Certain foods can help you shed body weight because they help you feel full longer and help curb cravings. Different foods go through different metabolic pathways in your body. They can have vastly different effects on your hunger, hormones, and the number of calories you burn.
Here are the 20 most weight-loss-friendly foods on earth that are supported by science:
1. Beans
Beans are a staple of many vegetarian dishes because they’re packed with plant-based proteins as well as also high in fiber, which will help your body take longer to process a meal that’s bean-based, helping you to consumer fewer calories throughout the day. That means you feel full longer, which may stop you from eating more.
2. Soup
Start a meal with a cup of soup, and you may end up eating less. It doesn’t matter if the soup is chunky or pureed, as long as it’s broth-based. You want to keep the soup to 100 to 150 calories a serving. So skip the dollops of cream and butter.
3. Dark Chocolate
Pick a square or two of dark over the milky version. In one study, chocolate lovers who were given dark chocolate ate 15% less pizza a few hours later than those who had eaten milk chocolate.
4. Pureed Vegetables
You can add more veggies to your diet, enjoy your “cheat” foods, and cut back on the calories you’re eating, all at the same time. When Penn State researchers added pureed cauliflower and zucchini to mac and cheese, people seemed to like the dish just as much. But they ate 200 to 350 fewer calories. Those healthy vegetables added low-cal bulk to the tasty dish.
5. Nuts
For a great snack on the run, take a small handful of almonds, peanuts, walnuts, or Pistachios. Research shows that when people munch on nuts, they automatically eat less at later meals.
Walnuts are rich in monounsaturated fats — It’s an extremely heart-healthy snack compared to chips. Previous research has established that walnuts, in particular, help to curb cravings that you may have experienced in between meals in the past.
Almonds are a strong source of protein, and various research has linked an increase in almond consumption to a decrease in LDL cholesterol (the “bad” kind). Particularly, though, regularly snacking on almonds has been linked to greater weight loss due to its effect on supercharging metabolisms
Pistachios are a prime example of a wholesome snack that may end up causing you to slow down and focus on what you’re eating due to their shells. Research published in the journal Appetite found that the process of shelling pistachios signaled dieters to slow down — the shells themselves served as a reminder of how much they had already ate.
6. Fruits
Apples Skip the apple juice and the applesauce and opt instead for a crunchy apple. Whole fruit blunts appetite in a way that fruit juices and sauces don’t. One reason is that raw fruit has more fiber. Plus, chewing sends signals to your brain that you’ve eaten something substantial.
Banana filled with potassium and magnesium, bananas offset the bloat caused salty processed foods and pack in plant-based prebiotics, “feeding” your good bacteria. Snack on one a day with a tablespoon of nut butter, or slice it into your morning cereal.
Grapefruit really can help you shed pounds, especially if you are at risk for diabetes. Researchers found that when obese people ate half a grapefruit before each meal, they dropped an average of 3 ½ pounds over 12 weeks. Drinking grapefruit juice had the same results.
But grapefruit juice doesn’t have any proven “fat-burning” properties it may just have helped people feel full.
7. Tomatoes
Tomatoes, mushrooms, carrots, cucumber, and other salad staples all help you stay hydrated due to their high H2O content. That extra water can offset fluid retention caused by excess salt.
8. Leafy Greens
Leafy greens are an excellent addition to your weight loss diet. Not only are they low in calories but also high in fiber that helps keep you feeling full. It’s include kale, spinach, collards, swiss chards and a few others. They have several properties that make them perfect for a weight loss diet, such as being low in calories and carbohydrates and loaded with fiber.
Eating leafy greens is a great way to increase the volume of your meals, without increasing the calories. It’s also incredibly nutritious and very high in many vitamins, antioxidants and minerals, including calcium, which has been shown to aid fat burning in some studies
9. Cruciferous Vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts. This vegetables are low in calories but high in fiber and nutrients.
Adding them to your diet is not only an excellent weight loss strategy but may also improve your overall health.Like other vegetables, they’re high in fiber and tend to be incredibly filling and it contain decent amounts of protein.
