A healthy diet needs to meet your body's nutritional and energy requirements. That means what you eat must be filling, especially if you are dieting to lose weight. Although no single food promotes weight loss by itself, certain foods have more weight loss benefits than others. The right combination of food types is also needed for healthy digestion. The American Dietetic Association warns that there is no quick and easy way to achieve weight loss. Studies show that balanced nutrition by eating a variety of foods is needed to maintain a healthy weight.
Step 1
Aim for at least three servings of low-fat dairy food each day. Drink skim milk and eat low-fat yogurt to get the calcium you need. Dairy foods, including cheeses that are lower in fat, are also excellent sources of protein, some of the B vitamins and zinc. Skim milk has fewer calories and less fat, yet contains a bit more calcium than whole milk. Eat a bowl of whole grain cereal with skim milk and fruit for breakfast.
Step 2
Start off meals with a fresh salad of dark green leafy vegetables. These are rich in the enzymes needed to aid in the digestion of meat proteins. Cucumbers, avocados, tomatoes, bananas, pineapples and papayas are some other food sources of enzymes.
Step 3
Cut out eating fats and carbohydrates at the same time. Keep in mind that carbohydrates from whole grains release energy more slowly. Forgo the processed and refined foods altogether. Eat vegetables with your protein.
Step 4
Include foods high in fiber in your daily diet. These add bulk, making you feel full longer so you eat less, and consume fewer calories. Brown rice is a whole grain fiber food that also contains protein.
Step 5
Eat brown rice along with non-starchy vegetables, which have high water content and digest quickly. Most raw vegetables take more calories than they contain to digest. Because the body has to work harder, it burns more fat. Vegetables are packed full of nutrients as well.
Step 6
Limit fat and how much protein you eat in the form of red meat. Eat only one protein with every meal. White breast meat from poultry provides a leaner source of protein. Remove the skin, which is heavy in saturated fat. Pork tenderloin and lean beef have only a gram more of saturated fat than the white meat of chicken. Beef is also a good source of iron, zinc and vitamin B12.
Step 7
Consume adequate iron for energy. Any successful weight loss program should include exercise along with dieting. For that, you need energy. Serve up a salmon dish with a salad on the side. Salmon is a good source of iron that is low in calories. Fish also contain leptin, a hormone that suppresses appetite. Spinach salad with cherry tomatoes and strawberries provides the vitamin C needed to help the body absorb iron.
Step 8
Try some lentil soup with whole-wheat crackers if you are a vegetarian looking for a lighter meal. Unlike animal protein, plant protein provides incomplete protein sources, so you must eat them in combination.
Tips and Warnings
- Protein from milk, meat and eggs takes several hours to digest. The body releases acidic enzymes when digesting protein. These acids neutralize the alkaline enzymes needed to digest starches. For this reason, you should not mix starches and protein in the same meal.
- Consuming too much sodium in your diet can lead to water retention and extra pounds attributed to water weight. Starches take longer to digest and should not be eaten before bedtime.
Member Comments