Food is fuel and what we put into our body matters. With obesity reaching epic proportions globally, watching what we eat, and what our children eat has never been more important. The strain on our health from unhealthy eating choices is the cause of many chronic illness and our early demise too. So food matters.
When it comes to diets or dieting, many people are not big fans. The results are most often short lived with some evidence to suggest that in the long term, the body actually packs on even more pounds in an attempt to repair the damage that the diet left in its wake.
What makes total sense to me personally is making healthy eating a way of life.
Give yourself the gift of good food. The health benefits of healthy eating cannot be underestimated. We are what we eat so let’s make sure to:
- Make every mouthful count – don’t waste valuable calories on rubbish;
- Use food as medicine – to prevent health related issues;
- Be more food aware – knowledge is power, educate yourself;
- Prepare healthy meals – take the time, it is worth it.
Maintaining The Balance
Everything in moderation, that’s what we are told. And to a certain extent this is true. You can have chocolate, but not the entire bar. Taste the cake, but don’t take a whole slice. If you believe that things are out of bounds, you will simply want them more. So open the doors to everything, in your mind at least anyway.
However, that said, there are of course some foods that will do that job of helping you lose weight better than others and some foods that stack on the pounds. The science of food is something quite incredibly complex and takes time to truly understand.
This article will focus on several foods that will help support your body to lose weight and shift some of those excess pounds that just won’t shift.
Speeding Up The Process
So, when it comes to losing weight and burning fat, what foods are going to get you the results you are looking for?
Lemons
Lemons are naturally cleansing and detoxifying, which makes them great when you are looking to detox the body and kick start your weight loss program. They work well to boost metabolism and provide a healthy alkalizing effect on your body. Lemons are great when squeezed onto your food, added to shakes, or simply mixed with water to detoxify as well as take away the bland taste. Lemons are packed vitamin C too, which is something that you need in your daily diet.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon, a middle eastern spice, is incredibly healthy for your body. It tastes so good too. Dating back over 2,000 years, cinnamon is the spice that histories are made of. Its strong smell and pungent odour make it a must for baking and flavouring hot drinks. It has the ability to regulate your blood sugars, which is an important part of the weight loss process. Just one tablespoon contains
- 19 calories.
- 0 grams of fat, sugar, or protein
- 4 grams of fiber
- 68% manganese
- 8% calcium
- 4% iron
- 3% Vitamin K
Don’t be shy when it comes to this warming spice. Sprinkle it on oatmeal for breakfast and add to smoothies or hot drinks for added flavour and depth.
Turmeric
Studies suggest that turmeric and its key bioactive element, curcumin, may help prevent the formation of mature fat cells. This phytochemical lauds a crucial role in facilitating weight loss. Research shows that the active constituent of curcumin are curcumnoids. Make sure you are get a quality turmeric supplement and not just something cheap from your local supermarket that has been mixed with goodness knows what. If you are looking for a quality turmeric choose one high in curcuminoids. These Research Verified reviews here will direct you towards some quality turmeric supplements.
Word of warning: turmeric can turn your teeth yellow. The most effective way to consume turmeric is by digesting it in capsule form.
Avocados
Our body need fat. There are many different types of fat, making sure you eat the right fats is key to optimizing weight loss. Avocados contain Oleic acid, a healthy monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) which has been shown to increase feelings of satiety. Avocados contain high levels of fiber and protein also. Use in salads or even baking, this tasty, delicious healthy power packed fruit, will help melt belly fat and speed up weight loss.
Broccoli
In terms of calories, broccoli is very low with only 30 calories per serving. Broccoli can be cooked or eaten raw and mixes well with many other ingredients. Whether you are stir frying with noodles, steaming, baking a quiche or making a spicy salad, broccoli can bring a beautiful crisp freshness to the dish, as well as making it look tasty too with it’s gorgeous green colour. This is one ingredient that you shouldn’t be shy to load up on.
Grapefruit
Packed full of vitamin C, this rotund, citrus powerhouse works hard to boost metabolism and reduce the insulin levels in the body, stopping it from storing a lower amount of sugar as fat. Unbelievably, grapefruit is one of the many superfoods that are high in fiber with very few calories (a half grapefruit is only about 40 calories, usually a little less). It also falls under the category of “negative calorie” foods (such as celery) which basically translates to the fact that it takes more calories to consume than it does in the actual fruit itself. Take your pick from pink or yellow grapefruits, both provide weight loss benefits but note that the pnk is slight sweeter and less bitter than the yellow.
Almonds
The health benefits of almonds span way further than helping you lose weight. Boosting cognitive energy, alleviating constipation, nourishing the skin, supporting healthy bones and lowering the risk of colon cancer are to name but a few. They contain high amounts of fiber, so will help with increasing feelings of satiety which in turn will allow you to eat less calories by eating less food. Almonds are great eaten raw, mixed in a shake, used in baking or simply sprinkled on oatmeal for a tasty breakfast treat.
Water – but cold water!
We are going to include this, albeit not technically a food. We cannot underestimate the importance of water and how it can speed up the weight loss process. You should drink around 2 liters of water a day, 1 liter before 12pm, the rest throughout the rest of the day. The only must here, when dieting, is that the water must be cold when you drink it. The body burns more calories heating up ice-cold water to the normal body temperature, so the colder the water the more calories you will burn.
Take Home Message
See food as your foe, not your enemy. There are literally endless recipes out there that will work wonders for your body. Do the research and take the time to make delicious food choices that you and your family will enjoy and that will get you the results that you are looking for when it comes to shifting some weight. Losing weight doesn’t mean that you have to starve yourself, in fact, quite the opposite. Eating the right things, in the right amounts, combined with the right ingredients is what matters. Bon appetit!
