All foods are not created equal. When you're on a diet, the type and amount of food you choose can make the difference between gaining or losing weight. When used in moderation and as part of a balanced diet, superfoods can boost your metabolism and promote weight loss. Additionally, superfoods are typically high in vitamins and nutrients and may also help keep your immune system strong.
Significance
According to "Self" magazine, choosing the proper foods can help you lose pounds by increasing the rate at which you burn calories and curbing unhealthy cravings. "Self" quotes a study from the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" that found eating protein in foods like steak helps women keep muscle mass; women who included beef in their diet had a greater weight loss than women who ate the same amount of calories but little beef.
Types
Types of superfoods include the aforementioned beef as well as eggs. "Self" reports findings from a study at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge that found women who ate an egg along with toast and jelly for breakfast every morning lost twice the amount of weight as women who ate a similar number of calories but no eggs. As with beef, the protein in eggs helps keep you full and is good for your muscles.
Kale is another superfood thanks to its large amounts of calcium, iron and fiber, as well as its low caloric content--one cup of raw kale has only 34 calories. Along the same lines, spinach is another low-calorie, high-density vegetable full of nutrients.
"Good Housekeeping" notes blueberries are a great superfood because they have a lot of potassium and vitamin C and are anti-inflammatory. Other types of superfoods include oats, salmon and green tea.
Identification
If you're not sure if a food is "super," you can follow some basic guidelines. The food should not be processed or contain any ingredients you can't pronounce. When possible, buy organic produce, meat and milk to help reduce toxins.
Misconceptions
Just because a food is promoted as a superfood doesn't mean you have a license to eat as much as you want. It's important to follow calorie guidelines and maintain portion sizes when you're trying to lose weight.
Expert Insight
"Fitness" magazine reports inflammation can stand in the way of weight loss because it may affect leptin, a hormone that influences our metabolisms and appetites. "In a normal-weight person, when body fat increases, leptin levels rise, which signals the brain that it needs to speed up metabolism and decrease appetite," Dr. Leo Galland told the magazine. "But in heavy people, that message gets lost, and the body can't regulate its fat stores." Eating superfoods and restricting sugar and trans fats can help reduce inflammation, as can incorporating exercise into your lifestyle.
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