10 Superfoods to a Slimmer You
What’s great about superfoods is they can help with weight loss. When you eat fewer calories, you want to load up on nutrient-dense foods and fiber. The fiber helps you feel full longer.
Put These Tips Into Action
If you want to add superfoods to your diet, start by reading up on these ten superfoods. Then, choose one or two to add to your diet per week. Once you’re in the habit of eating one or two, add one or two more.Vegetables
Spinach (1 cup raw = 7 calories)
High In: Popeye was right about spinach but the fresh kind not the canned kind. Spinach is hgh in antioxidants, vitamins A, K, B and C.
Add It In: Dress a raw spinach salad with olive oil and vinegar dressing. Add a sliced hard boiled egg and you almost have a perfect meal.
Add it to soups, sandwiches, other salads or blend it into a smoothie.
See : Make Spinach Your Go-To Veggie
Kale (1 cup, chopped = 33 calories)
High In: Kale is rich in vitamin A, calcium and iron. It’s also has 80mg of vitamin C B vitamins, phosphorus and potassium.
Add It In: You can eat it raw (in a salad, for example) or stir-fried. You can make kale chips or, like spinach, blend it into a smoothie. If the stem and spine of the kale leaf is thick, remove it and just eat the green, leafy part.
Pro tip: I grow kale and spinach all year round in my Aerogarden. I pinch leaves off as needed to put into a salad, soup or smoothie.
Tomatoes (1 cup, chopped or sliced = 33 calories)
High In: Tomatoes are very low in calories, and a source of vitamin A, C and antioxidants. Use cooked or raw.
Add It In: What can’t you do with tomatoes. Try halved tomatoes sprinkled with parmesan cheese and broiled until cheese melts. Or simply layer slice tomatoes with fresh basil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and a dash of balsamic vinegar.
Broccoli (1/2 cup = 15 calories)
High In: Broccoli is high in fiber, folate, vitamins A and C, and very low in calories. It’s also rich in thiamin, riboflavin, calcium and iron.Add It In: Stir fry broccoli with garlic and scallions with a splash of soy sauce for an oriental treat. You can eat it raw, too -- but can give some people digestion issues (it’s related to the cabbage family).
Garlic (1 clove = 5 calories)
High In: Great for cooking and for your health. Garlic helps reduces cholesterol and blood pressure. It’s a good source of manganese, vitamins B6 and C, as well as copper.
Add It In: Garlic mellows considerably when cooked. Throw several cloves into the water when you’re making pasta then smash and add to the sauce.
See: Raw or Cooked Vegetables -- Which is Best for Weight Loss?
Fruits
Apples (1 small = 78 calories)
High In: Apples are high in pectin and fiber so you feel full longer. A friend of mine lost weight by eating an apple about an hour before her supper. She found she ate less when i was suppertime.
Add It In: Bake apples with the center filled with walnuts and a sprinkle of brown sugar. Add sliced apples to a salad, too!
Blueberries (1/2 cup = 43 calories)
High In: Also known as the miracle berry, a serving of blueberries is full of vitamins and antioxidants. They’re goods sources of vitamins A, C and fiber.
Add It In: Blueberries in a salad are an extra treat. Add a handful of blueberries in the blender with a fruit smoothie.
Proteins & Nuts
Salmon (3 ounces = 175 calories)
High In: This super fish is heavy in omega 3 fatty acids, protein and calcium, as well as vitamins B1, B6, D, niacin and pantothenic acide.
Add It In: Grill, bake or sauté salmon, serve over a bed of brown rice with a squeeze of lemon juice. Add leftover cooked salmon to salad to make a protein-rich salad.
Not sure how to cook salmon? Watch this Gordon Ramsy video:
Walnuts (1 ounce = 186 calories)
High in: Walnuts are a source of protein (4 grams), healthy fat and fiber.
Add It In: Add chopped walnuts to yogurt to boost the protein and add some fiber. Or add walnuts to cooked brown rice for a bit of crunch. Other nuts to try include almonds and hazelnuts.
You can even add them into a salad.
At 186 calories for 1 ounce, be careful not to eat too many. Reduce to ½ an ounce serving size depending on your calorie intake for the day.
Grains
Oats (½ cup dry = 148 calories)
High In: Oatmeal is high in fiber. Interestingly, oats also contain polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Tthe long cooking kind takes only 5 minutes and is a better source of fiber than quick cooking. Oats have been shown to decrease cholesterol.Stay away from instant oatmeal. It usually contains added suger
Add It In: Oats are not just for breakfast add them to meatloaf or meatballs for extra fiber. You can also use them to make high protein pancakes.
See Recipe: High Protein Pancakes (made with oats)
Sample Menu Using All These Superfoods
- Main Dish: Grilled salmon served with broccoli.
- Salad: Spinach and kale salad, cherry tomatoes with garlic dressing.
- Dessert: Sliced apple compote with blueberries baked with oats and walnuts.
Related Topics
7 Things You Need to Know About Serving Sizes
Top 5 Healthy Dark Green Vegetables
Top 7 Healthy Orange Fruits and Vegetables
RDA- Vitamins & Minerals Calculator
FitWatch makes weight loss simple by doing all the counting for you and giving you down-to-earth weight loss information, tips and tricks you can actually use in your everyday life to lose weight and get fit. Eat better, move more and believe in yourself with FitWatch! Start exploring FitWatch. Follow us on Google+