throughout the day. So, you just naturally burn more and eat less. A breakfast of proteins has been shown to lead to fewer calories consumed for the rest of the day. Switching out cereal or toast for eggs or cottage cheese is simple. Dairy products and eggs are good protein sources for vegetarians, while beans and chickpeas can pick up the slack for vegans. Shakes made from whey protein powder make a great on-the-go meal option.
Stay Away From Added Sugar
Sugar is added to an alarming number of foods in the modern diet. It is concerning and bewildering. Most people actually have a sugar addiction, whether they realize it or not, and the dopamine hits from sugar rival the similar effects of hard drugs. If you change one thing in an effort to eat more healthfully, it is this – cut out added sugars. Learn to read labels carefully, and keep in mind the various names sugar can hide under, like fructose and dextrose. Even “health foods” can be heavy with sugar. Items touted as “sugar-free” often replace cane sugar and corn syrups with sugar alcohols, which many people’s digestive systems do not handle well.
Go Brown
There is a substantial and well-evidenced link between refined carbohydrates and obesity. Refined carbohydrates spike blood sugar, resulted in a crash hours later that is accompanied with hunger, cravings, and increased calorie consumption. Ideally, all carbohydrates should be soaked or fermented prior to eating, in order to neutralize their phytic acid. An easier change, however, is simply to choose the brown carbohydrate over the white counterpart. Brown rice instead of white rice, wheat or whole-grain bread instead of white bread, and wheat pasta instead of white pasta. And always pair your quick-burning carbohydrate with a slow-burning fat or protein.
Watch Your Oils
Fats have often been demonized in health conversations, but the truth of the matter is that we need fats – but not all fats are created equal. High quality fats consumed less often will increase your health, and help you feel satiated so that you consume less calories during the day. Cut out all trans fats, and look to saturated and monounsaturated fats, which our bodies can process easily and put to use immediately. But even the best fats and oils will rack up the calories if used too liberally. Bake or roast your meats rather than fry them, and consider purchasing an air fryer to get a similar fried taste without the additional calories from oil.
Eat More Vegetables And Fruits
Health is more than calories and weight – it is also minerals and vitamins. This is where vegetables and fruits come in. Produce is low in calories, but high in fiber, increasing satiety. They also have a high-water content, again aiding in feeling satiated, as well as keeping you hydrated. But most importantly, they are laden with a variety of vitamins and minerals. While multivitamins and supplements are a great tool, our bodies were meant to run on food-derived vitamins and minerals – so put a wide variety on your plate! The world of vegetables and fruits is endless!
Pair Your Fuel Sources
Our bodies have three sources they can turn to for energy – carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Each has their role to play. Carbohydrates are what your body naturally turns to first, and it burns through them quickly. Fats and proteins burn more slowly, keeping you from “sugar crashes”, helping you feel full longer, and leading to a decrease in calorie consumption. Never eat a carbohydrate alone! You’ll be needing more energy within an hour. Pair your apples with cheese, your berries with yogurt, your toast with a good tablespoon of real butter.
Eat Real Food
One of the anchors of healthy eating, regardless of whether your weight loss method is veggie-heavy or nearly carnivorous, is to eat whole, real, single-ingredient foods. For some, this may mean learning how to cook for the first time, but you owe that to yourself. Shop the perimeter of the grocery stores, eschewing prepackaged or convenience foods. Yes, even if they’re toted as a “health food”. Whole foods are naturally filling, deeply nutritious, and even more cost-effective.
