When we try to lose weight, it is very common to start by looking at the calories in what we eat, of course, fewer calories than necessary should enter the body. However, calories are not the most important thing, but quality is decisive when it comes to getting rid of the extra kilos and we demonstrate it with these five energy foods that help you lose weight.
Looking only at the calories of what we eat can lead us to eliminate very healthy foods from our diet or ingredients that, as we show below, despite being concentrated in energy, they can help us lose weight.
It may seem like a contradiction or a utopia, but the reality is that we must think about the concept of nutritionally dense foods. Along with this, always seek a dietary balance that allows us to understand that the energy of certain foods can come in our favor.
For this reason, exclusively fearing calories as those responsible for the extra kilos and those that prevent us from losing weight is a mistake. For sample, five energy foods that help us lose weight.
extra virgin olive oil
It is an ingredient typical of the Mediterranean diet that can help you lose weight. It constitutes like all oils, a concentrated in fat and caloriesbut its monounsaturated fats used in replacement of saturated fats typical of meat or others of poor quality such as trans fats have shown promote weight loss in a study conducted by Australian scientists.
Likewise, its consumption within the framework of a healthy diet such as the Mediterranean diet has been associated with lower incidence of overweight and obesity as well as a lower risk of suffering from other metabolic diseases, as concluded by a study published in 2010.
The important thing is that we consider that the extra virgin olive oil Despite being 99.9% fat and therefore concentrating many calories, it can benefit health and help to obtain satiety, thus contributing to weight loss.
Nuts
They are very caloric foods because, like oils, they are rich in fat. However, among its fats, the unsaturated ones predominate, being able to find Omega 3 that we only get it through what we eat and can reduce fat accumulation as a study in the journal Lipids concludes.
The nuts They are not only calories and fat, but also proteins, fiber, minerals and various vitamins that benefit the body. Therefore, its consumption easily satiates the body and it protects against overweight, obesity and other metabolic diseases, as researchers from Spain have shown.
On the other hand, due to their hard consistency and their richness in fiber, nuts make us chew more, thus forcing us to be satiated sooner and this helps to eat less as a study published in Plos One points out, something key when we seek to lose weight.
We can consume the nuts as such between meals, or roast them in the oven, make healthy and satisfying cookies or other dishes such as crunchy salads with their addition.
Seeds
They are very similar to nuts: rich in fat and calories, but accompanied by fiber and vegetable proteins that provide satiety.
Also, they mostly have unsaturated fats that have been linked to increased weight loss in a study published in the BMJ magazine, so we shouldn’t be afraid of its calories in the least.
Thus, we can make snacks with roasted seeds in the oven, create cookies or add seeds to various salads so that in this way we obtain more and better nutrients, we chew more and thus, we are satisfied before to achieve slim down not hungry.
Peanut
Peanuts are by definition a legume, although we usually consider it a nut, given their similarity in terms of nutrients.
Rich in unsaturated fats, this ingredient is concentrating on calories, but at the same time, offers many vegetable proteins that satiate the body and fiber that will make us chew.
As a study published by the University of Houston points out, its consumption and that of peanut butter can be of help to prevent overweight and obesityHence, if we use it as a snack (roasted in the oven) to eat between meals or add it to various salads or stir-fries, we can achieve real help with its incorporation.
We can also elaborate peanut butter at home and with it season a stir-fry or dress up some tacos, as well as create a healthy and creamy ice cream.
Avocado
According to research in Nutrition Journal, the avocado can induce satiety in our body calming the appetite effectively and helping us eat less.
Thus, its intake despite having more calories and fat than other fruits can help us lose weight easily, since we can also use it to replace mayonnaise and commercial sauces or butter and cream to make healthy desserts and many other nutritious preparations.
OXO Good Grips 3-in-1 Avocado Slicer, Peeler and Opener, White
These Five foods show that calories are not essential when it comes to losing weight and that fats can be our allies when it comes to losing weight, since not all calories are the same and the most important are the nutrients of the ingredients as well as their effect on the body.
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