Always, two best things that help your body slimmer yet healthier are firstly, a proper diet plan and secondly, moderate exercises.
But, as my specialization is all about cooking and nutrition, today, I’m going to dive deeply into which foods should and shouldn’t eat when you are on a diet to lose weight. This is essential as it’s going to be a good premise to help you create a proper diet plan that fits yourself perfectly.
On top of that, there are some great, great kinds of victuals also listed here, too. Don’t miss out!
The Most Weight Loss Friendly Foods on The Planet
Broccoli
Never miss out this food in your diet plan. It’s the first-choice and must-have ingredient for people who want to lose weight though its taste sometimes doesn’t much good to you. But if you creatively cook them in different ways, it’s going to much easier to enjoy.
The reason why I advise you to choose broccoli is its super low content of calories. In fact, in 100g broccoli, there are only 31 calories. Instead, it is rich in fiber, which slows down the digestive process, inhibiting hunger.
But, the biggest advantage of broccoli is that it contains a lot of Glucosinolate – a bioactive substance that converts to Sulforaphane. This substance protects the cells against the adverse effects of the environment and promotes the metabolism of fats and oils, which helps to prevent excess fat accumulation in the body.
Salmon
Next is salmon!
Already so well-known for its rich content of omega-3 fatty acids which are good for eyes and other parts on your body. However, rarely people know that these fatty acids are also good for the body’s workout.
In addition, salmon has a relatively high calcium content to support muscle formation and reduce excess fat. However, salmon is very easy to get burnt and lose its nutrition if it’s cooked in wrong way so, my sincere advice is you should equip yourself some basic information, recipes and guidance to get a delicious and importantly, healthy salmon dish.
Carrot
Carrots come in hard texture, which means they need more energy to digest than other foods. And, good news!!
It gives you chances to burn much of the energy available in the body simply by eating carrots!
Besides, carrots are rich in beta-carotene, vitamin A and potassium, which helps the body burn energy faster and stronger.
Cabbage
Another low-energy and high-fiber food that’s worth to add in your diet plan – Cabbage.
It even contains less calories than broccoli, which are only 25 calories/100g. Thus, a meal with 2 cups of boiled cabbage, soup or salad is very suitable for dieters to lose weight.
Cabbage is also rich in antioxidants such as thiocyanates, indole-3-carbinol, lutein, zeaxanthin, sulforaphane, and isothiocyanates that support LDL-cholesterol reduction.
Black beans
Now, move on to protein source. In your diet plan, it can miss out protein ingredients which are a vital substance for anybody. And, instead of eating meat or flesh, vegetables are a great alternation.
My very first advice is black bean.
They have a high protein content BUT do not contain saturated fats like meats, so the energy from black beans is not high.
Brown rice
You know it, brown rice has lower energy and blood glucose levels than white rice!
They provide slow-acting carbohydrates that do not rapidly increase blood sugar levels after eating. Brown rice is rich in soluble fiber, inhibits fat absorption and cholesterol metabolism. From that point, it reduces fat accumulation in the viscera.
Besides, brown rice has a lot of inactive starch, so it slows digestion, makes it feel full longer, and acts on fat burning faster.
Pear
Next up is fruits!
For those who don’t know, a pear contains 15% of fiber. Other than that, it contains less energy to help you lose weight efficiently.
And for those who are going to lose a huge weigh, chances might you get this common problem – wrinkled skin. It may be contemporary, or unluckily, this issue will last long because of too fast losing weight.
To avoid this, eating fruits that’re rich in Vitamin C, vitamin E and some minerals is highly recommended. It helps your skin more elasticity and look more gorgeous. And pear is my choice.
Grapefruit
Good news! Eating 1/4 grapefruit before each meal can reduce 200g per week.
Other than pears, grapefruit is another high recommendation for low-energy but rich-nutrient fruit. Like pears, it contains high vitamin A and vitamin C. Moreover, it’s also high in vitamin B, vitamin E, beta-carotene and lycopene.
But the substance that’s worth paying attention to is pomelo pectin. It acts to inhibit the absorption of cholesterol from the colon, reducing blood fat.
Grapefruit is also rich in fiber, which makes you feel full longer.
Avocado
I know that some of you might feel this fruit is weird to add in a diet plan. HOWEVER, kindly don’t make mistake that the high content of fat in avocado would increase weight.
