What is the healthiest diet to lose weight?
The best diet to lose weight
There is not a ” silver bullet ” to reduce weight. We must follow a diet which should be focused to reduce caloric intake and increase caloric consumption. Only a change in eating habits and a proper and constant physical exercise can lead to a progressive reduction of excessive body weight.
Strict diets lead to a loss of fluids that are easily retrieved when you eat again. These type of diets produce a rebound effect in which body weight is quickly recovered again, or even surpassed.
Moreover, fasting to lose weight is very dangerous, since it can cause problems in blood pressure and affect the heart.
The best diet is that one that provides all the nutrients the body needs with a moderate caloric consumption. Following this diet we can ensure our body health and avoid obesity or overweight.
How to reduce fat?
The component that provides more energy is fat. Eating more fat than the body needs produces an increase in adipose tissue, that’s to say, a fat accumulation. One of the best ways to control weight is to reduce the amount of food containing fat.
Eating too much fat can result from being too much hungry. Any food that can fill us up without too many calories, will be a good resource to be satisfied, consequently not having to eat to feel better.
The importance of fiber in the diet
Using plenty of fiber can slow the intake of fat. Eating foods that contain enough fiber is a way to diminish our appetite, since they satiate our body. The reason lies in the ability of fiber to absorb water which makes it to increase volume and fill up the stomach.
It has been proven that those diets containing a fairly high proportion of fiber succeed in lowering body weight and eliminating the state of anxiety that produces the sensation of hunger. (More information in craving for food)
This especially applies to soluble fiber since it lasts longer in the digestive system than non- soluble fiber. Besides using it to combat obesity, fiber is very important in the control of cholesterol, in the prevention of constipation or in the protection of certain types of cancers. Taking all this into account, we realize the importance this component achieves in our diet.
However this does not mean we should stuff ourselves with fiber. Too high doses of this component, as it is sometimes done by ingesting to much bran or too many whole grain cereals, may interfere with calcium absorption or cause intestinal problems such as diarrhea, flatulence, stomach ache, and so on. The recommended dose of fiber is from 20 to 35 grams daily.
Foods rich in fiber content
Fiber is found in foods of plant origin, all of which, more or less, possess. The following table shows a series of fiber-rich foods:
| Foods rich in dietary fiber | |
| Soluble fiber | Insoluble fiber |
| – Fruit, but especially: Apples, pears, oranges, mandarins, grapefruit, strawberries, bananas..– Vegetables, but especially: Cauliflower, carrots, beans Rice white, oats Seeds (Psyllium…) | – Cereals: Brown rice, oats, corn – Legumes: Peas, lentils, beans, chickpeas, soybeans… Nuts Bran |
Can you eat starch in low fat diet?
The consumption of starches has always had very bad press when talking about how to control body fat. It is said that the intake of foods rich in carbohydrates from vegetables and grains, such as bread, rice, corn, bananas, potatoes, pasta, etc., fatten your body.
On the contrary, these foods can help control obesity and prevent the intake of fat as they provide us with a great feeling of satiety. They possess very little fat and their calorie content is similar to that of non greasy meat
The importance of consuming starches
They should constitute a fundamental part of the diet because, besides providing energy, they contain other very important principles for health such as vitamins, minerals and fiber.
We should note that, in the case of cereals, it is more beneficial to eat them whole because they contain more components than refined ones.
What foods are the best to lose weight?
The best diet to control body weight is the one that combines:
- Carbohydrates, They should be the key products
- Abundant plant food (fruit and vegetables)
- A moderate intake of skimmed dairy products
- Less percentage of protein which should not necessarily be from animal origin
- A very moderate addition of fats and sugars.
The nutrition of the person who wants to maintain a low-calorie diet should be varied, aiming to provide the nutrients required for good health. As there are no “miracle diets”, there is no “magic” food for weight loss.
However, there are a number of foods that should be included in an ideal diet to maintain the ideal weight.
These foods are characterized by being able to satiate us and, at the same time, provide very little fat. They should be considered as the potential “super foods” of an ideal diet to lose weight.
Specific diets that are used for weight loss
There are many diets that are used in practice to lose weight. Among the most important, we could mention the strawberry diet, the grapefruit diet, the artichoke diet, etc.
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