A logical question: if you have anything, it will be much harder to lose weight. Many people think that the best food for weight loss is the one with the least calories. There is some truth in this, but calorie content is still not the only criterion. The right food for weight loss should also be satisfying, easy to prepare, and cause only a slight increase in insulin levels. Based on all these criteria, we begin to choose the right menu!
1. Egg white
The favorite product of bodybuilders, fitness models and other jocks because it is one hundred percent protein. Four grams of protein, zero grams of carbs and fats, and only 16 calories. Would you like ten whole egg whites for breakfast? Not a problem, it's some measly 160 kcal that will saturate you to the core. An egg white omelet with vegetables and low-fat cheese is a great breakfast, and the protein separated from a boiled egg is a satisfying snack if you add vegetables for fiber.
2. Low fat yogurt
An excellent source of not only protein, but also calcium, besides, this is, one might say, a dessert, you can indulge in it. There are a million different yoghurts, you just need to watch that the composition is low in sugar. It's even better to take yogurt without additives and chop the fruit into it yourself, and then beat in a blender. There is a whopping 22 grams of protein in one serving of Greek yogurt and only 120 calories.
Studies have shown that eating yogurt can help you lose fat. Maybe this is because calcium reduces the ability of cells to store fat in themselves, or in certain chains of amino acids found in dairy products. In general, yogurt helps you lose weight.
3. Turkey
Skinless turkey is the leanest meat on the shelves. Would you like to eat some turkey breast? Easily! It has only 240 calories and a lot of protein. Just do not forget to remove your skin: it has fat in it, which will negate all your efforts to select a "lean" diet.
4. Apples
A great option because apples are easy to take with you and can be eaten anywhere. A medium apple contains 24 grams of carbohydrates, 3 of which are fiber, and 80 calories. This applies to both red and green fruits: almost all apples are the same in calories. When choosing them, pay attention to the smell: the apple should smell like an apple. Blueberries have gone not far from it: they are high in fiber and antioxidants.
5. Salad
It doesn't have much fiber, but it takes more calories to digest than it contains. Nice fact. This is the so-called negative calorie product.
The main reason why salad is on this list is simple. Take a salad, add vegetables and some legumes and you're full. Another plus: the salad is chewed for a long time. Why is this good? The brain realizes that you are full only 20 minutes after eating, and the longer you eat, the less you end up eating. Another bonus is antioxidants and vitamins.
6. Lean chicken or vegetable soup
Like a salad, soup is a meal to be eaten thoughtfully, and as a result, you eat less. Also, soup is easy to fill up and get fewer calories. You can combine and cook any vegetables in one saucepan. We fry only onions with carrots in a little oil, if you are planning lean borscht, then also beets. All other vegetables are thrown raw into the pan. The result is unrivaled. Be afraid to order soup in restaurants: as a rule, they put cream, cheese, sour cream there, and this is far from a dietary option.
7. Almonds
It is high in calories like all nuts, but it contains healthy fats. To be more precise, almonds are the seed of an almond tree. It contains a lot of vitamin E as well as protein.
Studies have shown that the calories we get from nuts are less harmful to the figure than everyone else: the human body is supposedly unable to efficiently extract energy from nuts.
Be careful with them anyway! Nuts are easy to overeat. A quarter cup of almonds contains 140 calories and 15 grams of fat, which means there are (incredible) 560 calories and 60 grams of fat in a whole cup! So your dose is a handful, just a quarter of a cup.
8. Oatmeal
A very satisfying product with few calories. This porridge contains slow carbohydrates that provide long-lasting feelings of fullness and doesn't make your insulin skyrocket. It's especially good if you don't make it sweet: I honestly have no idea how you can eat sweet porridge. My choice is oatmeal in water with soy sauce. This is like a peasant, without honey and raspberries, ugh! How to cook oatmeal,.
9. Tuna
I heard a joke that in a public place a bodybuilder can be easily recognized by his smell: he smells fish a mile away from him, because he eats tuna a hundred times every day. Choose canned food without mayonnaise, otherwise there will be no benefit from them. Mayonnaise is a disaster in any weight loss attempt because it is high in fat and empty calories. In other cases, tuna is useful, especially if you make a real steak from it.
