15 Foods that can help us lose weight

Trying to lose weight???

Losing weight is not just about reducing food intake and cutting things out of our diet. There are few food stuffs we can add to our diet which can help with potentially speed up weight loss.

Here are 15 picks for foods that can help us lose weight.

Grapefruit:

We have all heard of the grapefruit diet but we don’t have to live on a diet of grapefruit alone to lose weight. It is found that eating half a grapefruit before each meal or drinking a serving of the juice three times a day can help you drop the pounds. The magic ingredient is the fruits phytochemicals and their effect of reducing insulin levels which stimulates our body to convert calories into energy rather. It is an excellent source of vitamin C.

Cinnamon:

Cinnamon is a super spice when it comes to boosting our wellbeing as it has many health- giving properties. In terms of weight loss, it’s all to do with controlling those post-meal insulin spikes which is what make us feel hungry. And we don’t need to get much of the stuffs to get the benefits; studies have shown that just half a teaspoon of cinnamon a day can lower the blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. Through effects of slowing food glucose absorption, and enhancing the body’s ability to use glucose in metabolically active cells via direction of insulin, rather than store it as fat, cinnamon improves body composition.

Chili Peppers:

Adding a bit of heat to our diet can give us a weight-loss boost. Studies shows that having a spicy start to our morning, i.e. eating chilies as a part of our breakfast can make us opt for a smaller lunch. Apparently it’s down to capsaicin which is found in chilies and red peppers that has appetite suppressing properties. Granted- chilies are not easiest of items to face as our morning meal but how about as a part of  a spicy egg-white omelet or stirred into scrambled eggs for a spicy weight loss kick.

Fennel Tea:

Fennel tea is a food stuff that boosts a list of health giving benefits. Drinking tea made from fennel seeds will improve the general state of our body. It is packed with good levels of potassium, magnesium, and calcium as well as the vitamin B and C. But when it comes to the weight-loss stakes fennel had a double benefit: working both as an appetite suppressant and a metabolism booster which really are both useful if we are trying to lose weight. Fennel tea is widely available in supermarkets so add to our daily diet to stave off carvings and boost our fuel burn.

Salad: 

Eating a low-calorie salad before our main meals can help us lose weight and ensure we gat recommended daily intake of veggies. And it is not rocket science as to how it work for weight loss, the key is the sheer volume of a salad, which makes us feel too full to pig out when it comes to our main meal. We need to make sure we don’t draw it into a fatty dressing though – a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar makes the perfect healthy accompaniment to a fresh salad.

Green Tea:

Another powerful brew — green tea really has a multitude of health and wellbeing benefits. And if we are into fitness it makes the perfect pre-workout drink; it's been found to increase endurance by as much as 24 per cent, allowing us to exercise longer and burn more calories. But in terms boosting our weight loss power, a study carried out by the Journal of Nutrition, drinking five cups of green tea per day can help us lose twice as much weight, most of it where we want to loses it most — around the middle.

Celery:

Celery rates well as a weight-loss food as we can actually end up burning more calories eating it than our body will take on consuming it. But by no means does that make celery low in nutritional value; it's super-packed with fiber (great for digestion) and foliates (the essential nutrient for the care and production of new cells within the body). Get our celery fix by making sure it's featured in our pre-meal salad, as an accompaniment to our lunch or as a healthy snack when we want to satisfy that 'munch' craving.

Lentils:

Lentils are great weight-loss food as they have the power to really satisfy our hunger without packing our body with loads of calories and fat — that's often why lentils feature heavily as a meat substitute — they can make us feel like we've had a meaty dish minus the calories and saturated fat that come with eating meat. Again like celery, lentils are full of fiber and foliate so as well as giving us the full feeling, they are great for digestion and healthy cell growth.

Dark Chocolate:

Granted chocolate is not low in calories nor in fat, but dark chocolate have two major dietary positives that can lead to long term weight loss. First, it's quite difficult to munch massive quantities of high-quality dark chocolate as compared to the milk stuff. Secondly, dark chocolate is very high in health-promoting antioxidants. In terms of a weapon in our weight-loss armory, we can use dark chocolate as a way to curb any sweet cravings, just a few small squares to quell a full on chocolate binge is well worth the modest calorie intake.

Quinoa:

Quinoa is good for weight loss as it has the power to keep you feeling fuller for longer due to its high protein content. Also the carbs that are present in the grain are released slowly into the body so you won't get that rush of energy after eating quinoa as you would with other foods like white rice or pasta. You can eat quinoa raw but we reckon its best when it's cooked in a similar way to rice or couscous.

Eggs:

Eggs are full of protein and help us stay full for a long duration. Not only this, protein helps prevent spikes in blood sugar, which leads to food cravings. Dig in to eggs, yolks and all: They won’t harm our heart, but they can help us trim inches. Eat more omelets and scrambles and are obvious choices.

Oats:

Whole grains help promote weight loss as they are rich in complex carbohydrates that provide sustained energy, fill us up before we can eat too much and lower the risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. All oats are healthful, but the steel-cut and rolled varieties (which are minimally processed) have up to 5 grams of fiber per serving, making them the most filling choice. Instant oats contain 3 to 4 grams per serving.

Olive Oil:

Like avocados, olive oil has healthy fat that increases satiety, taming our appetite. But that's hardly its only slimming feature. Research shows it also has anti-inflammatory properties. Chronic inflammation in the body is linked to metabolic syndrome. Eat more Drizzle our salad with olive oil and we'll increase the antioxidant power of our veggies.

Yogurt:

Dietitians often refer to plain yogurt as the perfect food, and for good reason: With its trifecta of carbs, protein and fat, it can stave off hunger by keeping blood sugar levels steady. Eat more Use low fat plain yogurt instead of mayonnaise in chicken or potato salad, or top a baked potato with a bit of yogurt and a squeeze of lemon juice. You'll save 4.7 grams of fat per tablespoon. Look for Greek yogurt, which has more protein than other versions.

Water:

It is not a food, but calorie free water helps us feel full. Also, eat fruits as they have high water content, or include more fluids like soups and juices in each meal, as water and fiber- rich foods occupy more space in our stomach. We need about eight glasses of water a day, though we may need more if we are living where temperatures are high, at high attitude, having medical condition or exercise.

“If you eat what you’ve always eaten, you will weigh what you’ve always weighed.”