In a world where processed foods, fast foods, and generally, unhealthy foods are cheaper and more available than organic foods, there has been a tremendous rise in cases of obesity. According to a World Health Organisation research, by 2016, over 38.2 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese. Some of the significant causes of obesity are:

  • Extreme physical inactivity.
  • Intake of processed foods, inorganic foods, and fast foods.

Due to the above, many people are either trying to lose weight or working towards staying fit. One of the effective ways to do so is through dietary changes.

Some of the phrases you hear are, ‘you are what you eat’ or ’80 % of your weight loss happens in the kitchen, and 20% happens in the gym’. Our focus shall be on 80%.

Take a look at some of the foods that can assist you in a weightless journey.

TUNA

Tuna is a type of fish with a wide range of up to 15 species. They vary in size, but all have an abundance of Omega 3 fatty acids in common. Omega 3 fatty acids help in the increase of metabolism, which in turn accelerates the fat burning process hence a reduction of cholesterol levels in the body.

Tuna also has a low-fat content, which is favorable for keeping your weight in check. As you check on what you feed on, you may feel motivated to work out, and for a proper workout session, you need a healthy cardiovascular system and a diet that consists of foods that lower blood pressure, Tuna happens to do all this.

Tuna increases energy levels and keeps you satiated for more extended periods after eating a small portion of it. Its high protein content ensures that after a heavy workout, your tissues get repaired, and your immune system gets boosted.

In addition to all this, your muscle mass built beyond any limit you ever thought you wouldn’t exceed. You might want to check out some more protein sources to add to your meal plan, especially to kickstart your day.

Tuna is rich in vitamin B, which is essential in keeping the nervous system healthy and the breakdown of food for the production of energy. Vitamin B further helps the body produce red blood cells and maintains healthy skin, nails, and hair.

LEAFY VEGETABLES

It’s common for most of us not to incorporate leafy vegetables into our diets, but if you want to lose weight, this is an excellent way to start. Our bodies have inbuilt mechanisms that sense a lack of nutrition from plant foods, mainly vegetables.

Obesity is a lack of phytochemicals that boost human health. The phytochemical composition is vital since plant compounds have proven to affect enzymes(favorably, of course), insulin sensitivity, and weight control hormones.

Green leafy vegetables contain thylakoids that trigger signals of satiety, which help promote weight loss and also prevent weight gain. The plants also contain vitamins, which help in weight loss and nutrients essential for good health.

Examples of these leafy vegetables include; microgreens, kales, spinach, mustard greens, Swiss Chard, and arugula, only to mention a few. They can be eaten raw or cooked dependent on your liking and added to smoothies or even soup.

CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES

You’ve seen them, you’ve eaten them, but did you know that they can help shed off those extra pounds? That’s right!

The mustards, the crucifers, the cabbage family, call them what you want, but make sure to add them to your diet if you’re going to maintain or get a healthy body. Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts are great whole foods because they are high in fiber. They contain folic acid, potassium, sodium, and other B vitamins that do amazing things to your metabolism.

The soluble fiber that is significant in cabbages binds itself to bile acids that are present in the digestive tract. It not only aids in digestion but also removes cholesterol, which we know too much of can increase your risk of heart disease.

These low-calorie foods also make you feel full for more extended periods and curbs overeating. The fiber takes longer to digest, therefore fills you, and your body runs on lower calorie levels.

Folic acid in these vegetables ensures that protein in your body gets metabolized, which helps maintain a stable insulin level. The Vitamin B6 in the crucifers converts food intake into energy. It reduces one’s appetite, which ensures you eat when you are starving.

There are several ways to cook the vegetables, but you should take caution for the maximum acquisition of the nutrients. Brussels sprouts, for example, should not be overcooked.

They contain a high level of Vitamin C, which you can strip off when they are overdone. These vegetables may be delicious when deep-fried, but doing that may lessen its chances to help with weight loss.

One of the healthiest ways to use cabbages, especially to lose weight is by fermenting it. Add a little salt to your cabbage and let it stay for 3 to 10 days. When the fermentation process occurs, probiotics are produced, which are live bacteria essential in your digestive system.

Souping your crucifers is a healthy way to get the good stuff that will help your body stay in shape—a great way to detoxify your system without necessarily starving yourself to lose weight. The soup, which is quite filling, will help you stay off unnecessary snacking.

Cooking your veggies the old fashioned way is also a great way to go! Just prepare your cabbage or cauliflower, or maybe those small Brussels sprouts they way you usually do and watch your body be at its best!

