Healthy Weight Loss Foods: What Foods to Eat When Dieting
Foods to Enjoy
The best foods to eat while dieting will not only provide your body with essential nutrients, but will actually improve weight loss as well. Dieting does not have to be an uncomfortable experience, with a constant hunger and desire for food. Instead, it should be a time to transform an unhealthy diet into a healthy one. This means going through a period of cleansing and detoxification while integrating healthy weight loss foods into a regular diet.
There are many great foods to eat when dieting that will facilitate this transition. High-fiber foods, foods with a high water content, high-protein, low-fat foods, and foods with beneficial essential fatty acids can all improve weight loss efficiency during dieting and after.
Fiber-Rich Foods
Foods that are high in fiber are good for promoting weight loss. Fiber assists the body’s natural process of elimination, promoting the removal of excess waste and toxins. Fiber-rich foods also increase the sense of feeling full by slowing the movement of food through the body, while at the same time speeding the movement of fatty material so it has less of an opportunity to be absorbed. Also, to eat fiber-rich foods when dieting as opposed to refined grains such as white flour products, is a way to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. White flour products tend cause a rush of insulin, followed by a rapid drop; this causes of craving for more sugary or white-flour based foods, starting a cycle of over-eating.
For a healthy blend of both soluble and insoluble fiber, be sure to eat a variety of fiber-rich foods when dieting. Foods that are high in fiber include:
- apples
- pears
- oats
- brown rice
- lentils
- carrots
- broccoli
- sweet potatoes
- whole wheat bread and pasta
High Water Content Foods
Foods with a high water content and low calories are ideal for healthy weight loss. They provide extra hydration to help cleanse the body while at the same time improving nutrient absorption. They also help the body feel full without actually consuming too many calories. Many fruits and vegetables fall into this category. Foods that have a high water content include:
- celery
- cucumber
- watermelon
- green leafy vegetables
- yogurt
- soup
Other Beneficial Foods to Eat When Dieting
Aside from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, there are other, richer foods to eat when dieting. Lean proteins such as chicken breast, tofu, and beans are perfect for providing much needed nutrition and protein, with only a small amount of fat. Also, foods high in essential fatty acids, such as nuts, salmon, and avocados are extremely healthy weight loss foods. Essential fatty acids have an oily texture which actually serves to remove fatty build-up in blood vessels. Some fat is also important to consume even when dieting, including a small amount of saturated fat.
When dieting, focus on the great tasting foods that can and should be enjoyed. If dieting can become a positive experience instead of a negative one, we are much more likely to stick to our healthy eating plans.
Sources:
Balch, Phyllis A. " Prescription for Nutritional Healing." Fourth Edition (Penguin Books, 2006).
photo by: MtCarlson