10. Broccoli
Most often sold frozen. Add to an omelet, to any oven-baked vegetables and fish, you can throw in a vegetable soup. It seems to me that she is everywhere to the point. Just gold, not a vegetable!
If you read carefully, you probably thought that all these products can be interestingly combined with each other and thus get healthy, low-calorie and nutritious meals, from which you will only lose weight.
Feeling lethargic? Healthy fats, iron-rich foods, and the right snacks can help you fight fatigue. The Health.com portal provides some useful tips.
Eat for energy.
One of the most pressing questions of the present time has become the question of what needs to be done in order to finally stop feeling constantly tired and lethargic, how to increase your own supply of energy and do it quickly.
Fatigue breaks us down physically and emotionally, negating the immune system, making us more susceptible to illness, depression, and even chronic diseases such as heart disease. What's more, eating right and creating a food intake can do wonders for healthier people.
1. Eat more foods containing plant-based iron.
Certain nutrients, especially iron, help women feel more energized. Almost 10% of women between the ages of 20 and 49 suffer from iron deficiency, which can cause fatigue and impair physical and mental endurance.
Iron is essential for the delivery of oxygen to cells and for immunity.
Recent studies have shown that women who consume adequate amounts of plant-based iron are 35% less likely to develop PMS than women who consume less. Foods containing iron of plant origin: beans, lentils, spinach, sesame; they are eaten with foods containing vitamin C in order for iron to be better absorbed.
2. Eat food combining correctly.
One formula for maximizing energy is: fruit or vegetables + whole grains + protein + vegetable fats + herbs / spices.
Cynthia Sass calls it "a 5-piece puzzle" and this formula is described in her book "Your Own Slim". "Balance is the key. Your body likes to be in balance," Sass says. "Giving it less than it needs is bad, just like giving more than it needs."
3. Avoid caffeine.
Cynthia believes that "Essentially, caffeine gives 'false' energy because it is just a stimulant. After a burst of energy, you may feel tired again or even more tired than you were."
4. Eat an energizing breakfast.
In the morning, do not limit yourself to a meal with protein or carbohydrates, breakfast should be balanced, says Sass. Instead of just yogurt, add some antioxidant-rich fruits, healthy fats like nuts or seeds, and raw or toasted oats. And don't forget low fat yogurt for extra protein.
5. Eat more "real" food.
This means: whole grains, not processed as chips or crackers out of the box, the fruits themselves, not juice or fruit bars. This way you get more energy!
“When my clients switched from processed food to organic food, their energy increased and many of them began to lose weight despite eating more calories,” says Sass.
6. Eat more super fruits.
Sass recommends consuming as many super fruits as possible - apples, stone fruits, berries, tomatoes.
Limiting yourself to the same banana for breakfast, which replenishes you with nutrients and antioxidants, can make you feel tired. "Research shows that people who eat the same amount of food, but more varied, experience less oxidative stress, which is a precursor to aging and disease," she says.
7. Avoid energy traps.
Avoid traps that reduce or even destroy energy - processed and artificial foods, refined grains and sugar, skipping meals, and consuming too much caffeine and alcohol.
When choosing an energy bar, ignore the front of the package and check the ingredient list, Sass says. “If the ingredients read like a recipe and I know I can buy them and make them myself, that's great. But if the list reads like a scientific experiment and the ingredients aren't real whole foods, I won't eat that, regardless of protein / carbohydrate / fat or vitamin / mineral ratio. "
9. Do not avoid eating fat.
Don't cut out healthy fats if you want more energy. “You need fat to absorb some important antioxidants,” Sass says. One study that served salads with low-fat gravy, low-fat gravy, and high-fat gravy found that people got fewer antioxidants from vegetables when they ate low-fat gravy salads. The reason is that some antioxidants must enter the body with fats in order to be absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract into the bloodstream, where they begin to act. Antioxidants are important for energy because they fight free radicals and keep cells healthy, Sass adds.
10. Eat in season.
What is the secret of food for energy according to many nutritionists? Eat in your area and in season. "When you go to the market, often the products are harvested there less than 48 hours before you buy them, as they do not need to be transported far, and they also matured, which means they contain more nutrients. "Sass says.
