Anyone on a weight loss journey knows how difficult it is to find low-calorie, nutritious foods. Thankfully, there are many superfoods that you can try out to ensure healthy eating in your transformation journey. Their fat-burning ability is exceptional, making them ideal for both short-term and long-term weight loss. Superfoods can solve most health issues and boost immunity thanks to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
However, there is a practical issue. In supermarkets, these foods are not branded as “superfoods.” You need to know what to buy. Here is a list of 21 research-backed superfoods for weight loss. This article explains how to add superfoods in your regular diet to lose weight effectively without compromising on taste or satisfaction.
Top 21 Superfoods For Effective Weight Loss
1. Banana
Have you been avoiding bananas because you think it is going to bulk you up? Well, science says that maybe that’s the reason you are unable to lose weight! Surprised? One large banana contains only 121 calories. The payoff you get is in terms of energy and satiety. The fiber, vitamins, and minerals in bananas also help improve insulin sensitivity, thereby protecting you from type 2 diabetes. However, ripe bananas also raise blood sugar levels. It is best to consume green bananas instead of ripe ones if you have pre-diabetes or diabetes.
2. Avocado
One medium avocado contains 322 calories. But, the healthy fats and nutrients in avocado make it one of the best fruits for weight loss. Researchers found that healthy monounsaturated fats, dietary fiber, and other beneficial phytochemicals in avocado aided weight loss and protected against metabolic disorders
3. Goji Berries
The rusted red Goji Goji berries are low in calories (1-3 oz berries contain 23-69 calories). The antioxidants present in them help reduce the oxidative stress in your body. They help reduce waist circumference, improve lipid profile, and prevent cardiovascular disease in patients with metabolic syndrome
4. Leafy Greens – Kale And Spinach
A cup of spinach contains 7 calories, and a cup of kale contains 33 calories. Spinach helps neutralize harmful free oxygen radicals. It also increases the expression of genes involved in metabolism and prevents you from consuming excess amounts of food by secreting satiety hormones. On the other hand, consuming kale may lower blood glucose levels
5. Nuts – Almonds And Pistachios
Almonds are great sources of dietary fiber, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. Four almonds contain 28 calories. Scientists also found that almonds aided greater weight loss as compared to low-calorie diets (LCD).
Fifteen in-shell pistachios contain 60 calories. Pistachios are a great snack for weight loss. They are loaded with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and help lower serum triglyceride levels, protect from type 2 diabetes, reduce blood pressure, and lower the chances of cardiovascular diseases
6. Fatty Fish – Salmon, Sardine, And Mackerel
Consume fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines to lose weight and protect your heart from various diseases. They help rebalance the omega-3 and omega-6 ratio. How?
The foods that we generally consume are high in omega-6, which leads to inflammation and stress in the body. This, in turn, causes toxic build-up in the body, leading to weight gain and metabolic disorders. Fatty fish are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, and higher intake of omega-3 will lower inflammation and stress levels. This leads to weight loss.
7. Broccoli
If there’s one food that can protect you from weight gain, heart disease, aging, cancer, and every other disease on the planet, it is broccoli. So, like it or not, you must include it in your diet to reap the various benefits it provides. Broccoli is low in calories (½ cup of broccoli has only 15 calories!) and rich in dietary fiber, which increases your satiety levels. The antioxidants present in it help reduce toxin and inflammation levels.
8. Eggs
Eggs are great sources of protein, fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K), minerals like iron and selenium, and antioxidants
One to two whole eggs contain about 78-156 calories. Consuming eggs for breakfast will keep you recharged throughout the day, prevent you from snacking on junk food, and also improve your brain function. The vitamins present in the eggs will aid better and proper functioning of your body.
9. Cinnamon
If you are doing everything right and yet are unsuccessful at losing that last bit of flab, consume Ceylon cinnamon. Chinese and American scientists found that the proanthocyanidins in cinnamon had a direct effect on blood glucose, blood lipid, and insulin levels. The researchers found that consuming 500 mg of water extract of cinnamon increased insulin sensitivity and lowered LDL cholesterol in the participants.
10. Fenugreek Seeds
Fenugreek seeds are one of the most effective weight loss superfoods. They work by boosting your metabolism, preventing fat accumulation, increasing insulin sensitivity, improving antioxidant activity, and promoting downregulation of fat synthesizing enzymes.
Soak two teaspoons of fenugreek seeds overnight in a cup of water. Strain and drink the water first thing in the morning.
