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The holidays can play havoc with diets and weight. With one party after another and best foods constantly on offer, it can be very difficult to keep a healthy diet. We tend to partake of such great, glorious rich food and throw caution to the wind.
But come January, one of the first and most common resolutions is to lose weight by getting back on the diet wagon. If you are one of those people, you need to follow some definite steps along with including some definite foods.
There are some ten must-include foods for your New Year diet plan. These ten foods are a must if you are deciding to eat correctly with moderate exercise.
Let’s look at these foods in detail.
- You have to include more whole grains in your diet. Switch to ‘brown’ items in place of the ‘white’ items. Eat brown bread or multi grain bread instead of white bread or brown rice instead of white rice.
Eating more whole grains increases the amount of soluble and insoluble fiber. This fiber, along with improving your digestion, also increases the bulk of the food you eat. This, in turn, reduces the calories of the food you eat.
- Fresh fruits and vegetables are very important of a healthy eating plan. Fruits and vegetables are a powerhouse of nutrition. They contain large quantities of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, good fats, protein, fiber and fewer calories as compared to processed food.
There are some vegetables that are specifically good for weight loss purposes. Spinach and kale are such vegetables. These are leafy, green vegetables chock full of great nutrients. Eating these regularly has good long term benefits. Similarly, sweet potatoes are great vegetables to include. Sweet potatoes, rich in complex carbohydrates, are a great source of antioxidants and fiber. Fruits like blueberries, cherries, cantaloupe and cranberries are also great fruits to include as a must in weight control foods. - Along with healthy food, water is an important ingredient. While you eat properly, drinking adequate water helps you to keep digestion intact and to keep the body hydrated.
- There are some foods that the body tends to use more calories to digest than the calories that those foods rack up. Foods like broccoli and lettuce are such food. Increasing their consumption helps the body burn fat better and at the same time, increases the fiber content and not the calorie count.
- Another great addition to a healthy diet is nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds add good fat and protein to your diet while not racking up the calorie counts.
- Fish is also a must food for a good diet. Fish contains good fatty omega acids that work well in helping the body burn fat more efficiently. Fatty fish like mackerel, cod and salmon eaten thrice a week help the body with good sources of protein.
- Yogurt and other snack alternatives like soya nuts, fruits with yogurt, lightly flavored yogurt and low fat granola and trail mixes make for some healthy snacks. Snacking is usually a big issue when it comes to eating healthily. Low fat yogurt, by itself, can be a filing snack and can be eaten to keep common evening hunger pangs at bay.
- A big problem in healthy eating is doing away with dessert. You needn’t do away with it completely. You can use natural sugar or sweeteners as often as possible. Fruits like mangoes and bananas make great desserts. Some dark chocolate or yogurt with a little honey can also be a nice sweet end to a meal.
- Beans and legumes are a great source of healthy protein and an excellent substitute for red meat.
- Drink natural beverages instead of soda or carbonated drinks. Drinks like coconut water or smoothies can provide more nutrients and even quench your thirst.
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