A diet helps you lose weight by providing you with fewer calories than you burn in a day. Eating quality, unprocessed foods will help you obtain the best nutrition possible to support physical health and energy as well as making you feel more satisfied than scanty portions of nutritionally weak junk foods. Foods for your diet needs help you maintain balance and variety.
Lean Proteins
Chicken and fish are the best sources of animal protein, notes the Harvard School of Public Health. They contain less saturated fat than red meat and usually are lower in calories. Fatty fish also provides essential fatty acids in the form of omega-3s that can improve heart health. Vegetarian sources of protein like egg whites, beans and soy are also low in saturated fat. Very lean red meat like extra-lean ground beef, bison and pork tenderloin may be part of your diet, as long as you stick to less than 18 oz. per week to reduce your risk of colon cancer. Go for just two or three, 3 to 4 oz. servings of protein per day, recommends Joanne Larsen, R.D., on Ask the Dietitian.
Carbohydrates
Grains, cereals, pasta, vegetables and fruits are all carbohydrates. Seek out ones highest in fiber, like whole grain brown rice, oatmeal and bran, and whole wheat breads and pasta. Eat about six servings per day, keeping in mind that a serving size is equal to ½ cup of grain or cereal or 1 slice of bread the size of a cassette tape or compact disc. Go for fiber-rich vegetables and fruits with deep, varied colors to expose yourself to a wide range of nutrients. Eat between three and five servings of vegetables daily and two to three servings of fruit daily. A serving of vegetables is 1 cup and a piece of fruit is about the size of a baseball, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Limit your intake of refined carbohydrates like white flour and simple sugars.
Healthy Fats
All fats are a dieter's enemy. Limit your intake of saturated fats found in animal products to less than 7 percent of daily fat calories, and cut out all trans fats, advises the American Heart Association. Make unsaturated fats comprise about 30 percent of your diet to support vitamin absorption and hormone production and enhance satiation, says Larson. Saturated fats are found in animal products and palm oil, while trans fats are in many processed snack foods and commercially fried foods. In addition to your consumption of fatty fish, the fats you do want to eat can be obtained by consuming small servings of olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocados.
Dairy
Low-fat dairy actually helps enhance weight loss as demonstrated by a study from Curtin University in Australia in October 2009. Researchers compared dieters eating five daily servings of foods like cottage cheese, yogurt and skim milk with dieters eating just three daily servings. Those eating more dairy lost a greater amount of weight and fat over the course of 12 weeks. Include your five servings daily by pouring a glass of milk over your cereal at breakfast, snacking twice per day on yogurt or cottage cheese, adding milk to soups and casseroles, and drinking a glass of skim milk before bed.
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