A combination of protein, fiber and low energy density makes cruciferous vegetables the perfect foods to include in your meals if you need to lose weight. They’re also highly nutritious and contain cancer-fighting substances
10. Boiled Potatoes
Boiled potatoes are among the most filling foods. They’re particularly good at reducing your appetite, potentially suppressing your food intake later in the day.
It has an excellent source of potassium, which can help manage bloating and counterbalance sodium. It has high in fiber as well, meaning potatoes can be a nutrient-dense food.
However, they have several properties that make them a perfect food both for weight loss and optimal health. It 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. It is particularly high in potassium, a nutrient that most people don’t get enough of and that plays an important role in blood pressure control.
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.
Sweet potatoes, turnips and other root vegetables are also excellent.
11. Avocados
Avocados are a good example of a healthy fat source you can include in your diet while trying to lose weight. Just make sure to keep your intake moderate.While most fruits are high in carbs, avocados are loaded with healthy fats, It is 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. it also contain many important nutrients, including fiber and potassium.
12. Apple Cider Vinegar
Several human-based studies suggest that apple cider vinegar can be useful for weight loss. Adding apple cider vinegar to your vegetable salad may help curb your appetite, potentially leading to greater weight loss.
It’s often used in condiments like dressings or vinaigrettes, and some people even dilute it in water and drink it.
Vinegar has also been shown to reduce blood sugar spikes after meals, which may have various beneficial health effects in the long term
13. Whole Grains
Though cereal grains have received a bad reputation in recent years, some types are definitely healthy. It 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
You should avoid refined grains if you’re trying to lose weight. Choose whole grains instead they’re much higher in fiber and other nutrients.
14. Chili Pepper
Eating spicy foods that contain chili peppers helps increase your fat burning and it’s useful on a weight loss diet. It contain capsaicin, a substance which has been shown to reduce appetite and increase fat burning in some studies
15. Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are very high in fiber, which fills you up and reduces appetite. For this reason, they can be useful on a weight loss diet and it’s most nutritious foods on the planet.
It contain 12 grams of carbohydrates per ounce (28 grams), which is pretty high, but 11 of these grams are fiber. This makes chia seeds a low-carb-friendly food and one of the best sources of fiber in the world.
Because of its high fiber content, chia seeds can absorb up to 11–12 times their weight in water, turning gel-like and expanding in your stomach
16. Coconut Oil
Coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) that may increase satiety after meals.
MCT oil supplements are even more effective and it’s high in fatty acids of a medium length. These fatty acids have been shown to boost satiety better than other fats and increase the number of calories burned.
17. Peanut Butter
The best fat burning foods, Peanut butter packs 8 grams of protein and up to 4 grams of fiber per serving, making it an ideal snack to help you fill up and stay satisfied (particularly in stabilizing a glycemic load).
Just make sure that you’re taking a look at the ingredients label, which should only include peanuts and salt (maybe a little bit of oil, but no high additives necessary!).
A published review of research in the Journal of Food Science and Technology highlights the fact that peanut butter can help people feel more satisfied compared to other snacks.
18. Chickpeas
The best fat burning foods, it’s filled with fiber and plant-based protein, as well as immune-boosting antioxidants and bloat-busting minerals. Chickpeas easily go in soups, stews, salads, and side dishes. Plus, chickpea flour is a great baking alternative for a more nutrient-dense and filling end result.
19. Pumpkin
With more fiber than quinoa and more potassium than a banana, pumpkin puree is one of your best bets for snacking and cooking purposes. Try this the next time you’re craving sweets: add pureed pumpkin to unsweetened Greek yogurt with cinnamon and chopped pears for a nutritious dessert.
20. Peas
A cup of peas packs 8 grams of protein and tons of key bloat-reducing nutrients. It’s got nearly all of what you need daily for vitamin C, plus magnesium, potassium, and iron all of which aid in counterbalancing sodium and bringing oxygen to blood cells.