If you take in fewer calories than you burn every day, you’ll lose weight. Choosing foods carefully can help dieters to reach weight loss goals.
For example, consuming low-calorie foods is more important than eating low-fat foods because low-fat foods are often loaded with sugar, which is high in calories,
author and physician Lisa Young said in Women’s Health.
Young added, “The good-for-you fats in foods like nuts, avocados, and salmon can help you feel more full, meaning you take in fewer calories throughout the day overall.”
Special: Odd Discovery Helps Doctor Lose 40 Pounds — at Age 54
Here are some of the foods Women’s Health and other sources identify as being among the best for weight loss.
Blueberries
Health magazine said: “Best known for their anti-aging effects, blueberries, while tiny, are a powerful figure-friendly eat: A 1-cup serving sets you back only 80 calories, and helps you feel full with 4 grams of fiber.”
Almonds
Nuts, particularly almonds, are rich in healthy fats. One study showed that people on a low-calorie diet who added a daily helping of almonds lost more weight than people on the same diet who added a daily helping of a carbohydrate-heavy snack such as crackers, said Health magazine.
Dark Chocolate
A study conducted by the journal “Nutrition” concluded that “eating chocolate is associated with lower levels of abdominal fat,” Women’s Health magazine reported. A prior study found that adults who ate chocolate twice a week had lower body mass indexes, on average, than those who didn’t, the magazine said. It indicated dark chocolate in particular contains considerable chemicals that may play a role in increasing metabolism.
Eggs
This popular breakfast food is loaded with appetite-curbing protein, according to Health magazine. It said one study determined women who ate eggs for breakfast lost twice the weight lost by women whose morning meal featured bagels. The same study found no significant difference in good cholesterol and bad cholesterol between egg and bagel eaters, Health magazine said.
Salmon
This fish is a great source of protein that’s leaner than red meat and full of monounsaturated fatty acids, which are healthy fats that studies show increase metabolism to burn calories and fat, said Health magazine. It indicated a 2001 study concluded people on a MUFA-rich diet lost 9 pounds on average, while people on a low-fat diet lost 6 pounds on average.
Avocadoes
Eating these in moderation can encourage weight loss. “The fiber, potassium, and healthy fats in the green stuff may curb your cravings so that you skip afternoon trips to the vending machine,” said Women’s Health magazine.
Editor's Note: Hormones May Be Causing Weight Gain, Heart Woes
Low-Fat Milk
Milk’s contents include a fatty acid that helps people burn more fat and feel full, while the proteins in milk can help a person to continue to feel satisfied, Health magazine said. It said milk is a great source of calcium, adding that one study showed women burned more calories and fat when their daily calcium intake was a robust 1,000 to 1,400 milligrams.
Leafy Green Vegetables
Authority Nutrition said leafy greens — including spinach, collards, kale and Swiss chards — are ideal parts of a weight loss diet because they’re full of fiber but low in calories and carbohydrates.
Oats
A study conducted for the journal “Appetite” found that when 30 lean, healthy women ate variations on biscuit and juice breakfasts on separate days, the women who came away feeling most full had eaten the version most fortified with oat bran while the ones who felt least full had consumed the meal containing no oat bran, said Women’s Health magazine. Oats contain a healthy amount of resistant starch, a carbohydrate that burns fat and boosts metabolism, said Health magazine.
Black Beans
These contain considerable protein but lack the saturated fat often found in other protein sources such as red meat, said Health magazine.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.