Choosing the best foods to eat includes changing your eating habits as a way to lose weight. As healthy foods become a regular part of your diet, weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight become routine. Instead of focusing on the foods you can't eat, enjoy the variety of foods you can eat in large amounts. You can also enjoy other foods by eating smaller portions and cutting back on your fat intake.
Bread, Cereal, Rice and Other Grains
Grains provide plenty of fiber to increase your intake of food while making you feel fuller without the added calories of high-fat foods. You satisfy your hunger and maintain a healthy weight in the process. MayoClinic.com recommends eating whole grains as often as possible, instead of refined grains. Whole grains have more fiber and nutrients than processed grains. Whole-grain or 100-percent whole-wheat bread and pasta, high-fiber cereal, brown rice, oatmeal and barley contain whole grains. Enjoy air-popped popcorn without butter as a snack or use light butter.
Vegetables
Make fiber-rich vegetables a larger part of your meals while decreasing the meat portion in your dishes to reduce fat intake. Vegetables have few calories in a high volume for a weight-loss diet. Avoid fried, breaded or creamy vegetables and focus on fresh, steamed or sauteed vegetables. Lightly cooked vegetables can replace heavy sauces or cheeses for your pasta meals. Raw vegetables, such as celery or carrot sticks, make healthy snacks. Add more fresh or steamed vegetables on your sandwiches and use less meat.
Fruit
Fruit also contains fiber to provide you with a full feeling without high calories or fat. Include fruit in your side dishes and salads, for dessert or as snacks. Keep fresh fruit available to snack on or as an appetizer before meals. Choose frozen or canned fruit without added sugar or syrup. Fruit makes a nutritious addition to whole-grain cereal. Use fruit slices over a small amount of peanut butter on whole-wheat bread or toast.
Low-Fat Protein
Protein boosts energy and helps build muscle tissue, but many protein foods have high amounts of saturated fat. Select lean meat with all visible fat trimmed off and eat small portions in your meals. Eat fish and skinless white-meat chicken or turkey. Have more beans, peas and lentils, which have high amounts of protein and fiber, whenever possible. Choose low-fat or nonfat dairy products and egg whites to reduce fat intake and lose weight.
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