24 Potent Foods that are Also Good for Weight Loss
Introduction
It would be naive to believe that you could lose weight and still enjoy eating just a few foods, regardless of how tasty, nutritious, and gratifying they are. Therefore, we will give you an additional list of fat-burning foods. We’ve posted a list previously, which you can check here.
These foods add variety to each meal’s flavor and texture and supply a variety of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and other essential nutrients. Each is naturally high in fiber, low in fat, and sodium-free.
If you’re like the majority of us, you may have developed a severe junk food snacking habit – one that you’ll need to break if you want to lose weight. Numerous foods included in this section may be deserving of mention. Many have the crunchiness and flavor that snackers and nibblers usually expect.
24 Potent Foods that are Good for Weight Loss
Barley
This hearty grain outperforms rice and potatoes. It offers 170 calories per cooked cup, good protein and fiber content, and minimal fat. Gladiators ate this grain for strength and protested when forced to consume meat.
Barley has been shown in studies (University of Wisconsin) to reduce cholesterol by up to 15% and fight cancer. They claim it works better than laxatives and can help you lose weight.
Barley can replace rice in salads, pilaf, stuffing, soups, and stews. It’s also a good mix with rice for texture, and it’s also great in bread and muffins.
Beans
Beans are a great plant protein source. No other food has as much protein as they do, yet they are low in salt. Beans have 215 calories per cup cooked (lima beans go up to 260).
Plant protein is deficient and has to be supplemented. Beans and whole grains — rice, barley, wheat, corn – give a complete protein. So you receive the same high-quality protein as meat but with less fat.
Beans have been shown to decrease cholesterol in studies at the University of Kentucky and the Netherlands.
Beans are most commonly blamed for causing gas. The USDA suggests the following solutions to control the problem: Remove any foreign particles from the beans before soaking for four hours or more. Remove the beans floating to the top and cook in new water.
Berries
Berries are the perfect diet food. Berries contain natural fructose sugar that fulfills sweet cravings and fiber to help you burn more calories. The high quantity of insoluble fiber in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains lowers calorie absorption enough to assist weight loss without compromising nutrients.
Berries are high in potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure. Strawberry, blueberry, and blackberry all have 74 calories per cup. So go ahead and taste your favorite berry.
Broccoli
According to a recent poll, Americans love broccoli. Why not? Cooked broccoli provides 44 calories per cup. It is the number one cancer-fighting vegetable and is loaded with nutrients. It’s low in fat, high in fiber, cancer-fighting indoles, carotene, vitamin C, and calcium.
When buying broccoli, look for the color, which should be bright green, not yellowed. It should have firm stems.
Buckwheat
Buckwheat is delicious in pancakes, bread, cereal, soups, or a standalone grain dish (kasha). The All India Institute of Medical Sciences found that buckwheat-rich diets help regulate blood sugar, prevent diabetes, and decrease cholesterol. Cook buckwheat like rice or barley. Set the grain in 2 to 3 cups of boiling water for 20 minutes or until the water is absorbed. A cooked cup has 155 calories.
Cabbage
Cabbage is one of Eastern Europe’s wonder foods. A cup of cooked shredded cabbage has only 33 calories and keeps all of its nutritious value. Cauliflower is the only food that has been shown to reduce the risk of colon cancer. It may also be a longevity food. People who consume a lot of it have the lowest rates of colon cancer and total mortality in the U.S., Greece, and Japan.
Carrots
Why leave out Bugs Bunny’s favorite from a list of healthy, fat-burning foods? A medium carrot has roughly 55 calories and is loaded with nutrients. Its color comes from beta carotene, a vital cancer-fighting ingredient (provitamin A).
Finely sliced carrots offer natural sweetness to soups and spaghetti sauces without adding sugar. They go well with parsnips, oranges, raisins, lemon juice, chicken, potatoes, broccoli, and lamb. Chop and mix them with spaghetti, grate into rice or stir-fry. Add tarragon, dill, cinnamon, or nutmeg.
Chicken
Each four-ounce serving of white meat contains 245 calories, whereas dark meat contains 285. It has a good amount of protein, iron, niacin, and zinc. While skinless chicken is the healthiest option, most experts recommend leaving the skin on until after cooking since the skin helps keep the meat moist while cooking.
Corn
It is, in fact, a grain, not a vegetable, and is another item that has received a bad rap. People believe it has minimal nutritional value, which is just not true. A cup of cooked kernels contains 178 calories. It is a vital source of iron, zinc, and potassium, and according to University of Nebraska experts, it also includes a high-quality protein.
The Tarahumara Indians of Mexico subsist primarily on corn and beans. According to Virgil Brown, M.D., of New York’s Mount Sinai School of Medicine, high blood cholesterol and cardiovascular heart disease are nearly non-existent on them.
Cottage Cheese
We had to include cottage cheese in our list of fat-burning foods.
Low-fat (2%) cottage cheese provides 205 calories per cup and is high in calcium and riboflavin, a B vitamin. Add dill or garden fresh vegetables like scallions and chives for added flavor.
Add raisins or one of the sugar-free fruit spreads to make it sweeter. You can use cottage cheese in place of sour cream or cream cheese in baking, fillings, and dips.
Figs
Fiber-rich figs include 37 calories per raw medium (2.25″) and 48 calories per dried fig. A recent USDA study found that they help maintain satiety and avoid overeating. Subjects complained of being overfed when offered a diet with more figs than a similar diet with the same calories.
Serve Figs with fruit and cheese, or poach them in fruit juice, warm or cold. They can be stuffed with mild white cheese or pureed for use in cookies and low-calorie pastry.
Fish
The health advantages of fish are more significant than researchers expected. It is always considered a healthy food.
Fish is low in calories. A four-ounce portion of deep-sea fish has 90 calories for abalone and 236 for herring. Tuna packed in water provides 154 calories.
The New England Journal of Medicine reported in 1985 that regularly eating fish reduced the risk of heart disease. Fish oils thin the blood, drop blood pressure, and lower cholesterol.
Dr. Joel Kremer of Albany Medical College in New York discovered that daily fish oil supplements reduced rheumatoid arthritis inflammation and stiffness.
Greens
Lettuce and turnip greens are among the most common greens, and they’re all from the same family as spinach, another super-star. You can’t get more than 50 calories into a cup of boiled greens.
They’re high in fiber, vitamin A and C and low in fat. Add them to salads, soups, casseroles, or any cuisine that calls for spinach.
Kiwi
This New Zealand native is low in calories at 46 per fruit. According to Chinese health officials, the delectable fruit is high in vitamin C and potassium. It keeps for a month in the fridge. The fuzzy skin is also delicious.
Leeks
These onion relatives resemble giant scallions and are as healthy and tasty as their more well-known cousins. They are almost calorie-free at 32 calories per cooked cup.
Cut leeks in half and marinate them in vinaigrette, Romano cheese, fine mustard, or herbs. They’re good in soup.
Lettuce
People think lettuce is nutritionally worthless, yet this is untrue. It’s high in vitamin C, low in calories but high in volume. You can’t ignore it at ten calories per cup. Try watercress, arugula, radicchio, dandelion greens, purslane, and even parsley to brighten your salads.
Melons
Now that’s a low-calorie treat with terrific taste! The calorie count per cup of cantaloupe balls varies from 62 to 44 to 62 for honeydew balls and 49 for watermelon balls. They are tasty and high in fiber. With plenty of vitamins A and C and 547 mg of potassium per cup, cantaloupe is a fat-burning superfood.
Oats
Oats assist in weight loss at one hundred calories per cup. A 12-year study by Dr. James Anderson of University of Kentucky found that adding 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of oat bran to daily diets resulted in a three-pound weight loss. But don’t expect oats to cure everything; a balanced diet is required for optimum wellness.
Onions
Onions are delicious, aromatic, cheap, and low in calories. A cup of chopped raw onions provides 60 calories, and a medium uncooked onion (2.15″) has 42.
They lower cholesterol, thin the blood, protect against cholesterol, and may help allergy sufferers. Above all, onions are tasty and healthy.
Boiled, peeled, and baked with olive oil and lemon juice. Cook in white wine and basil, then spread on pizza. Or sherry roast and serve over pasta.
Pasta
The Italians were always right. With only 155 calories per cup, cooked pasta is a perfect starch-centered staple. The American Institute of Baking found pasta high in manganese, iron, phosphorus, copper, magnesium, and zinc. Consider whole-wheat pasta for even more health benefits.
Sweet Potatoes
You can eat them as a meal and not gain a pound – and you won’t be hungry afterward. There are 103 calories per sweet potato. Their creamy orange flesh is an excellent source of vitamin A.
Bake, steam, microwave, or use them in casseroles and soups. Substitute lemon juice or vegetable broth for butter.
Tomatoes
A 2.5″ tomato has roughly 25 calories. Enjoy these low-fat, high-potassium, and high-fiber treats!
A Harvard Medical School study indicated that regularly eating tomatoes (or strawberries) reduces the likelihood of dying of cancer.
Adding tomatoes to your diet is a great way to lose weight. Don’t forget crushed, peeled, whole, or stewed tomatoes. They enhance the flavor and nutritional value of sauces, casseroles, and soups.
Turkey
Thanks to the pilgrims, the Thanksgiving turkey custom began. This health snack disguised as meat is beneficial for weight control all year.
White flesh turkey has 177 calories per ounce, while dark meat has 211.
Sadly, many people are unaware of ground turkey’s flexibility and flavor. Everything from regular burgers to spaghetti sauce to meatloaf may be made using ground turkey.
Some ground turkey has skin, which adds to the fat content. If you want it lean, use ground breast meat. However, without extra fat, burgers or meatloaf will fall apart.
4 oz. ground turkey provides 170 calories and 9 g of fat, about the same as 2.5 tablespoons of butter or margarine. The same amount of ordinary ground beef (21%) provides 298 calories and 23 g of fat.
It’s no longer essential to buy a complete bird. Fresh or frozen ground turkey is available. So as drumsticks, thighs, breasts, and cutlets.
Yogurt
Plain yogurt contains 120 calories per cup, and low-fat has 144. It is high in protein, calcium, zinc, riboflavin, and other nutrients found in dairy foods.
Cut a banana into yogurt and add your favorite cereal for a quick breakfast.
It can be used in sauces, soups, dips, garnishes, stuffings, and spreads. There’s even a basic funnel for producing yogurt cheese.
Yogurt can replace heavy cream or whole milk in many meals, reducing fat and calories.
Instead of sour cream, you can mix yogurt, garlic powder, lemon juice, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Any of the higher fat ingredients can be substituted. Be unique.
Buy plain non-fat yogurt and add fruit to reduce calorie and fat levels. Supermarkets and health food stores sell yogurts with fruit and sugar added. Apple butter or fruit spreads with little or no added sugar are great ways to sweeten plain yogurt.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you will be more inclined to pursue your weight loss goals with this additional list of foods. You can choose any of them to be part of your daily diet. You can also mix and match them for a more flavorful meal. Eating healthy does not have to be boring. You just need to be imaginative.