CELERY

You have probably heard or seen or even tried celery as a solution for weight loss or maybe because your mother made you do it. It might not be the tastiest food on the planet, but it sure does the trick for weight loss. Let’s break down how it works in your body to help you achieve those results.

First, celery has a fiber, which is especially useful for our digestive system. Fiber takes longer to digest, and therefore you stay full longer, meaning that you’ll eat less, which will automatically reduce your calorie intake. The fiber is at its maximum when celery is eaten whole rather than juiced. Instead of juicing your celery, make a salad with it to get all the fiber.

Two, celery is a harmful calorie food meaning that the body uses more calories to digest the celery than it has. When this happens, fat in your body gets burned.

Celery is packed with potassium, which is a suitable electrolyte and aids in fluid regulation. When this happens, your muscles remain in great shape, and you are less likely to have muscle cramps. It is essential in weight loss because it means that you are in a better position to exercise without damaging your muscles or causing pain.

AVOCADOS

Fat? Is it the first thing that comes to mind when you think about this delightful fruit. Well, if it’s not, it should be because this fat is your next Holy Grail on your weight loss journey. The fat in avocados is excellent, as opposed to what you may think. This fat is monosaturated, and it has oleic acid.

Losing weight is one of the most challenging tasks for a person with a big appetite and a taste for good, delicious food.

Avocado is plant-based. It is thus suitable for both vegans and those with a meaty palate.

Avocados leave you satiated way faster than your ordinary processed carbs. Apart from avocados being delicious, they have immense health benefits.

As far as scientific research is concerned, Avocados have potassium, vitamins B5, B6. C, K, and E, among other nutrients. Its caloric content is less than 200 making it low-carb. In addition to all this, it has zero cholesterol. And an excellent choice for a person trying to chop off some extra weight.

NUTS

Nuts are packed with protein and are significant contributors to a healthy diet as they also contain antioxidants. The fact that they are fat and calorie high, nuts can be advantageous in weight loss if properly portioned in a menu.

Nuts are a good source of nutrients, fiber, and fat. In a nutshell, a variety of these densely packed energy foods can be a great addition to your weight loss plan.

Magnesium modulates the metabolism of fats (LDL and HDL cholesterol) and carbohydrates. Cashew nuts, almonds, brazil nuts, and walnuts contain essential elements. These elements are oleic, palmitoleic acid, and alpha-linolenic acid consecutively. These elements lower or promote healthy levels of cholesterol.

Rich in fiber, pistachios can also be an excellent inclusion for a weight loss diet with the right serving of nuts as recommended daily by experts. By promoting healthy cholesterol in the body, the risk of chronic cardiovascular diseases gets eliminated in the long run.

Nuts come in handy when working out as they are an easy carry along with snack yet high energy-packed foods with a lot of calories and bursting flavor of nutrients. From being a wholesome food included in dieting fruit smoothies, nuts provide various options in recipes and health plans.

From gluten-free banana bread recipes, Granola bars, roasted pistachios, dark chocolate covered almonds, and even a healthy Moringa oatmeal recipe with a pistachio topping.

GRAPEFRUIT

There is a stereotype, coming out of Hollywood over the use of grapes to help with weight loss, that they inconvenience the appetite. Beginning a meal with half a bunch of grapefruit, then having the main course is a hack that has been used in the world of acting to help with drastic weight loss for almost a century. Actors have used this method to assist them in controlling their weight for various roles.

Along with other weight-loss techniques, the Hollywood diet helps actors to shed weight or by abandoning it to bulk up as required. Several studies have shown support for the concept; the reasons suggested include high water and low-calorie content of low-energy-dense foods such as grapefruit.

One study put students in two groups, one being the control group and therefore not subjected to the Hollywood diet. The second group had grapefruit at least twenty minutes before every meal for twelve weeks. The results showed more considerable weight-loss in the group, which practiced the Hollywood diet.

In another study, participants were provided with a weight-loss diet for a fortnight before grapefruit, grape juice, or a low-dense energy preload were incorporated for the next three months.

The rates of weight-loss for all the participants increased significantly after this, which shows that eating low-dense energy foods like grapes before actual calorie-specific meals may be an efficient way to lose weight.

There are several ways of incorporating grapefruit into one’s diet, including eating them whole, making them into a salad coupled with cooked shrimp and fresh avocado, mixing slices into yogurt in the morning or daytime, chopping into vinaigrettes, sauces and relishes flavoring sauces with grapefruit juice.

