Diets don’t always have to be focused on eating less. You can actually eat more and still lose weight so long as you are eating the right kinds of things. So what should you be eating more of in order to aid your weight loss?
1. Eat breakfast
It’s often said that you shouldn’t skip breakfast and that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Well from a weight loss perspective we’d probably agree with both. A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association suggested a link between skipping breakfast and a propensity to consume more calories throughout the rest of the day.
So what should you eat for breakfast if you are looking to lose weight? A study published in the International Journal of Obesity looked at the breakfast option for those already on a reduced-calorie weight loss diet. Half of the participants had two eggs for breakfast while the other half were given bagels. Those who consumed the eggs lost 65 per cent more than those who ate the bagels and also reported increased energy levels than the bagel eaters.
Weight loss could potentially be enhanced by a food such as eggs which has a high satiety level...
The study suggested that weight loss could potentially be enhanced by a food such as eggs which has a high satiety level (and therefore reduced food cravings), especially when eaten for breakfast.
2. Eat more fruit
If you are looking to control your calorie intake then eating more fruit could be key. Generally, because most fruit is relatively low in calories you can consume it without seriously depleting your daily calorie allowance. Eating fruit before a meal will fill you enough to prevent overindulging at actual meal times.
Fruit is the perfect snack option, and being full of fibre it helps keep you fuller for longer. Fibre can also help reduce the absorption of fat. Particularly low calorie fruit examples include apples, cranberries, apricots, grapefruit, strawberries and watermelon, so ensure you get some throughout the day and boost your overall health in the process too.
3. Eat more protein to promote muscle mass
The more muscle mass you possess the greater the number of calories you will burn, so there are weight loss benefits to boosting your muscles. By eating the right kinds of food, especially those high in protein, can promote muscle growth and help make you into a more efficient lean muscular calorie-burning machine.
If you are exercising as part of a weight loss programme then protein , particularly post-exercise, becomes of extra importance for muscle recovery. Good snacks to eat before exercise include bananas and peanut butter on toast. After a workout good recovery snacks include turkey or tuna or hummus.
4. Eat more whole grains
Carbs get a bad press, but that’s often because people are eating the wrong ones, namely refined carbohydrates. Instead do yourself and your weight loss a favour and go for good healthy, whole-grain foods. These are great as they are digested at a slow rate with slow release energy meaning that you stay full for longer and are therefore less likely to reach for unhealthy snacks for a quick energy fix.
Do yourself and your weight loss a favour and go for good healthy, whole-grain foods.
More weight in support of eating whole grains in order to help with weight loss is a provided from a Harvard School of Public Health study. The 20 year study looked at participants and their whole grain consumption and also monitored their weight. Those who ate more whole grains gained less weight over the period of the study than those who ate less whole grains.
Good sources of whole grains include barley, brown rice, porridge oats and quinoa.
5. Eat more greens
Your mother was right when she told you to eat your greens, and if weight loss is one of your main concerns then tuck into the green stuff and you’ll be onto a winner. It seems that foods such dark leafy greens such as kale, spinach, romaine lettuce plus others such as asparagus and broccoli contain folate, a B vitamin which can encourage weight loss.
It is thought that folate helps to steady blood insulin levels, encouraging the body to burn fats from what you’ve just eaten instead of storing them. A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that dieters who ate lots of folate-rich foods lost up to 8.5 times more weight than dieters who consumed the least amount of folate. Other good sources of folate include citrus foods, beans, peas, lentils, seeds and nuts, so you don’t have to restrict your folate intake to just greens.
