The National Institutes of Health suggests that one of the healthiest ways to lose weight is to control your calorie intake and exercise regularly. While slashing calories from you diet is a surefire way to drop pounds, certain foods take longer to digest, make you feel fuller and keep you feeling satiated longer. By making these foods a diet staple, you can drop weight more quickly.
What Foods to Eat
In an article by Jen Laskey of Chesapeake College, Laskey reports that foods that make you feel fuller faster include those that are high in fiber, fruit, vegetables, lean protein and healthy fats. These foods also make you feel satisfied longer. According to the Mayo Clinic, by choosing foods with fewer calories, such as fruit and vegetables, you can also consume larger portion sizes.
Energy Density
The Mayo Clinic explains that when choosing foods that will help you lose weight, you should consider energy density, which refers to calorie content. Desserts and processed foods have high energy densities. Small amounts of these foods contain a lot of calories. Low-density foods, such as fruit and vegetables, are good choices when trying to lose weight. Foods such as beans and cooked grains have high water content and less fat. They make you feel full, and it takes your body longer to process them, making the satiated feeling last longer.
Breakfast
MealsMatter.org, the official website of the Dairy Council of California, explains that skipping breakfast slows your metabolism and forces your blood sugar to drop. The result is that you put yourself at risk for snacking impulsively and eating a larger lunch or dinner.
In a 2002 study published by the journal "Obesity Research," lead researcher Dr. Holly Wyatt reports that eating breakfast is a common characteristic of people who successfully lose weight and maintain weight loss.
Digestion
Foods high in fiber, lean proteins and healthy fats can help you drop pounds quickly. Whole wheat bread, whole-wheat pasta, oatmeal and brown rice are complex carbs that are high in fiber and nutrients. The Mayo Clinic reports that these high-fiber foods, along with fruit and vegetables, take longer to digest, which makes you feel fuller longer. Examples of lean proteins, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, include turkey or chicken breast with the skin removed, fish fillets, canned tuna, cottage cheese, egg whites or egg substitutes, and cooked beans.
Healthy fats slow the digestion process, according to HelpGuide.org, which gives your body more time to absorb the nutrients in your food. Healthy fats provide a constant level of energy and keep you feeling satiated. The types of healthy fats you want to consume to lose weight, according to the University of Minnesota Health Systems, include olive or flaxseed oil, low-fat dairy, avocados, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, nuts, black olives and fish.
Fresh Foods
Another great suggestion for dropping pounds without sacrificing good food is to prepare your meals from scratch as much as possible. HelpGuide.org reports that using a commercial salad dressing, for example, can up your energy intake by hundreds of calories. Many salad dressings sold at the supermarket are high in saturated fats, unhealthy chemicals and overly processed ingredients.
According to an article by Lorie Johnson, a medical news reporter at the Christian Broadcasting Network, processed foods are responsible for raising bad cholesterol and lowering good cholesterol. Trans fats, often added to processed foods, interfere with hormones in the body and increase your risk for heart disease, cancer, stroke and weight gain. By preparing meals using fresh vegetables and oils with healthy fats and seeds, you reduce the energy density of your food, feel fuller longer and can even eat more food.
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