11. Choose frozen foods.
While fresh and local is great, frozen food is also a great source of nutrients. “Freezing actually blocks the nutrients, so frozen fruit without the addition of other ingredients can be as nutritious as fresh, or even more if fresh was not picked,” says Sass. the moment a fruit or vegetable is plucked it starts to lose its nutrients. "
"Night Zhor" is a terrible enemy of almost everyone who tries to adhere to a healthy diet. He does not let him fall asleep and drives him to the refrigerator in the dark. Alas, it is difficult to resist it, for many it is impossible. But you can give in and eat something not very harmful.
By the evening, food is processed in the body much worse than in the first half of the day, since all processes in our body slow down, it prepares for sleep. And you go there - a cutlet, fat, gurgling. What a present! And it will not digest properly and will settle almost entirely on the thighs.
But jokes are jokes, and in the evenings people are hungry too. And if you came home around 10 pm after a busy day, then how not to eat here. Of course, supper is necessary. But not every dinner is good just before bed.
There are a few rules: first, dinner shouldn't be the main meal of the day. If you can't eat well, then focus on breakfast. And dinner should be as light as possible, but at the same time noticeable.
Secondly, it is advisable to wait a little after eating and not immediately fall into bed. And thirdly, think about not eating in the immediate vicinity of sleep. The best time for dinner is 3-4 hours before bedtime, and one hour before you can drink a glass of kefir or milk.
But keep in mind that pulling yourself away from the refrigerator is not an option. Get lost anyway. You can make your dinner as light and healthy as possible. Our 9 late snack ideas come in handy for that.
What you can eat before bed:
1. Sandwich
But not simple, but on a wholemeal cracker. Such a snack will not only satisfy your hunger, but also will not affect your figure.
2. Kefir
Drink kefir. Not only does it aid digestion, it is also a source of protein and calcium, and is sugar-free.
3. Porridge
Cook yourself some porridge. If you think that it is good only in the morning, then you are mistaken. Just remember that the cereal should be whole grains and the milk should be low-fat. Milk also contains substances that help you sleep.
4. Baked apple
If you want something sweet before going to bed, then instead of cakes and sweets, try eating a baked apple. Place it in the microwave for 3 minutes, sprinkle with cinnamon and honey. Apples are high in vitamin C and fiber and low in calories.
5. Turkey meat
Another way to eat and sleep peacefully is roasted turkey meat. Make a turkey sandwich using fiber-rich wheat crackers.
6. Frozen juice or fruit
If you really want ice cream, we advise you to freeze the juice in a mold in advance. This way you will have a fruity, refreshing dessert, but without sugar and fat. Another alternative to ice cream is frozen bananas, which can be dipped in yogurt before freezing. They are lower in calories, and the potassium they contain is an excellent sleeping pill.
7. Almonds
Nuts are very high in calories and healthy, so one hundred percent will help to kill the night worm. It is important to restrain yourself and eat too much. 10 almonds will help not only satisfy your hunger, but also supply your body with B vitamins and magnesium.
8. Coconut milk with strawberries
Coconut milk is an excellent source of calcium, protein, iron, vitamins E and C, as well as ... niacin - yes, yes! After all, the first sign of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's is its deficiency! Well, the beneficial properties of strawberries are known to everyone: they also contain vitamin C, folic acid and magnesium, and, in addition, they are low in calories.
9. Soy products
Want to nibble on chips? Take soy. They are also salty and crunchy, but they are much lower in fat and calories than potatoes.
Every joke has a bit of truth. Indeed, there are many foods with fat burning properties that you can eat every day to burn calories and lose weight. The good news is that these fat-burning foods are delicious and extremely healthy.
What foods are especially valuable for weight loss and health? Try adding some of the foods in this article to your daily diet and remember to exercise regularly. This way you can burn more calories and improve your health.
Foods that burn fat
It may sound counterintuitive, but if you want to lose weight, you must eat. Naturally, there are no magic foods that will immediately melt the fat on your thighs, however, the following foods will speed up your metabolism and tone up your body.
Drink water to improve digestion. Protein foods also deserve attention. For its assimilation, more calories are spent than for fats and carbohydrates. Proteins are found in chicken breast, fish, eggs.
And don't forget that diet and proper nutrition are very different things.
Once again - daily exercise has not been canceled yet!
Vegetables and fruits
Finally, the best foods to eat to lose weight are vegetables, fruits, and berries.