11. Oats
Oats are the most common healthy breakfast consumed all over the world, and they are a great option among fiber foods for weight loss. That’s because half a cup of oats contains 109 calories. Oats are loaded with dietary fiber and essential nutrients like folate, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, proteins, and omega-3 fatty acids.This complex carbohydrate gets digested slowly, so your blood sugar levels remain stable.
Scientists at Louisiana State University have found that oats have anti-inflammatory properties, increase insulin sensitivity, and improve digestion and colonic transit period. This leads to reduced fat accumulation and keeps hyperglycemia in check.
To get the complete benefits of oats for weight loss, it is important to avoid consuming oats on their own. Balance it out with protein and/or healthy fat to help in maintaining normal blood sugar levels. Consuming protein and healthy fat with oats can help to keep blood sugar stable. They will slow down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream. Poorly managed blood sugar can lead to weight gain and sugar cravings.
12. Watermelon
A cup of juicy watermelon contains only 47 calories. Watermelon contains a potent antioxidant called lycopene. It is also a great source of complex carbs, vitamins, minerals, and water. Consuming a cup of watermelon when you are hungry will keep you satiated for at least an hour, rehydrate you, and lower inflammation in your body. As a result, you will start to lose weight without even knowing it!
13. Green Tea
At only 2 calories per cup, green tea is the best beverage for weight loss. It contains epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a phytonutrient that has antioxidant properties. It helps in scavenging the harmful free oxygen radicals that cause weight gain due to inflammation in the body (1). Consume 2-4 cups (8 fl oz) of green tea per day to see a visible effect in three weeks.
14. Blueberries
Blueberries are always Instagram ready! They are delicious and healthy and impart a hypnotizing color to any cereal or smoothie bowl! Half a cup of these dark blue fruits contains only 42 calories. They are loaded with vitamins A, C, and K, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and dietary fiber. Blueberries keep hunger pangs at bay, may help lower blood sugar, and prevent insulin resistance
15. Lentils
Yellow, red, green, or black – lentils are one of the best nutrient sources since time immemorial. Apart from being rich in protein, they also contain dietary fiber, iron, potassium, folate, and manganese in abundance. Half a cup of boiled lentils contains only 165 calories! Protein and dietary fiber take time to digest. That’s why you feel satiated for a long duration after consuming lentils.
16. Oils – Olive Oil And Avocado Oil
Olive oil and avocado oil are great for cooking. These oils are sources of healthy unsaturated fats, vitamin E, iron, and calcium. Various studies on olive oil show that it aids weight loss in obese patients and should be consumed by those who want to lose weight.
17. Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt is loaded with protein and probiotics. A hundred grams of Greek yogurt contains about 60 calories. It is a great snack option as it helps improve satiety and digestion.
18. Full-Fat Milk
One cup of full-fat milk contains 146 calories. New scientific evidence suggests that full-fat milk can aid weight loss. Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco found that full-fat milk and dairy consumers were on the lower side of the obesity scale. They have hypothesized that the butyric acid present in milk helps lower inflammation and inflammation-related fat gain. Full-fat milk also increases insulin sensitivity and metabolism.
19. Brown Rice
Half a cup of brown rice contains 108 calories. Korean scientists found that consuming brown rice regularly led to decreased waist circumference in type 2 diabetes patients. Here’s how it works.
The husk on brown rice is a good source of dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. By consuming controlled amounts of brown rice with veggies and protein, you can get an extra dose of nutrients. These help cleanse your colon and improve digestion. As a result, your metabolic rate increases, and you lose weight without feeling hungry all the time.
20. Spirulina
Spirulina started out as a food for soldiers at war or scientists in space. It has quickly got popular in the mainstream fitness market due to its high protein content. It is a spiral-shaped bacterium loaded with health benefits for humans.
A tablespoon of protein-dense spirulina contains 20 calories. It is loaded with proteins, fatty acids, calcium, polysaccharides that stimulate DNA repair, beta-carotene, vitamin E, water-soluble vitamins, iron, magnesium, potassium, and other trace minerals.
Polish scientists found that three months of regular consumption of spirulina helped improve BMI, blood pressure, and endothelial function.
21. Tomatoes
A cup of tomatoes contains only 32 calories. Tomatoes have a high water content and are rich in vitamin C and fiber. They are a perfect addition to any weight loss diet. When coupled with calorie restriction, they may help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation and possibly accelerate weight loss. You can add tomatoes to soups, salads, curries, and other dishes to reap their benefits.
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