Cathal BarryAlmost everybody seems to over-complicate things with fad diets
For most people, losing or maintaining their weight can be troublesome. Almost everybody seems to over-complicate things and become bogged down attempting restrictive ‘quick-fix’ fad diets. However, there is an easier way.
Everybody should attempt to eat whole foods such as vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, eggs and nuts and avoid processed foods. Exercising regularly helps too, but as the saying goes: “You can’t out-train a bad diet.”
Here are the top five tips for whole food eating, which may hopefully lead to a whole new you.
Protein
The benefits of eating high-quality protein at every meal are endless. Protein helps preserve lean muscle mass so that you have a higher daily resting energy expenditure. It also helps manage blood sugar and insulin, decreasing cravings for sugar. Another major benefit people often overlook is that certain amino acids, contained in protein, reduce people’s desire to eat.
Fibre
Foods high in fibre fill you up and they result in a lower proportion of the calories being absorbed by the body than those low in fibre. However, it is important to note that only those with naturally occurring indigestible fibre have this benefit. This type of fibre is found primarily in vegetables, fruits and some grains.
Resistant starch is another kind of indigestible fibre that encourages the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. It’s been found to increase the feeling of satisfaction to a meal, and to preserve lean muscle mass when losing fat so that your overall energy expenditure doesn’t drop drastically.
Vegetables
Try starting every meal with green vegetables or salad and you will eat fewer calories overall, while getting a more nutritious meal. Drinking a glass of water or tea before meals has also been shown to reduce food intake.
Remember, whichever food you put in your mouth first is likely to be what you eat most of.
Fats
The omega-3 fats contained in fish and other foods such as grass-fed beef are unique because they raise body temperature from eating, which leads the body to burn extra calories.
There is also evidence that polyunsaturated fats, like those contained in almonds and walnuts, have a similar effect.
This is why certain fats don’t actually make you fat when eaten in moderation, but can contribute to accelerating fat-loss.
Mono-unsaturated fats similarly are thought to make the body more likely to burn the energy they contain, rather than store it as fat. This type of fat is typically found in avocados and extra virgin olive oil.
Probiotics
It may come as a surprise that the bacteria in your gut have a profound effect on how many calories your body absorbs and they may influence how much you eat as well. To ensure you are getting the most nutrients out of everything you consume, eat plenty of probiotic foods such as quality yogurt or even try a pro-biotic supplement.