Some types of food are not only satisfying, they can also help the body lose weight. Slimming foods, when consumed intelligently as part of a balanced meal, support weight loss without deprivation.
After reading this article, you’ll know how to eat for optimal weight loss.
The importance of a balanced diet
Before I share the list of weight loss foods, let me remind you of a few key points.
Once you’ve decided to improve your eating habits, a balanced diet is an absolute must.
To put it simply, each of your meals should include:
- A source of carbohydrates (the so-called “starchy” foods: cereals, tubers, etc.)
- A source of protein (animal or vegetable)
- A source of lipids (fat)
- A source of fiber (vegetables, fruit)
Your daily nutritional intake should be as follows:
- 50 to 55% carbohydrates
- 12 to 15% protein
- 30 to 35% lipids
- 30 grams of fiber (on average)
This is essential to meeting your nutritional needs and staying healthy. Otherwise, losing weight is impossible.
If you are not a nutrition professional, I realize that these rules may be difficult to follow on a daily basis. You can do it, but it will take a lot of work. That’s why I recommend using the Nutri Coach app. It takes care of the calculations for you, and even provides suggestions for balanced meals based on your personal needs.
The ultimate mistake people make when they’re trying to lose weight
If you want to lose weight, forget about dieting. It is absolutely counterproductive. If you don’t already know what dieting does to your body, I encourage you to read the article “Dieting is a Bad Idea.”
To lose weight, don’t eat less. Eat better! Some people should even “eat more, but better.”
Note: if you eat too much OR too little in terms of carbohydrates, protein, and fat, you will not maintain a balanced diet and will not lose weight. This is one of the most underestimated mistakes made by people who want to burn fat.
There are so many foods that can help you lose weight!
You may be surprised to learn that the list of ingredients for weight loss is very long. In fact, it includes any food that can be described as “pure.”
Pure food is food that has undergone little to no processing prior to being sold.
- A few recommended carbohydrates: potatoes, chestnuts, rice, pasta, oats, sourdough bread.
- A few recommended proteins: eggs, meat, fish, seafood, legumes, tempeh.
- A few recommended lipids: avocados, cheeses, cold-pressed olive oil (not for cooking), oilseed.
Read this : 5 healthy breakfast ideas
Foods to avoid for weight loss
If you want your diet to be consistent with your need to lose weight, it’s important to avoid highly processed foods.
That means any prepared foods that you don’t need to combine or cook yourself.
However, I don’t recommend cutting them out of your diet completely. It takes a little bit of everything to achieve a truly balanced diet. Just make sure they only represent a small percentage of your total nutrition.
Foods to avoid as much as possible:
- Frozen or prepared meals
- Chips and other snacks
- Fried foods
- Processed meats
- Soda, alcohol
- Sauces
- Spreads of all kinds
- Crunchy breakfast cereal
- Sweet breads
- Creamy desserts (flan, mousse, etc.)
- Sweets (candy, chocolates, etc.)
- Cakes and cookies
- Ice cream
- Pre-seasoned sautéed vegetables (the oil used is generally of very low quality)
Read this : 3 tips for cutting back on sugar
If you have any questions, please leave them for me in the comments. I’ll be happy to answer!
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What about plant based peanut butter! Is that a good or bad fat.
Hello Vicki,
I don’t know about plant-based peanut butter. Nevertheless, peanut butter is not bad for your health, provided that you remain reasonable with the quantities, and buy a 100% peanut butter product. (No added sugar, no added oil)
Have a good day 🙂