Top 5 Healthiest Foods To Help You Lose Weight

To lose weight, you need to eat less and exercise more. Hence if you are on a weight loss diet, it is important to choose foods that contain few calories but are filling at the same time. It is also important that you get the necessary amounts of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals from the foods. Foods helpful for weight loss are low in calories but packed with nutrients.

Grapefruit

A study done by K. Fujioka and colleagues at the Department of Nutrition and Metabolic Research at the Scripps Clinic in California and reported in the "Journal of Medicinal Food" documents that obese patients given grapefruit or grapefruit juice for 12 weeks lost more weight than those not given grapefruit or grapefruit juice. The group that consumed fresh grapefruit also had improved insulin resistance. While researchers do not yet know the mechanism, the evidence is strong enough to recommend including grapefruit in a weight-reduction diet. Grapefruit is also rich in fiber, vitamin C and the anti-cancer compounds liminoids and lycopene.

Apples

Eating an apple half an hour before a meal will make you eat less because the fiber in the apple makes you feel full. Moreover, apples are packed with antioxidants, which protect you from free radicals and may thus prevent heart disease and cancer.

Lettuce

Lettuce is mostly water and thus contains a negligible amount of calories. It is also a source of vitamin A, folate and antioxidants. The darker the leaves are, the higher the amount of antioxidants the lettuce contains; thus, romaine and watercress contain more antioxidants than iceberg. Interestingly, lettuce contains lactucarium, a mild opiate-like substance that has analgesic and sedative properties.

Air-Popped Popcorn

Air-popped popcorn is one of the best snacks for weight loss. It is high in fiber, low in calories and fat and contains no sodium or sugar. With only 29 calories per cup, it is an ideal crave-buster. A number of popcorn seasonings can be used to add flavor without adding calories. These usually come in sprays.

Green Tea

Green tea is one of the most concentrated sources of antioxidants, namely the catechin polyphenols, such as epigallocatechin gallate. It has been linked to various health benefits, including protection from heart disease and cancer. Green tea is also believed to aid weight loss by increasing metabolic rate and enhancing fat oxidation, as discussed by Q. Shixian in the "Journal of Medicinal Food."