What Should I Eat Every Day For Losing Weight?

If you want to lose weight, choose your foods wisely. Since weight loss requires cutting down on calorie intake, the foods you eat should be low in calorie content. Eat a variety of foods every day for optimum health, but count the number of calories you take in. To lose a pound or two a week, eat 500 to 1,000 calories less than you normally eat.

Fruits

Since most fruits contain few calories, eat a variety of fruits every day to lose weight. Eating fruit instead of a high-calorie snack like a piece of frosted cake can eliminate as much as 200 calories from your diet. Good choices include blackberries, cantaloupe, grapes, honeydew, peaches, pineapple, plums, strawberries and watermelon.

Vegetables

Like fruit, the majority of vegetables contain few calories. If you want like your vegetables cooked, steam them or boil them, and eat them plain. Low-calorie vegetables include bell peppers, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, spinach, string beans and tomatoes. There are only 5 calories in 1/2 cup of uncooked spinach.

Dairy Foods

Your body needs dairy foods every day for strong bones, so do not eliminate these foods from your diet. Choose dairy foods that have low-fat, non-fat, fat-free or reduced fat on their label. Reduced fat means reduced calories. Drink low-fat or non-fat milk, and eat fat-free yogurt and reduced fat cheeses.

Meat, Poultry, Beans and Fish

Certain meats are high in calories, so do not include these foods in your diet if you want to lose weight. Lean meat choices include top sirloin, tenderloin, ham, 95-percent lean chopped beef, and chicken and turkey without the skin. Beans with the lowest amount of calories are cooked black-eyed peas. Good fish choices are shrimp, clams, scallops and flounder, but eat fish only twice a week if you are concerned about mercury.

Low-Calorie Beverages and Water

Drink fluids every day, but choose those that are low in calories. Instead of drinking high-calorie beverages such as fruit punch and fruit juices, soda or chocolate milk, drink plain water or diet drinks. Flavor your water with a squeeze of lemon or lime if you do not like the taste of plain water.