Foods that help you lose weight

Foods that help you lose weight

Losing weight used to be associated with counting kilojoules and depriving yourself. Not anymore. Real lasting weight loss can be achieved by eating delicious, even decadent foods that kick-start your metabolism and help you burn fat.

It’s all about boosting your metabolism

Traditional diets usually focus on kilojoule control, that is eating fewer kilojoules than you burn. These diets work, but only up to a point. Very few dieters are able to stick to them and give up sooner than later because they feel so deprived.

The good news is that certain foods can help you lose weight and look slimmer, because they make you feel full for longer, help prevent water retention and bloating and help curb cravings, while others turbocharge your metabolism and help burn fat. All you have to do is learn what to eat and drink!

Kick-start your metabolism with breakfast

Breakfast is the meal furthest away from your next sleep cycle (at night), which gives your body ample time to digest and metabolise what you have eaten. This means that you can actually eat more, stay feeling full longer and gain less.

Start the day with lemon juice in a glass of warm water. Lemon helps prevent water retention that makes you look fat. Follow this up with half a grapefruit. It contains a compound that can lower insulin, a fat-storage hormone. However, do be careful if you are on chronic medication or undergoing cancer treatment as grapefruit may interact with certain medicines.

A protein-rich breakfast that includes eggs will keep you feeling full longer. Oats porridge is a resistant starch and therefore also a good choice. (In a resistant starch not all the starch gets digested, but some of it passes through the digestive tract unchanged.) Add a sprinkling of cinnamon to help lower soaring blood sugar levels that promote fat storage. Another healthy option is a bowl of muesli, yoghurt and berries.
Low-fat milk and other low-fat dairy products will help you feel full longer. For a mega metabolism kick-start, eat Greek-style yogurt with lemon.

Keep the furnace going with protein

New research suggests that we may actually need more protein per day than the recognised recommended daily dose. Protein is a known hunger buster and fat-burner. Examples of fat-burning proteins are avocado, asparagus, spinach, legumes and beans, oily fish, leaner cuts of meat, a limited portion of nuts (especially almonds) and grain-like seeds such as quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat.

Lose belly fat with healthy carbs

“Good” carbohydrates are those packed with resistant starch, which speeds up your metabolism, and natural fat burners. Believe it or not, the right kinds of carbohydrates will also help you lose your belly fat faster.

Fruit, dairy and vegetables are all good sources of carbohydrates. Pearl barley, lentils, kidney and white beans, chickpeas and bananas are rich in resistant starch.

Other healthy carbs include plantains, brown rice, couscous, bulgur or cracked wheat, wheat berries and whole-wheat pasta.

Stay hydrated and flush out toxins

Your body needs water to process kilojoules but when you become dehydrated your metabolism may slow down too. So, drink eight glasses of water daily.

Some studies have shown that drinking four to five cups of green tea per day speeds up metabolism and can result in substantial weight loss around your waist.

Use those herbs and spices

Spicy food and vegetables such as chilli peppers contain capsaicin that raises your body temperature, kick-starts your metabolism and helps burn kilojoules. Wasabi peas, cayenne, black pepper and ginger do the same.

And the last word is a reminder that “the best way to maintain a healthy weight is to combine a balanced diet that includes fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and alternatives, legumes and low-fat dairy products like milk, yoghurt and cheese with daily exercise” (R. Glatter).

Sources
Fourteen mega metabolism boosters. 2014. Retrieved from: http://www.doctoroz.com
Glatter, R. Six healthy carbs to help you lose weight. 2013. Retrieved from:http://www.forbes.com
KleinSo S. Best superfoods for weight loss. Retrieved from: http://www.health.com
Levitt, S. Nine foods to help you lose weight. Retrieved from: http://www.webmd.com
Micco, N. Six carbs to add to your diet to help you stay slim. Retrieved from: http://www.eatingwell.com
Pomroy, H. 2014. It’s all about your metabolism. Retrieved from: http://www.doctoroz.com
Top 50 stomach flattening foods. Retrieved from: http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk