Battle the bulge and ward off disease with the foods in your kitchen!
Americans spend an estimated $42 billion a year on weight loss foods, products and services, many of which don’t even work. And with the endless number of food options available, we often choose what is convenient and comforting instead of what is healthy. It’s time to go back to basics and take a close look at the types of food we choose to fuel our bodies. We’ve compiled a list of foods to help you fight hunger, boost your metabolism and ultimately lose weight. And guess what? These foods deliver health bonuses also.
1. Avocados
Most of the fat in an avocado is unsaturated, which can improve your overall cholesterol levels when used instead of saturated fat. An Avocado’s fiber and fat can improve feelings of fullness, helping you eat less and stay satisfied longer.
2. Pears
Pears are a great source of fiber, packing in 6g per medium-size fruit. The fiber, known as pectin, decreases blood sugar levels, helping to avoid between-meal snacking. Pears are also rich in heart-healthy potassium and vitamin C.
3. Lentils
Lentils are low in calories and high in nutrition and packed with protein. Eating them helps prvent insulin spikes that cause your body to create excess fat. Studies have found that people who eat high fiber lentils have a reduced risk of heart disease.
4. Olive Oil
Olive Oil helps to control blood sugar levels by lowering insulin resistance making it helpful for those seeking to control or prevent Type 2 Diabetes. It also helps your body metabolize fat and sugar effectively so that fat does not accumulate on the abdomen.
5. Spinach
Spinach is rich in folate, a mineral linked to lower risk of heart disease and stroke, and in antioxidants shown to prevent damage to artery walls. especially in the bends and curves that are most vulnerable to inflammation.
6. Grapefruit
A 2006 of 91 obese people conducted at the Nutrition and Metabolic Research Center at Scripps Clinic found that eating half a Grapefruit before each meal or drinking a serving of the juice three times a day helped people drop more than three pounds over 12 weeks. Grapefruit’s phytochemicals reduce insulin levels, a process that may force your body to convert calories into energy rather than flab.
7. Nuts (Almonds and Walnuts)
Almonds and Walnuts are nutritional SuperFoods thatthat have been shown to provide qessential health benefits. Both types of nuts help to regulate blood lipids and glucose to lower the risk of heart disease, help to prevent diabetes and are packed with fiber and contain unsaturated fat.
8. Oats
Oatmeal is a whole-grain cereal low in fat and calories, has no cholesterol and carries many health benefits stemming from the fiber content, including a reduce risk of developing heart disease. A serving of uncooked rolled oats contains 3g of fat which is 5 percent of your recommended daily intake for fat.
9. Almond Butter
Almond Butter tastes delicous and is rich in monosaturated fats, which reduce levels cholesterol and decrease the risk of heart ailments. Other benefits include lowering blood pressure and helping to control blood sugar. Almond butter is also rich in antioxidants and Vitamin E.
10 . Buckwheat Pasta
Buckwheat Pasta is in fiber and unlike most carbohydrates, it has a lot of good protein. Secondly, it’s slow digested, making it even out the insulin level and blood sugar, which in turn helps control sugar cravings.