Vegetables: beets, cabbage, celery, cucumbers, spinach, turnips, zucchini, zucchini, tomatoes, herbs.
Berries and fruits: apples, grapefruits, blueberries, lemon, lime, cranberries, papaya, pineapples, peaches, raspberries, strawberries, watermelons.
Water
Lack of water in the body (when drinking less than 2 liters of water per day) negatively affects the breakdown of extra pounds.
Porridge
Porridge is very common in the world. However, few people in the world know about such a product as buckwheat porridge. Buckwheat is a unique product of our cuisine, which is exotic in other countries.
We call buckwheat "the queen of cereals" for the record content of vitamins, microelements, proteins necessary for the body.
Buckwheat is rich in protein (about 14%). Buckwheat protein contains 18 essential amino acids and is equal in biological value to the protein of meat, fish, eggs.
100 grams of buckwheat contains a third of the daily value of iron necessary for the human body, therefore it is prescribed for people with low hemoglobin.
The substances contained in buckwheat regulate blood sugar levels. It is also recommended for people with liver disease, atherosclerosis, hypertension and other diseases.
But we are also interested in the fact that buckwheat is valued for its ability to satisfy hunger well.
This is one of those products that are ideal for those looking to lose weight.
A huge plus of buckwheat is that it goes well with protein products - with an egg, with fish, with meat, with milk.
Seaweed
Include sea kale in your diet. You can take a ready-made seaweed salad, or you can use dry plates. It is in seaweed that there is a lot of spirulina - an indispensable component of dietary supplements for weight loss. By the way, seaweed can also be used for wraps - so the process of losing weight can be accelerated.
Milk products
Only not low-fat foods, but foods with medium fat content. Then the calcium contained in the cottage cheese will be easily absorbed, and the intestines will work without problems.
Fish
If you love meat, try to shift your focus to seafood at least three times a week. Fish is very nutritious, rich in proteins and omega-3 fatty acids that the brain needs so much. In addition, fish will help stabilize insulin levels, which helps the body process carbohydrates.
If you are a vegetarian, include flaxseed or camelina oil in your diet. A teaspoon per day meets the daily needs for omega-3 fatty acids
Dried fruits
Also a good enough useful option. Like regular fruit, dried fruit contains a lot of fiber, however, it tastes more attractive to many. Just read carefully the composition before buying and make sure that no sugar is added to dried fruits - they are tasty without it, and your body will be replenished with extra calories for nothing.
Also, if you have time, you can cook dried fruits yourself.
Egg
According to recent studies, overweight people who ate two eggs for breakfast during the year lost 65% more weight than those who replaced eggs with a sandwich with the same energy value.
According to another study, egg lovers consume 300 less calories per day and, as a result, lose 1 kg per month. "Eggs help balance blood sugar levels, provide essential protein and are high in nutrients," says nutritionist Jessica Smith. "If you don't like eggs for breakfast, include them in your day or night menu.
Grapefruit
This tropical fruit is not to everyone's taste. However, regular consumption of its pulp or juice with every meal leads to good results in a short period of time.
The trick is that grapefruit helps lower blood insulin levels. And the lower the insulin level, the less there is a desire to "grab a tasty" before the main meal.
The result will not be long in coming! The fewer calories you go to your body, the faster you will experience the joy and satisfaction of your reflection in the mirror.
What you can and cannot eat at night
Now let's select products for the "green" and "red" list, which it is desirable to print and hang on the refrigerator.
It is impossible
All high-calorie foods (more than 150 kcal / 100 g of product) are automatically included in the red list, with the help of which you can easily exceed your daily intake.
After 18:00 it is better to forget about hard cheeses, fatty meats and fish, as well as pasta, cereals and bread.
I don't even stutter about sweets, cakes and pastries. Indulge yourself with such things only until noon.
Any kind of sweet yogurt is also on the forbidden list because of the combination of carbohydrates and fats that is harmful to the figure.
Can
From the protein food for the green list, you should select only the one that is absorbed relatively quickly (up to 1.5 hours). Here you can safely include unsweetened dairy products (kefir, yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese), eggs, white lean meat (rabbit, chicken fillet) and white fish.
At night, it is permissible to feast on green vegetables, tomatoes, herbs in any quantity and combination. With an eye on calories, you can include boiled potatoes, carrots, and beets. If the body allows, then mushrooms and legumes can be added to the green list.
