Weight management is a long-term approach to having a healthy lifestyle. The process includes a balance of physical exercise and healthy eating to equate energy intake and energy expenditure. In addition, knowing what your body requires is important to weight management and it can help you control under-consumption or over-consumption of food.
The journey to losing weight starts in the kitchen, and the first step to lose weight is to remove all refined and sugary packaged foods from your fridge and pantry. Refined foods are usually highly processed and they’ve been stripped of their fiber and nutrient content. On the other hand, wholesome foods such as vegetables and fruits, beans and healthy fats like avocados, seeds and nuts are packed with antioxidants and essential nutrients that are beneficial for weight loss and optimal health. However, there are certain foods that offer exceptional nutritional value. Below is a comprehensive list of top 8 weight loss foods:
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Green Tea Weight Loss
Green tea has a wide range health benefits as compared to coffee or the other beverages. Green tea helps in maintaining the body weight. This is mainly due to its perfection to burn body fats, which results in weight loss.
Green tea also contains epigallocatechin-3-gallate, commonly known as EGCG. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate is an antioxidant that helps to burn calories throughout the day. Medical research has shown that green tea slows down weight gain process by restricting absorption of fats and increasing the ability of the body to burn fat. It also keeps the body hydrated, which helps to reduce your appetite.
For optimum benefits and as one of the ways to lose weight, drink 2 cups of concentrated tea or freshly brewed green tea every day.
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Apples Weight Loss
Apples help to lose weight thanks to the high water content that they have. They also have both insoluble and soluble fiber, which helps in preventing your blood sugar levels from increasing dramatically. The blood sugar spikes are basically what cause cravings. Apples also have quercetin – a nutrient that’s helpful at protecting you from certain types of cancer. In addition, they also promote healthy lungs and reduce damage caused by cholesterol.
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Flax seeds Weight Loss
Flax seeds are great foods for losing weight thanks to their healthy fats and fiber content. Dietary fiber is a very important weight loss nutrient, and flax seeds have high fiber content. Studies have shown that a drink containing 2.5 g of flax seeds fiber helps in suppressing appetite. This makes you to feel full in a very short period of time, and the feeling (satiety) lasts for long.
Flax seeds also contains high amounts of omega 3 fatty acids that help to burn calories lose weight. A 2013 study that was published in the European Journals of Clinical Nutrition shows that including sufficient amounts of omega 3s in your diet will help to prevent obesity. When added to weight loss diets, flax seeds also help to reduce inflammation markers like TNF-a and CRP.
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Oranges Weight Loss
Orange is an incredible food for losing weight. High vitamin C and fiber contents of this fruit usually promote weight loss. According to health experts, people who consume more vitamin C – rich foods usually have low body mass index when compared to those who eat less vitamin C. In addition, Vitamin C promotes production of carnitine in the human body, which in turn reduces fat thus making oranges one of the most effective ways to lose weight.
The fiber content of oranges makes people less likely to gain extra weight. High fiber foods generally take longer time to chew and slow down the emptying of your stomach. As such, fiber will keep you full for a longer duration.
This fat free, low calorie fruit is also a great source of essential nutrients required for maintaining a healthy body. If you don’t like exercises, such as yoga to lose weight, then start your days with an orange or drink one glass of fresh orange juice on a daily basis. However, you should avoid the packaged orange juice because it contains preservatives and sweeteners.
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Grapefruit Weight Loss
A powerhouse for maintaining heart health, grapefruit has a high content of vitamin C, potassium and folic acid, along with pectin. Pectin is a soluble fiber that’s a strong ally against atherosclerosis. The red and pink varieties also contain vitamin A and lycopene. Lycopene is a phytochemical that protects the arterial walls from any oxidative damage. In order to get the juiciest specimens, you should select heavy fruits and ensure that you try them in a refreshing salad.
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Salmon Weight Loss
Cold water fish such as salmon also boosts the body’s metabolism and help to burn fat quicker. Salmon is well packed with good fats, which are conducive to lose weight. In addition, the good quality proteins in salmon also help in weight loss.
Proteins require more energy from the human body to process. As such, they provide the fat burning benefits. Lean sources of protein such as salmon will also help you to feel full for a long period of time. A 2011 study that was published in the journals Metabolism analyzed the effects of different fish proteins in altering adiposity, inflammatory status, body weight, and insulin sensitivity on high fat – fed rats and it showed that salmon is the most effective one. It also has vitamin D, which is deficient in most people.
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Blueberries Weight Loss
Blueberry is a powerful figure friendly food that should be included in your diet in case you want to burn calories to lose weight. These small berries have powerful antioxidants that neutralize free radicals. Blueberries also contain good amounts of water and soluble fiber that produces a feeling of fullness so that you’ll stay satisfied for a long period between meals while still improving digestion.
The manganese in blueberries metabolizes proteins, fats and carbohydrates. In addition, these berries are free from sodium, fat or cholesterol. Blueberries also help in eliminating belly fats. The polyphenols found in blueberries usually reduce belly fat. They also reduce the risk factors for the metabolic syndrome.
Try eating about a cup of blueberries daily. You can eat these berries as a healthy snack or even include them in smoothie, yogurt or fruit salad.
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Oatmeal Weight Loss
An oatmeal breakfast is good for people who are trying to maintain a healthy body or lose weight. Oatmeal has beta glucan – a type of soluble fiber that helps to reduce abnormal fat level in the blood. It also induces great feelings of fullness as well as a reduction in hunger.
Health experts believe that oatmeal offers more fiber as compared to other ready-to-eat cereals. In addition, regular intake of oats can help to reduce waist to hip ratio and ultimately body weight.
Summary
If you dislike dieting or exercises like yoga to lose weight, and you don’t have time to go to a nearby gym every day, then the above listed can help to lose weight faster. Besides weight loss, these foods will pack your body with nutrients that help in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol thus preventing heart diseases.