Incorporating grapefruit in these or any other ways before the main course helps to decrease the intake of calories and overeating. Grapefruits are packed with a ton of benefits. Including them in your meal plan will help you a great deal in maintaining your weight.

WHOLE GRAINS

Whole grains are considered to be weight-adding foods for their use in pop culture diet when, in reality, they are weight-loss-friendly.

Eating whole grains encourages our bodies to trim down and become healthier. The fibers contained in entire grains feed beneficial gut bacteria that, in turn, keep one lean and healthy.

Two studies by the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging suggest that whole grains encourage weight-loss. The first of these studies indicate that eating supplementing a weight-loss diet with a generous serving of whole grains translates to at least one hundred more calories lost daily.

Participants in the study replaced white bread, rice, and refined grains with brown bread, rice, and whole grain. In about six weeks, participants whose diets had whole foods reduced their daily intake by up to ninety-two calories. Although the study did not consider final weight loss differences, they could add up to 5 pounds lost per year.

In the second study, evidence found that eating whole grains brought a slight improvement to the health of the digestive and immune systems. The findings show that eating whole grains results in loss of calories through boosting metabolism and cutting down on calories absorbed during digestion.

Unlike whole grains and fiber-rich foods like barley, oat, rice, and wheat products, refined grains and foods low in fiber do not contain the germ and bran Quantitative analysis carried out within the study supports the association between the presence of whole grain and fiber in the diet with lower body mass and improved health.

The science of it also adds up; while the first study highlights the reduced intake of calories from whole foods, the supporting research also considers improved metabolism and excretion.

LEGUMES

All varieties of beans and other legumes have been found to affect weight loss positively. Despite the general popularity of veal, pork, and other animal protein sources, lentils, chickpeas, and peas give more satisfaction than animal protein.

According to the food and nutrition journal (2016), diets rich in high protein legumes have a lower combined appetite score, less intense hunger, less overall food consumption. They are more satisfying than high protein meat.

Moreover, high protein meat and low protein legumes led to a lower energy intake of twelve and thirteen percent, respectively, compared to high protein legumes.

The amount of fiber in high protein legumes is higher than their meaty alternatives, which do not yield to the body more advantages than low protein legumes.

A constituent type of protein, lectins, has been avoided by many people for the belief that they are harmful to the body in various ways, including bloating, nausea, gas diarrhea, aches, and allergies. Plant lectins, although they attach to carbohydrates and thus slow down their digestion, and lower their glycemic index. Due to this property, beans and other plant foods are good for weight loss and diabetes prevention.

FERMENTED FOODS

These foods are beneficial for more than satiating hunger; they also sustain and increase the microbiomes in our digestive tracts. Having a healthy and sufficient microbiome is vital for proper health and stable weight.

Microbiomes are the most populous living cells in the human body by a factor of ten. Apart from helping to maintain a healthy weight, the microbiome controls the immune system, regulate metabolism, keeps the gastrointestinal tract intact, affects mood and brain function, and are the source of crucial vitamins and nutrients.

Including fermented foods in the diet create a balance of microbiome in the digestive system. The live bacteria in fermented foods raise the amount of microbiome, which in turn regulates the presence of harmful and beneficial bacteria in the gut for the best health and optimal weight loss.

There are many forms of fermented foods, including pastes, curries, seasonings, stews, pickles, condiments, and candy. They can be cooked in their various types, in multiple ways, as any part of a meal, including as a main dish, side dish, salad, or dessert. Additionally, there are fermented drinks that also serve to sustain and replenish the microbiomes in our bodies.

Alcoholic drinks like beer and wine, as well as non-alcoholic ones like milk, tea, and vinegar-based beverages, serve the same purpose.

Unfortunately, the primary source of healthy, wholesome, and preventive foods, traditional food cultures, are being overtaken by the popularity of ‘western fast foods’ and processed meals that have led to the current disheartening statistics regarding obesity all over the world.

IN CONCLUSION

When choosing foods that will help you maintain weight, you must research the particular foods you have in mind. It is also essential to consult your physician before using new foods in case of any health risk. Some foods may not be compatible with other people’s bodies.

Avoid foods that have excessive amounts of sugar, sodium, and fat. Most foods that will contain those mentioned above are mostly processed. Steer clear from them.

These foods lack nutritional value, which makes the food bad for your health and makes it easier for you to gain more weight. These processed foods include bacon, breakfast cereals, ham, instant noodles, and sodas.

The choice to eat whole and more nutritious food may not be a walk in the park, but it will go a long way toward weight loss.

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