One of the biggest secrets of successful dieting is to make sure you never get too hungry. If you're starving, you're open to all the temptations of fast-food, candy at the grocery store or the vending machines at work. Binge eating doesn't happen because of healthy dieting. It happens because you tried to starve yourself and your body rebels. You want to fill your body with all the nutrition you can with the least amount of calories.
So what are the best foods for weight loss? Here are six of my favorites.
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Celery: One of the things I love about this food is its crunchiness. If you have a habit of eating chips or buttered popcorn while you watch television this is one of the foods that can help you break that cycle. You can sit with a plate of celery and feel like you've eaten a lot with a very minimal amount of calories. Because of this; celery has long been praised as the perfect diet food.
Turns out, though, there are many more benefits to eating celery. There are at least a dozen antioxidants in celery, including Vitamin C and flavonoids. Celery also acts as an anti-inflammatory in the digestive track. When you steam celery it still retains 85 to 95 percent of its anti-oxidants. It is recommended to eat celery within one week of purchase to get the most benefit from the antioxidants.
Flaxseed: Flaxseeds are often considered the perfect food. They contain a fiber rich substance called Lignans which act as an anti-oxidant. When it comes to Omega-3 fatty acids; flaxseeds are considered the number one source. Lastly, flaxseeds contain mucilage or a gummy substance that provides support to the digestive tract. It keeps the stomach from emptying into the small intestine too quickly; before nutrients are absorbed. The mix of these ingredients in this small seed means it helps with digestion, helps fight cancer, and improves heart health.
But how do you eat them? Ground flaxseeds can be sprinkled on oatmeal or over cooked veggies. They can also be baked in cookies, bread, or even pizza crust without losing much of their nutritional value. You can also add a spoonful of flaxseed oil to a smoothie.
Rosemary: This herb is used in many recipes including flavoring for soups, sauces and a variety of meats. In the past it was used purely for medicinal purposes. Some of the benefits of this herb include digestive health, improved memory and anti-depressant, prevention of cancer, boosts immunity and acts as a mild diuretic.
Grapefruit: I'm a huge fan of this breakfast fruit, which is high in enzymes that burn fat. This means it boosts your body's metabolism. Obviously, this makes it an optimal food for weight loss. Because it contains salicylic acid it helps bring down the body's calcium stores that can build up in joints and lead to arthritis.
Asparagus: When you steam this vegetable for a few minutes you not only have a delicious food but an extremely nutritious one. Like many vegetables; asparagus is high in fiber which helps your digestion and helps you to feel full. It's also high in protein. Because asparagus is high in B12 it helps regulate your glucose levels. This keeps you from having drops in your sugar level that causes you to want to over eat and causes your body to store fat. Asparagus also contains inulin which aids in digestion and helps prevent colon cancer. Finally, it contains Vitamin K and many anti-oxidants.
Chia seeds: Chia seed has several of the same benefits as flax seed. However, unlike flax seed, you do not need to grind chia seed to obtain the nutritional benefits. This mighty little seed contains nearly 11 grams of fiber per ounce. That means that just one serving of chia seed delivers 42 percent of the daily recommended amount of fiber. In fact, chia absorbs liquid up to 12 times its own weight.
There are many ways to incorporate chia into your diet. If you are pinched for time, chia would be a better choice than flax seed because you do not have to take time to grind chia. For a quick tasty treat, mix chia into your favorite juice. After the seeds have absorbed the liquid you will have a fruity, thick, pudding-like snack.
Another easy way to consume chia is to just sprinkle it on top of a healthy green salad. If you like to make fruit smoothies chia seed would make a great addition to add some thickness to the mixture. Just be sure to add less than you would for making the pudding snack.
This post was originally published on September 23, 2013.
