Not all calories are created equal. Different foods go through different metabolic pathways in your body. While some people would rather go for weight loss processes without exercise.
They can have vastly different effects on your hunger, hormones and the number of calories you burn.
10 weight loss foods you should know.
1. Whole Eggs
Once feared for being high in cholesterol, whole eggs have been making a comeback.
New studies show that they neither adversely affect blood cholesterol nor cause heart attacks.
What’s more, they’re one of the best foods to eat if you need to lose weight, as they’re high in protein, healthy fats and can make you feel full with a very low amount of calories.
One study in 30 overweight women showed that eating eggs for breakfast, instead of bagels, increased feelings of fullness (satiety) and made participants eat less for the next 36 hours .
Another eight-week study found that eggs for breakfast increased weight loss on a calorie restricted diet, compared to bagels.
Eggs are also incredibly nutrient dense and can help you get all the nutrients you need on a calorie-restricted diet. Interestingly, almost all the nutrients are found in the yolks.
2. Boiled Potatoes
White potatoes seem to have fallen out of favor for some reason.
However, they have several properties that make them a perfect food — both for weight loss and optimal health.
They contain an incredibly diverse range of nutrients — a little bit of almost everything you need.
There have even been accounts of people living on nothing but potatoes alone for extended periods of time.
They’re particularly high in potassium, a nutrient that most people don’t get enough of and that plays an important role in blood pressure control.
On a scale called the Satiety Index, which measures how filling different foods are, white, boiled potatoes scored the highest of all the foods tested.
What this means is that by eating white, boiled potatoes, you will naturally feel full and eat less of other foods.
If you allow potatoes to cool for a while after boiling, they will form high amounts of resistant starch, a fiber-like substance that has been shown to have various health benefits, including weight loss.
3. Beans and Legumes
Some beans and other legumes can be beneficial for weight loss.
This includes lentils, black beans, kidney beans and some others.
These foods tend to be high in protein and fiber, which are two nutrients that have been shown to lead to satiety.
They also tend to contain some resistant starch.
The main problem is that a lot of people have difficulties tolerating legumes. For this reason, it’s important to prepare them properly.
4. Avocados
Avocados are a unique fruit.
While most fruits are high in carbs, avocados are loaded with healthy fats.
They’re particularly high in monounsaturated oleic acid, the same type of fat found in olive oil.
Despite being mostly fat, avocados also contain a lot of water and fiber, making them less energy-dense than you may think.
What’s more, they’re a perfect addition to vegetable salads, as studies show that their fat content can increase carotenoid antioxidant absorption from the vegetables 2.6- to 15-fold.
They also contain many important nutrients, including fiber and potassium.
5. Nuts
Despite being high in fat, nuts are not as fattening as you would expect.
They’re an excellent snack, containing balanced amounts of protein, fiber and healthy fats.
Studies have shown that eating nuts can improve metabolic health and even promote weight loss.
What’s more, population studies have shown that people who eat nuts tend to be healthier and leaner than those who don’t.
Just make sure not to go overboard, as they’re still fairly high in calories. If you tend to binge and eat massive amounts of nuts, it may be best to avoid them.
6. Whole Grains
Though cereal grains have received a bad reputation in recent years, some types are definitely healthy.
This includes some whole grains that are loaded with fiber and contain a decent amount of protein.
Notable examples include oats, brown rice and quinoa.
Oats are loaded with beta-glucans, soluble fibers that have been shown to increase satiety and improve metabolic health.
Both brown and white rice can contain significant amounts of resistant starch, particularly if cooked and then allowed to cool afterward.
Keep in mind that refined grains are not a healthy choice, and sometimes foods that have “whole grains” on the label are highly processed junk foods that are both harmful and fattening.
If you’re on a very low-carb diet, you’ll want to avoid grains, as they’re high in carbs.
But there’s otherwise nothing wrong with eating whole grains if you can tolerate them.
7. Coconut Oil
Not all fats are created equal.
Coconut oil is high in fatty acids of a medium length, called medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs).
These fatty acids have been shown to boost satiety better than other fats and increase the number of calories burned.
What’s more, two studies — one in women and the other in men — showed that coconut oil reduced amounts of belly fat.
Of course, coconut oil still contains calories, so adding it on top of what you’re already eating is a bad idea.
It’s not about adding coconut oil to your diet but about replacing some of your other cooking fats with coconut oil.
However, studies show that coconut oil is less satiating than MCT oil — a supplement that contains much higher numbers of medium-chain triglycerides.
Extra virgin olive oil is worth mentioning here, as it’s probably one of the healthiest fats on the planet.
