Many factors are involved in losing weight, such as the total amount of calories you consume each day and the amount of exercise you perform. But one crucial aspect is the type of foods you eat. Eating certain foods can promote fullness and improve your chances of weight loss, while other foods may leave you unsatisfied and induce cravings. One food group with many potentially effective weight loss foods is dairy.
Low-Fat Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese is a high-protein, low-carbohydrate dairy product, but as with all dairy products, it can be high in fat if you use the full-fat variety. Low-fat cottage cheese is more diet friendly, as a 1/2-cup serving provides 1.15 g of fat, 3 g of carbohydrates and 14 g of protein. High-protein foods can be beneficial for diets; research from the October 2009 issue of "Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases" found that high-protein diets can induce more weight and fat loss than lower-protein diets.
Whey Protein
Whey protein is a high-protein food that comes in powdered form. Athletes and bodybuilders often use whey protein, but it can be useful for weight loss as well. Research from the October 2010 issue of the "British Journal of Nutrition" found that whey protein suppresses appetite more than other types of protein, which can make it easier to control your food intake.
Skim Milk
Skim milk contains no fat, which makes it lower in calories than regular milk. While skim milk is rich in carbohydrates, with 12 g per cup, it is also rich in protein, with 8 g per cup. Milk is low in calories, with 80 per cup, and can be filling due to the protein content. The October 2007 issue of the "Journal of the American Dietetic Association" found that skim milk can help prevent loss of muscle during weight loss.
Nonfat Yogurt
Nonfat yogurt is low in calories, although like milk, it contains more carbohydrates than protein. However, nonfat yogurt is rich in calcium, with 452 mg per 8-ounce serving. According to research from the January 2010 issue of the "International Journal of Obesity," consumption of a high-calcium diet may promote weight loss, as calcium inhibits fat absorption.
References
- LIVESTRONG.COM MyPlate: Calories in Borden Lowfat Cottage Cheese
- "Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases"; High Protein Diets Decrease Total and Abdominal Fat and Improve CVD Risk Profile in Overweight and Obese Men and Women with Elevated Triacylglycerol; P.M. Clifton, K. Bastiaans, J.B. Keogh; October 2009
- "British Journal of Nutrition"; The Acute Effects of Four Protein Meals on Insulin, Glucose, Appetite and Energy Intake in Lean Men; S. Pal, V. Ellis; October 2010
- LIVESTRONG.COM MyPlate: Calories in Skim Milk
- "Journal of the American Dietetic Association"; Preliminary Study: Soy Milk as Effective as Skim Milk in Promoting Weight Loss; J.M. Lukaszuk, P. Luebbers, B.A. Gordon; October 2007
- "International Journal of Obesity"; Effect of Dairy and Non-Dairy Calcium on Fecal Fat Excretion in Lactose Digester and Maldigester Obese Adults; M.S. Buchowski et al.; January 2010
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