Yeah, it’s true that eat too much avocado per day will gain weight. (I mean ½ to 1 kilogram.) Truth to say, fat in avocados is oleic acid in the unsaturated fatty acid group. It helps to reduce LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol).
½ Avocado per day can help control weight loss, for sure!
Oranges
Although orange offers more energy than some fruits (59 calories / 100g), they are the top fruits in terms of fiber content.
Feeling full will reduce the amount of food eaten on a daily basis. To help with weight loss, you should eat both orange and orange peel.
Other than orange juice – which is also the most basic way to eat this fruit, you can add them to your daily dishes to soup up flavors and enjoy them in different interesting ways.
Banana
Chances might you see that many gym members usually eat bananas after training to maintain and improve their physique.
In fact, this fruit is known to be low in energy but provide a long-lasting feeling for the practitioner.
It’s sweet, tasty and easy to eat – either eat them directly or add to other dishes. So, you can also combine eating them during your weight loss.
Yogurt
Other than fruits and vegetables, there are some other healthy foods for losing weight. And one of them is yogurt!
In addition to improving digestion, it also helps you lose weight. With nutrients, calcium, protein and healthy fats, yogurt increases energy, enhances metabolism, promotes digestion, and eliminates toxins.
Importantly, it prevents the absorption of fat to lose weight effectively.
Oat
Oat not only helps to lighten the skin but is also the golden name in the list of organic foods that help with weight loss.
The biggest advantage of oats is their ability to make you feel full faster and last longer. Thereby, it limits the appetite in people who want to lose weight.
At the same time, oats also work to burn fat and help the body absorb fiber better. However, oats are relatively light in taste and can be difficult to eat for some people. In these cases, you can combine oatmeal with other fruits such as bananas, kiwi, strawberries … the sweet taste from the fruit can make you enjoy more.
Almond
Almonds are contributed in many foods you eat daily such as almond milk, almond cake and almond muffin.
The reason for this is it’s good for the body and helps to lose weight more effectively. Almond is a good source of calcium, vitamin C and protein for your body.
More specifically, with 4 to 5 almonds in the morning each day, it can make your breakfast tastier. Thanks to the participation of almonds, it balances the intake of calories, which helps your body lose weight more effectively.
Wait! You can’t ignore this!!!
During diet process, chances will you feel appetite than usual. And once you lose your mind just in moment and eat like crazy, it’s all done. From that point, bear in mind these top foods that help you overpower that risky appetite.
5 Foods “overpower” appetite
Egg
Egg is already famous for a high-content protein food, especially egg yolk. Other than protein, it contains most of the nutrients such as vitamin D, E and natural triglycerides that help to increase the level of testosterone of your body.
However, egg yolks are high in cholesterol (I don’t deny that!), scientific studies have shown that four eggs per week do not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
One or two eggs in the morning will help you feel full longer as well as eat less than 330 calories in the next meals.
If you are overweight and have cardiovascular problems, using egg whites and egg yolks is highly recommended.
Green tea
Green tea is rich in antioxidants that help burn fat significantly. This is a big thank you to a substance called Catechins.
It not only helps prevent oxidation and block fat, but also stabilizes the amount of sugar in the body. When the sugar is stable, the hunger will also be controlled.
It’s recommended to drink 5 cups of green tea per day to support twice the weight loss and also make you feel full longer (just like water, but healthier!). Drink green tea in between meals, preferably after eating for 1 hour. Do not drink tea when hungry to avoid feeling alcoholic.
This will reduce the amount of food you eat.
Ginger and Spicy Spices
Ginger is a close friend of all housewives because of their tasty flavor. But moreover, it’s a good source of digestive support. A little ginger in the dishes will help nutrients absorbed better, reducing the appetite.
I know that some of us don’t like the fresh ginger as their flavor is so strong. My trick for this is you can use small ginger powder. It is sold widely in many supermarkets.
Similarly, spicy spices such as chili sauce, pepper and chili powder also help you eat less but remain full by stimulating digestion.
Black chocolate
Do you know that a piece of dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa helps you repel hunger and reduces appetite efficiently?
In addition, steric acid in black chocolate will slow down the digestive process, helping you to feel full longer after eating.
Tip: If you cannot tolerate bitterness, try eating chocolate with a cup of black coffee, you will feel the sweetness of them!
Or, consult my article named “These Chocolate Recipes Are the Perfect Weekday Snacks” to steal some great formulas to eat them interestingly.
Apple
An apple a day keeps doctor away!