If you are trying to lose weight, then most likely you must count calories. Well, at least a little, well, at least sometimes. And you know perfectly well how many of these same calories are burned on the way to the house, in the gym or when washing dishes. And also, probably, they have already studied the features of the basal metabolism - how much energy is spent on blinking, breathing and reclining on the sofa. And very by the way, nature has come up with another loophole for the consumption of these same calories - it turns out that the body is forced to spend them on ... digesting food.
The extra energy that the body expends during digestion is called the slightly abstruse thermic effect of food (TEF). Calculating how many calories will be spent on digesting food eaten is quite simple. This is usually 10% of the total caloric intake of the daily diet. For example, if you consume about 2000 kcal per day, the TEF would be about 200 kcal.
But everything is not so simple and unambiguous. For example, TEF is also influenced by what you eat. Some studies show that a mixed diet that is well balanced in protein, fat and carbohydrates can increase energy expenditure for digesting food. The more protein and fiber in the diet, the higher the TEF. The more often you eat simple carbohydrates and fatty foods, the lower your TEF. In addition, some experts believe that vigorous exercise can also increase the thermal effect, but no one can really explain how this works. And yes, the older you get, the less TEF.
Despite the fact that TEF is a rather insignificant share of daily calories consumed and, in general, can be neglected, nevertheless, this effect should not be completely discounted. Moreover, it can be adjusted. And in the fight against excess weight, all reasonable methods will be good.
Eat in small portions, but more often 5-6 times a day.
In principle, this advice does not contradict the traditional recommendations for losing weight, implying fractional meals.
Don't skip tea, coffee, or other caffeinated beverages.
Here the experts broke off spears and teeth against each other. There is still no definite answer whether caffeine is useful or harmful for the body. And if it is useful, then what exactly does it do in this very organism. Therefore, the principle is one - do not overdo it. This means that a couple of cups of coffee, drunk for pleasure, will not harm. But caffeine-containing energy drinks or alcoholic beverages are left out of the brackets. On their account, the opinion of experts is unequivocal - no benefit, except harm.
Eat spicy foods sometimes: with peppers, garlic and other "hot" spices.
Unfortunately, no one can clearly explain how spicy dishes "disperse" TEF. Apart from the sensation of "warmth" from the irritation of the receptors, no other special properties were noticed behind them. In addition, dishes with capsaicin and other "shaving" phytoncides are still not recommended for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. But if you are from a tribe of "fire-eaters" and have not yet had time to finish off your stomach with improper nutrition, you can try.
Eat more protein.
In general, a protein-rich diet is highly recommended for those who want to lose weight and improve the performance characteristics of their figure. It is worth noting, however, that a "protein-rich diet" is not the same as a "protein-only diet." We all know perfectly well how the imprisonment ends on diets like the "Atkins diet", "Kremlin" and their mono-protein colleagues. It ends badly. And this means that to overclock TEF, you need to choose a variety (we will not forget about plant proteins too) types of protein. but do not dwell only on it.
Let's take a closer look at protein sources. Western fitness trainers directly insist that some foods are excellent for increasing TEF, while allowing you to fully exercise and build muscle. For example, they recommend that you add about 100 grams of protein to every meal. The favorites are tender chicken, turkey, fish and even lean pork. But a small piece, not fried in oil and must be combined with other foods. Yes, rich in fiber.
In general, such a combination is difficult for the body to digest. First, it must be chewed, and then driven throughout the digestive tract to squeeze out the maximum. Another plus is that fiber, moving extremely slowly and being digested, leaves a feeling of fullness for a long time. If we take into account the fractional portions - not only more calories are burned, but much less consumed. You just won't get hungry until your next meal.
A variety of vegetables that can be eaten raw are recommended as a source of fiber. In second place are stewed and baked vegetables (with spices and hot peppers), as well as cereals that have not undergone special processing. That is, easily digestible semolina or white rice is not our choice. But spelled, oatmeal to boil, unpolished rice, as well as all sorts of relatives of Artek cereals are just that. And, of course, without sugar and a huge chunk of butter. After all, carbohydrates and TEF fats, on the contrary, slow down.
Bon appetit and successful waste of calories!
Snezhana Shabanova
Photo istockphoto.com
