Weightloss Foods

Many of those people who are committed to a training program list weight loss as one of their goals. Whether it be shedding some winter kilos in time for summer on the beach, or packing on some extra muscle and decreasing body fat percentage, almost everyone seems obsessed with losing weight.

The problem with that is that whenever we think about weight loss our minds immediately tick over into thinking what we can’t eat. However, like everything, our bodies require certain things in order to operate optimally.

When our bodies are functioning effectively we are burning fat and building muscle, instead of storing fat and increasing our body weight. Including certain foods into your daily diet will help your body to operate efficiently. This means you will be increasing your metabolism by supplying your body with all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients it requires to burn calories.

So what are the foods our bodies need to operate most effectively? I will start by listing the foods I recommend you try to include in what you eat everyday, and then provide you with some of my favourite combinations.

I have not always been great with including a wide variety of foods in my diet; however, as I have become more interested in food I have tried a wider variety of fish, fruit, vegetables, fresh herbs and spices. I have found that when combined with the right ingredients most foods are enjoyable and very easy to incorporate into my weekly nutritional plan.

Most of these foods you might already recognize for their nutritional value, the challenge is how you can make them a part of your daily meals.

• Rolled oats
• Wholegrain bread and cereals
• Wholegrain pasta and rice
• Low fat yoghurt, milk and cheese
• Blueberries, strawberries, apples, grapefruit, kiwi fruit
• Nuts and seeds: almonds are the best but try other varieties as long as they are unsalted
• Spinach and Broccoli
• Fresh beans and peas
• Lentils and pulses (out of a can is fine but rinse off the liquid they are stored in and don’t buy those with added salt and sugar)
• Salmon and tuna (in a can is also fine but buy those in brine, not oil)
• Chicken and turkey breast
• WATER

This is not to say there are not many other foods high in nutritional value but these are my favourites and trying to eat these foods everyday will supply your body with everything it needs.

There are so many different combinations you can come up with as long as you follow some simple guidelines when you’re preparing your meals, you will gain maximum nutritional benefit out of the foods you are eating. Read my next article for the first of these tips!