Are there any real miracle diets to lose weight?

How to lose weight through diet

WEIGHT LOSS TIPS

What is the healthiest diet to lose weight?

When a person wants to start a diet to lose weight, the following questions are generally taken into consideration:

  • How can I reduce fat?
  • Must I eat plenty of starch in a low fat diet?
  • What foods are the best for losing weight?

The best diet to lose weight

There is not a “miracle” diet to reduce weight. The fundamental aim must be ingesting less calories and make a bigger effort to consume them. Only a change of eating habits and adequate and constant exercise may lead to a gradual reduction of excess weight.

Strict diets lead to a loss of fluids that is easily recovered when one gets to eat and we recover the lost weight. Fasting to lose weight is very dangerous, because it can cause problems in blood pressure and affect the heart.

The best diet will be one that provides all the nutrients the body needs and with a moderate power consumption. Following this diet we can make our bodies stay healthy and avoid obesity or overweight.

The component that provides more energy is fat. Eating more fat than the body requires results in an increase of adipose tissue, ie fat. One of the best ways to control your ideal weight is to reduce the amount of food that contains fat.

Eating fiber can slow down fat consumption

illustration 1

Eating too much fat can be the result of being too hungry. Any kind of food that can satisfy us without providing too many calories, is a good resource to feel full and to avoid the need of eating to feel better.

Eating foods that contain plenty of fiber is a way to get an appetite suppressant because they produce satiety. The reason for this lies in its ability to absorb water, which increases the volume and fills the stomach.

It was found that the diets that contain a fairly high percentage of fiber get to reduce body weight and eliminate the state of anxiety over the constant feeling of hunger, especially soluble fiber that lasts longer in the digestive system.

If you also use it to combat obesity, we must consider the importance of fiber in cholesterol control, in preventing constipation or protection from certain types of cancers. Therefore, we realize the importance of this component in food.

How much fiber do we have to eat to lose weight

However this does not imply that we have to choke on fiber. Too high a dose of this component, as we sometimes tend to take in the form of bran or whole grains, may interfere with calcium absorption or cause intestinal problems such as diarrhea, flatulence, heaviness, and so on.

The recommended dose of fiber is 20 to 35 g daily. Fiber is found in foods of plant origin, possessed by all of them, in a greater or lesser amount. The following table shows a range of foods rich in fiber:

Soluble fiberInsoluble fiber
Fruits, but especially: Apples, pears, oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, strawberries, bananas

Vegetables, but especially: Cauliflower, carrots, beans

Cereals: Oatmeal, brown rice, corn

Legumes: Peas, lentils, beans, chickpeas, soybeans,…

White rice

Artichokes

Whole grain bread

Wheat bran

Fruits

Vegetables

Importance of eating starches

illustration 1

Potatoes must be included in a diet for loosing weight

The consumption of starches has always had very bad press in the control of body fat.

It has been said that eating foods rich in carbohydrates from vegetables and grains, like bread, rice, corn, bananas, potatoes, pasta, etc. results in fattening.

On the contrary, these foods can help to control obesity and prevent the intake of fats, providing the body as a feeling of satiety.

They have very little fat and their calorie content is similar to non-greasy meat. They should be a fundamental part of food because, in addition to providing energy as fat, they contain other very important principles for health as vitamins, minerals and fiber.

We should know that, in the case of cereals, choosing whole ones is more advantageous because they have more principles than the refined ones.

Recommended food for weight loss

The best diet for weight control is one that combines the following food groups in the following order and amount:

1) Carbohydrates, which would be the key element, along with…

2) Plenty of plant food (fruit or vegetables)

3) A moderate intake of nonfat dairy products

4) A smaller proportion of protein (not necessarily from animals) and…

5 A very moderate addition of fats and sugars.

vegetables to loose weightVegetables are fundamental in a diet to lose weight

How to plant a diet to lose weight

The food plan of the person who wants to maintain a low calorie diet should be varied in order to provide the nutrients required for good health.

As there are no “miracle diets”, there are no “magic” foods for weight loss. However, there are a number of foods that should be included in an “ideal” diet to maintain ideal weight.

These foods are characterized by being able to satisfy hunger by providing very little fat; they are the possible “superfoods” of a plan that would be the best diet to lose weight.

Specific diets used for weight loss

There are many diets that are used in practice to lose weight. Among the most important are the diet of strawberries, the grapefruit diet, the diet of artichokes, etc.

punto rojoMore information on specific diets for weight loss, dietary fats

Related information: Fucus vesiculosus and weight loss , Spirulina and obesity. Tamarind for obesity

This article was endorsed by Elisenda Carballido - Dietitian nutritionist. Postgraduate in Phytotherapy and master in Nutrition and Metabolism.
Editorial
Written by Editorial Botanical-online team in charge of content writing

9 February, 2024

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