Losing weight does not have to involve skipping meals or counting calories. Instead, swapping unhealthy foods for healthy ones will help you lose weight in a much easier and healthier way. What you need to do is swap foods high in fats, sugars, and salt for foods high in vitamins, minerals, and low in calories. By making small changes in your daily diet, you will make a big difference in your weight-loss goals. To help you start making these changes, here are a couple of food swap options recommended by NHS choices that you should try.
Breakfast swaps
Studies show that the physical form of food (liquid vs. solid) makes a big difference as far as appetite is concerned. Liquid food does not elicit the same feelings of satiety as solid food, and it’s much easier to exceed daily caloric intake when eating liquid such as milk than with solids such as cheese. So be careful with your breakfast choices. Swap whole-fat dairy for skimmed milk and avoid sugary drinks. Be careful with your cereal choices as well. A lot of cereals contain added sugars so it’s best to swap popular cereals with muesli or porridge.
Lunch
Always choose wholegrain everything over refined grains. Many beneficial ingredients found in whole grains are lost during processing. The health benefits of whole grains are numerous – from reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer to promoting weight loss. Furthermore, avoid adding butter, mayo, and full-fat cheese to your foods and replace it with reduced-fat spread and reduced-fat hard cheese. Alternatively, you can swap your carbohydrate-rich meals with full fat meals as this has shown in some studies to curb appetite and even improve blood glucose levels. Our appetite is pretty much controlled by the food we eat and their effects on our metabolism. Another way you could control your appetite during the day is with High fiber Diet.
Dinner
First of all, make sure that you don’t eat dinner just before you go to bed. Studies show that late night eaters had more trouble losing weight. This is because fat metabolism is regulated by our circadian rhythm. Any disruption in the circadian rhythm (night time eating and insomnia) can contribute to excessive fat accumulation. As far as foods swapping goes, make sure to swap creamy dips and sauces with vegetable-based ones such as tomato sauce. Choose lean cuts of meat over bacon or even better eat fish instead. Research has long shown that fish was a healthy food choice for weight loss and it also improved cardiovascular health due to omega-3 fatty acids found in fish.
What you drink also matters
Avoid sugary drinks at all costs. These contain more sugar than you think which will cause a spike in your blood glucose levels. They’re also high in calories. One can of soda is said to contain as much as 240 calories according to a Harvard article. Instead, quench your thirst with water or tea. Fruit juice with no added sugar is another great option from which you get plenty of vitamins and minerals. Avoid adding cream to your coffee, cocoa, or hot chocolate drinks. If you must sweeten your drinks, add honey to your tea or cocoa drinks.
In-between
Ideally, you should avoid snacks for best weight loss results and for better overall health, but if you must munch in between meals, there are healthy alternatives. Choose unsalted nuts over salted nuts. Too much salt in your diet can lead to hypertension and make food more addictive. Eat plain dried raisins and other dried fruit instead of yoghurt-coated. Rice cakes are a great crispy alternative to chips, cheese straws, and cornmeal snacks. They also come in different flavors if you find plain rice cakes boring.
Conclusion
You don’t have to reduce your portions or skip meals for weight loss or for better health. The trick to eating healthy is in making the right food choices. Too much fat, sugar, and food processing can be bad for your health and your waistline. The best food options are those high in vitamins, minerals, fiber while being moderate in carbohydrates and fat. If you find that you have trouble with controlling your appetite, you may try supplements for weight loss such as Bio X4 to help you achieve your goals.
Video:7 Tips To Maintain Healthy Weight