To lose weight and keep it off for good, it's important to enjoy a diverse diet in order to give your body the variety of nutrients it needs as well as prevent boredom from eating the same things every day. But the other key to successful dieting is having appealing staple foods that you can rely upon day after day to provide energy while keeping your calories in check. Ideal diet staples should fill you up, be versatile enough to be eaten in different ways and, of course, be foods that you enjoy eating.
Eggs
Inexpensive, versatile, packed with filling protein, low in calories and full of nutrients, eggs are one of the most under-appreciated diet foods around. The combination of protein and fat in an egg is what makes you feel so full and satisfied after eating one; in fact, research from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center showed that people who ate eggs for breakfast felt less hungry all day long than people who ate carbohydrates. Eggs are also an excellent diet staple because they can be eaten any time of day and can be prepared to suit any taste. Enjoy scrambled eggs with turkey bacon for breakfast, a hardboiled egg as a snack, an egg sandwich on a whole-grain English muffin for lunch or a vegetable frittata for dinner.
Yogurt
Plain, low-fat yogurt is one of the healthiest and most versatile diet foods you'll find. It offers up calcium, healthy bacteria and enough protein to keep you full for hours. Yogurt topped with fruit or whole-grain cereal makes an excellent breakfast but try using it in some more unexpected ways: mix with pureed black beans and spices for a healthy bean dip, add it to a fruit smoothie or use it in place of sour cream when cooking. For a mega-dose of protein, opt for low-fat Greek yogurt, which is thicker and creamier than the regular version but equally low in calories.
Apples
Crisp and flavorful apples are the perfect snack whether you're on the go or at home; they're inexpensive, portable, require no preparation and most supermarkets carry enough varieties to allow you to try a new flavor every day of the week. The high fiber and water content of an apple also fills you up, at about 100 calories for a medium-size fruit; if you have a tendency to overindulge at mealtime, try munching on an apple 15 minutes before you eat to curb the ravenous feeling that leads to overeating.
Beans
Beans offer up the protein and fiber you need to feel full with a minimal amount of calories and fat. They're also easy to cook, inexpensive, come in over 100 varieties and pair well with many other foods: try them in soups, on salads, mixed with rice, on top of baked potatoes, mashed as a chip and veggie dip, or pureed with chicken broth and Mexican spices for a healthy sauce to top chicken and vegetables.
Member Comments