8 Foods That Help You Lose Weight

Don’t want to lose weight? Then do not eat these 8 foods.

On the other hand, if you do want to lose weight, have a look at this list of eight foods that will contribute to weight loss when used as part of a healthy eating plan.

8 Foods that Help You Lose Weight

1. Oats Rule

Rolled oats are a superb food choice for weight loss and blood sugar control. You can eat them as oat flakes (cold) or soak and cook them to make porridge. Do yourself a favour and google the ways that you can incorporate oats into your lifestyle. You can use it in pancakes and even bread. I love adding some protein punch by adding egg whites, or even protein powder to it when I cook it. Rolled oats have a low glycemic index, meaning it keeps you full for longer.

2. Rye, barley or spelt instead of wheat

The whole rye grain is also excellent in terms of Glycemic load. This means a slice of wholegrain rye bread, for breakfast, perhaps with eggs, or as a snack together with a protein-rich food will give you energy. The best choice of all would be the slow-cooked German-style breads called pumpernickel, sonnenbrot or volkenbrot. You can also find whole rye sourdough bread. These breads will be more dense and heavier than regular wheat bread – this is a good sign, but make sure you have thinner slices. There are quite a few helpful sites that you will be able to consult on the GI and GL numbers of the bread.

Barley is another good grain to use, better than wheat. Studies show it makes you feel less hungry. You can buy wholegrain pearl barley, which boils like brown rice. It is also full of beta-glucans and soluble fibres and has a good, chewy flavour.

Some supermarkets also carry sprouted breads, which has had the phytates of the grain already broken down, making for easier absorption.

If you are looking at your caloric intake, just be sure that you have a look at serving sizes and the caloric value of that serving.  Just because it is better does not mean that you can have more.

3. Eat more lentils and chickpeas

This food group, known as pulses, is a staple in countries with low rates of obesity. We just don’t eat enough of these highly nutritious foods in countries with a typical Western diet. Other than beans on toast, most people don’t eat enough pulses. Go on, experiment and try something new. When embarking on a new way of eating, you have an incredible opportunity to learn new things, and flavour new tastes. Have one dish a week that is something you would not normally cook.

As an example: A serving black beans has 10.7 grams of protein per 50 grams and 19 grams of carbohydrates per 50 grams. This means you can add pulses as a carb and build on the protein content of your meal. Pulses are all relatively high in protein, making them lower GL. Including a serving of lentils, or beans, for dinner actually has a knock on effect on breakfast, quite substantially reducing the blood sugar spikes of breakfast the next day.

4. Quinoa – the Inca secret

Quinoa has been grown in South America for 5,000 years and contains protein of a better quality than meat. Quinoa is also one of the highest protein sources in the vegetable kingdom, with 16 per cent of its calories as protein (soya has the most, at 38 per cent protein).

Quinoa can be used as an alternative to rice. To cook it, rinse well, then add two parts water to one of quinoa and boil for 15 minutes. It is also gluten-free and is a much lower GL than rice. Combine with protein and vegetables for a well balanced and nutritious meal.

5. Chia seeds, walnuts and almonds

Chia seeds are very high in soluble fibres which help fill you up, as well as omega-3 fats and protein, all of which are good news for weight loss and blood sugar control. Chia has more than double the soluble-fibre content of oats but, of course, you wouldn’t eat the same quantity. Added to oats, for example in porridge, it is a great way to greatly increase your soluble fibre intake. You don’t have to grind them. Just sprinkle a dessertspoon on your cereal.

Other good nuts for helping to lose weight are walnuts and almonds. Whether you choose chia, or nuts, you really want to be having a dessertspoon of seeds, or a small handful (30 grams) of nuts, every day, either in your food, for example on breakfast, or as part of a low-GL snack.

You can get almond butter and pumpkin-seed butter, which are better for you than regular butter or margarine. Peanuts and peanut butter (sugar-free) are also an excellent source of protein but won’t provide the other benefits of omega-3 fats and soluble fibres.

The challenge though with nuts is that it is often difficult to keep to a handful a day. Be careful to not overindulge on these calorie dense foods.

6. Squashes, including zucchini or courgettes

This vegetable family, which includes courgettes, marrows, pumpkin, butternut squashes and many other varieties of winter squash are very low GL and a great choice.

7. Berries, cherries and plums

The main sugar in most berries, cherries and plums is xylose, making these fruits especially low GL. Plums, when in season, are a great fruit snack, together with some protein such as a few almonds or pumpkin seeds.
The next best fruits are apples and pears, but the kind of apple or pear you choose makes a difference. The harder and less sweet conference pears, for example, have the lowest GL.

A good guide is two fruit a day. Try and stick to it, and do not have a fruit only for breakfast. Always combine with a good quality protein and healthy fats.

8. A spoonful of cinnamon

Cinnamon is a safe and inexpensive spice, which has been used for many years in traditional herbal medicine for the treatment of type-2 diabetes as it helps to balance blood sugar. The active ingredient in cinnamon, MCHP, mimics the action of the hormone insulin, which removes excess sugar from the bloodstream so it can really help when you are trying to lose weight. You need 3 to 6g a day for a clinical effect. A teaspoon is 3 grams. I sprinkle it on my cereal, in soups and hot drinks. Some supplements use a concentrate of cinnamon high in MCHP since that’s quite a lot to swallow.

Very important: A while ago there was this craze amongst youngsters to see whether they would be able to swallow a teaspoon of cinnamon just by itself. DO NOT DO THIS.  It is very dangerous as it is dry and incredibly difficult to swallow. Sprinkle the cinnamon over food, or add it to a liquid.

There you have it. A list of 8 foods that are beneficial when combined with a healthy eating plan.

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