Eating healthy foods will help you lose 1-2 pounds a week by reducing food cravings.
Apples
Chomping an apple before a meal with pasta, will help you eat fewer calories. Plus, apples may help prevent metabolic syndrome (MS), a condition marked by excessive abdominal fat. [1]
Healthy eating ideas: Cut a medium apple and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon allspice and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Pop in the microwave oven for 1 1/2 minutes.
Kale
One uncooked chopped cup contains 34 calories and around 1.3 gr of dietary fiber, and also a hearty helping of calcium and iron.
Healthy eating ideas: Cut the Kale into thin strips, sauté it with vegetable broth and top with orange pieces.
Lentils
Most dietitians consider lentils like a belly flattener. Eating them reduces insulin spikes that cause your body to store extra fat, especially in the waist. Plus, they are a high protein food, so you can skip meat altogether.
Healthy eating ideas: You could try to make our Curried Lentils on Brown Rice or our Lentil Soup for Fast Weight Loss (Consider that red and yellow lentils cook faster)
Blueberries
Blueberries have the highest anti-oxidant level of all commonly consumed fruit. Additionally they provide 3.6 gr of dietary fiber per cup.
Healthy eating ideas: Fill up your breakfast bowl with blueberries, then mix cereals on top and add soy milk or nonfat Greek yogurt.
Almond Butter
A report from the University of Toronto discovered that those who consumed almonds with white bread did not experience the same blood glucose spikes as those who ate only the slice. [2]
Healthy eating ideas: Try to replace peanut butter with almond butter in sandwiches, or make a veggie dip by mixing a tbsp of almond butter with 2 tbsp of fat free plain yogurt.
Sardines
This tiny fish is an excellent source of protein and full of omega-3s, which help the body maintain muscle mass. They are low in mercury and high in calcium too.
Healthy eating ideas: Use sardines in recipes like the Caesar salad (If the taste does not appeal to you, soak them in milk for 60 minutes to remove any trace of fishiness).
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Extra virgin olive oil has good fats that increase satiety, taming your appetite. Research indicates it has anti inflammatory properties [3]. Chronic inflammation in the body is linked to metabolic syndrome (MS).
Healthy eating ideas: Drizzle your salad with extra virgin olive oil and you will improve the anti-oxidant power of your vegetables or toss pasta with a couple teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil and sauteed garlic.
References:
[1] Esmaillzadeh, Ahmad, et al. “Fruit and vegetable intakes, C-reactive protein, and the metabolic syndrome.” The American journal of clinical nutrition 84.6 (2006): 1489-1497.
[2] Josse, Andrea R., et al. “Almonds and postprandial glycemia-a dose-response study.” Metabolism 56.3 (2007): 400-404.
[3] Beauchamp, Gary K., et al. “Phytochemistry: ibuprofen-like activity in extra-virgin olive oil.” Nature 437.7055 (2005): 45-46.
