Remember this – in the end weight loss is still about burning more calories than you take in. The advantage to these foods is that they may help you do just that – if you eat them instead of some higher-calorie foods.
10 – Keeping It Off Super-foods
1. Green Tea - In a recent study, volunteers who drank a bottle of tea (fortified with green tea extract) every day for three months lost more body fat than another group who drank a bottle of regular tea.
2. Soup - Eating low-calorie soups (the broth- and tomato-based ones) before meals may reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness. Therefore you would take in fewer total daily calories.
3. Green Salads - Just how low-calorie can a green salad be? Consider that two cups of fresh spinach leaves, 10 slices of cucumber, one medium tomato, and 1/4 cup of grated carrot has a grand total of 67 calories (along with a hefty 5.5 grams of fiber).
4. Soy – Replacing the dairy in your diet with soy can give you a great caloric drop. Soy milk is high in protein. The more the protein in the soy milk, the higher the isoflavone content. Many believe that isoflavones reduce cholesterol, prevent osteoporosis and reduce the risk for certain cancers (prostate cancer and breast cancer).
5. Beans – Beans help you feel full longer, which means they may work to curb your between-meal appetite. They also give you a big fiber and protein bang for a minimum of calories. One-half cup of pinto beans or kidney beans has around 8 grams fiber and 7 grams of protein, all for about 110 calories.
6. Water – it’s a great alternative to other, calorie-containing beverages. Water is necessary for life, and you should be drinking it throughout the day. You can get your water flavored, unsweetened mineral water, regular water with lime or lemon, or cucumber. Even brewed coffee (especially decaf) counts if consumed black and in moderation.
7. Diet Shakes - While diet shakes are not the solution to weight loss or maintenance, research shows that they might help. Women who had lost weight on a reduced-calorie plan that included meal-replacement beverages maintained their losses after a year by drinking at least one diet shake a day in place of a meal. There are medications that might help with weight loss as well. Try talking to your doctor or order online something like Xenical.
8. High-Fiber, Whole-Grain Cereal – Whole grains in general help boost fiber and the nutritional value of your meal, but many studies done on their relationship to weight loss have specifically involved breakfast cereals.
9. Grapefruit – A recent study found that grapefruit may help encourage weight loss and reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. One pink grapefruit takes a bit of time and effort to eat, and it adds 3.5 grams of fiber with only 74 calories.
10.Protein/Eggs – are super-nutrients. It’s becoming more scientifically accepted that protein may help to curb appetite. Protein can slightly boost metabolism. But, eating more calories than your body needs — even in the form of protein — will promote weight gain, not loss.