This fruit is rich in water and fiber which are also two indispensable things in any diet menu.
An apple between meals will help you balance the amount of sugar and keep feeling full for 1-2 hours. In addition, the chewing action when eating apples is a perfect exercise for mouth muscle.
Say “No” to these 10 foods during your weight loss process
If you want to make a weight loss diet seriously, you have to cross out a lot of unhealthy foods in your eating habits, typically these 10 foods below:
Carbonated drinks
Although it is an effective refreshment drink, the major ingredients of soft drinks and sodas are mainly sugar, which is harmful to your health.
At the same time, carbonated drinks also make you fatter quickly.
It’s great if you can avoid drinking them. But I know it’s really, really hard as you can’t just drink water during a party, right? So, if possible, just let yourself enjoy maximumly ½ to 1 bottle of soft drink. And the latter of the night, the less you should drink.
Fast food
Fast food is always the “enemy” of any weight loss diets. Most fast foods are fried foods (such as fried chicken, fried fries and bacon) or have many cheeses like pizza.
A fast food meal can be up to 1,000 calories and just imagine that you need to take nearly 2 hours of running / biking to burn off such excess energy.
Think about it and start avoiding them, NOW!
Cakes & snacks
Donuts, cream cakes, cupcakes and cookies are high-energy pastries filled with sugar and fat.
The same thing with snacks! I mean those chip and snack bags available in many convenient stores, grocery stores and supermarkets.
The intervals between the main meals often cause your stomach to “speak up” and instinctively, you will find some snacks to satisfy the hunger.
But, do you know that these foods often contain more saturated fat, which increases the risk of obesity and leads to cardiovascular disease and high cholesterol?
Okay, I know that many of us are a die-hard fan of sweet foods and snacks so, this is nearly impossible to prohibit you staying away from them. So, good news is you can worry-free eating them by following these delicious yet healthy recipes:
- Top delicious cake recipes for weigh loss diet
- Don’t worry! These snacks are “safe” for your diet plans!
Types of Frappe
Frappe, also known as grindstone drinks, is quite familiar to us.
In addition to the high content of milk and syrup, frappe also “gives” you a few hundred calories when topping it with cream.
Instead of frappe, you should choose the fruit smoothies or milkshakes for diet with a little honey.
Rice, noodles & white bread
White flour – the main ingredient of rice, pasta and bread is refined flour. It’s often not as nutritious as the original cereal.
In addition, our body absorbs this ingredient very quickly, which urges our appetite up.
To replace the healthier cereals, you should use the brown rice, black bread or whole grains to get them absorb your body slowly and feel full longer.
Dressing of salads
Salad is arguably a green and healthy dish until they adding greasy, fatty dressing on. These full-of-energy dressings can be met in ready-made ones in supermarket and even in some famous restaurants.
It’s recommended to make your own salads at home. Instead of using animal oil, choose apple cider vinegar, olive oil or even low-fat yogurt are safe sauces for your weight.
Cream & full cream milk
Cold ice cream is a favorite dish for both children and adults.
HOWEVER, with the main ingredient is fatty cream, milk and sugar, you should think again unless you want your diet plans to down the drain.
Often, the ice cream is served with a sauce, cake and candy decoration which loads you a significant calorie block. Thus, another option is trying ice creams for vegan which are also a good way to lose weight effectively without self-banning from such delicious foods.
In terms of fresh milk, it is a common drink for everyone to add calcium and some essential nutrients to the body.
However, most weight loss diets usually try to limit the number of calories and bad fat added to the body. So, full cream fresh milk is not a wise choice here. Instead, let’s opt for no-sugar milk, soy milk or low-fat almond milk.
Bonus
When to eat after exercising to lose weight efficiently?
Usually, after 30 to 45 minutes exercising, it’s an ideal time to eat some more food. But not all kinds are good. You should select the low-carb foods yet keep you full longer like banana as mentioned above, a vegan ice cream or healthy snack.
Many studies have shown that if we eat after 2 hours exercising, the body only regains 50% of the lost Glycogen, which can cause dizzy and other annoyances.
Now, that’s the end of Part 1 in the series of healthy diet plan. Now is the best time to know which types of diets is suitable for your body. Truth to say, it’s not just eating like vegans that can help you lose weight, many other diet plans still allow you to eat meat, flesh and even sweet foods. However, it just fits in a specific group of people with particular characteristics. So, it’s essential to equip yourself such important information to choose the most suitable. Don’t miss out!
