You can walk 5 miles every day, but without the right foods, you won’t lose weight. What you eat is essential to a proper weight loss and life change program.
Certain foods can slow down weight loss, and others can speed it up. Here are some quick tips to help you pick the right nutritional food to help lose weight.
Choose unprocessed foods
Studies in mice and humans show a clear connection between processed foods and obesity. Instead of eating all ultra-processed foods, such as packaged cookies, potato chips, frozen meals, sodas, and juices high in additives and artificial flavors, choose more unprocessed foods. These include,
- Fresh fruits
- Fresh vegetables
- Yogurt
- Milk
- Eggs
- Whole-grain bread, pasta, and cereals
- Lean, white meats in moderation
Additionally, try to pick natural sweeteners such as honey, pure maple syrup, and fruits.
Eat the right carbs
Many people think they need to cut out all carbs to lose weight, but it’s more important to eat the right ones. There are simple and complex carbs that take longer for your body to break down and help you eat less. Simple carbs are found in sodas, processed sugars, and white, refined bread, grains. Complex carbs are high in fiber and digest slower than other foods, helping manage blood sugar and promote bowel regularity.
The next time you go to the market, add these healthy carbs to your cart,
- Potatoes
- Prunes
- Oats
- Pumpkin
- Quinoa
- Dried tart cherries
- Buckwheat
- Bananas
- Beans
Try for fresh fruits and vegetables, and when that’s not possible, frozen ones retain much of the health benefits. Be sure to check labels to make sure it doesn’t contain added preservatives, sugars, and syrups.
Add more protein
Your body uses protein to grow and repair tissue, and it helps produce hormones, enzymes, and red blood cells. It also helps you lose weight naturally by reducing your appetite. High-protein diets regulate the hormones responsible for hunger. When you eat less but aren’t feeling hungry, you lose weight without being cranky. High-protein diets also assist with weight loss by helping you burn more calories.
The body doesn’t produce or store protein; it gets it from what you eat, such as fish, meat, and eggs. However, too much red meat isn’t good for your health, and some people don’t always have access to fish and eggs (or may have an allergy.) Additionally, vegans need a higher intake of non-meat protein sources, such as,
- Legumes (peas, navy beans, black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, edamame beans, lentils, and soybeans)
- Chickpeas
- Hummus
- Nuts (peanuts, almonds, pistachios, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, and pecans)
- Oats
- Chia seeds
- Quinoa
- Hemp hearts
- Dairy (Yogurt, milk)
Another option is to use protein powders, which you can add to smoothies, shakes, and other foods. As if that wasn’t enough, a high-protein diet can reduce and even stop one of the leading causes of weight gain—late-night snacking.
For more fun ways to lose weight, look for diet retreats near you. These resorts and spas offer exclusive, nutritious, delicious programs to introduce you to new, low-calorie meals while enjoying dozens of activities to get and stay fit.