How to Cook and Eat For Weight Loss
Once you're serious about losing weight, those days of grabbing dinner from a drive through window have to become less frequent.
But you don't have to give up taste or variety.
In actuality, getting serious about cooking and eating for weight loss is where mealtime creativity begins.
Stick to these rules of thumb and you'll be making solid choices for safe, permanent weight loss.
Use fresh ingredients: This means you'll have to learn your way around the produce section of your local grocery store.
If time is an issue, canned or frozen veggies can work well, but nothing really beats the nutritional value of fresh fruits and veggies.
Take time to explore and try new and unusual items you may not have noticed before, like white sweet potatoes or broccoflower.
Also, aim for lots of different colors on your plate to get a variety of vitamins and minerals.
You can't go wrong with vegetables that are orange, red, dark green or purple.
Fill up with fiber: You do not have to ditch every carbohydrate to lose weight.
Instead, focus on complex carbohydrates that contain lots of fiber.
This means finding ways to incorporate oats, whole wheat, beans, legumes, and other forms of fiber containing natural foods.
Also make sure to use whole grain cereals, breads, rolls, and crackers for an added fiber boost.
Fiber is good for weight loss because it helps you to eat less.
Because it takes up so much room in your stomach and digests slowly, fiber helps keep you feeling full for long periods of time.
Eat skinny proteins: A well-rounded weight loss plan will include moderate amounts of meat and dairy, but these foods can contain lots of hidden fats.
Always buy lean cuts of meat, and choose low fat and skim versions of milk, cheese, and yogurt.
Flavor with healthy fats: Opt out of butter and shortening to help speed up the weight loss process.
Instead, experiment with ways to incorporate healthier fats like olive, coconut, and avocado oils into your eating plan.
Don't skip dessert...
but find a way to add more nutrition and fiber into your diet by finding ways to incorporate fruit into your desserts.
Try making apple crisp, baked pears, fresh berry cobbler, or a raspberry sorbet to help calm your sweet tooth.
Adjust your recipes to use less sugar and fat, and you'll still be getting healthy and losing weight while you indulge in dessert.
Hydrate with a twist: Lots of people really don't enjoy drinking water, even though it's essential to healthy weight loss.
Those recommended 64+ ounces of water each day are essential to adequate health, not just weight loss, so do what it takes to get those liquids into your body.
If you hate tap water, try a sparkling water or club soda.
Brighten up the taste by adding fresh citrus juice from an orange, lime, or lemon.
To really make things interesting, try freezing whole fresh berries into ice cubes and adding them to your drink.
You can also freeze individual grapes and use them instead of regular ice cubes.
But you don't have to give up taste or variety.
In actuality, getting serious about cooking and eating for weight loss is where mealtime creativity begins.
Stick to these rules of thumb and you'll be making solid choices for safe, permanent weight loss.
Use fresh ingredients: This means you'll have to learn your way around the produce section of your local grocery store.
If time is an issue, canned or frozen veggies can work well, but nothing really beats the nutritional value of fresh fruits and veggies.
Take time to explore and try new and unusual items you may not have noticed before, like white sweet potatoes or broccoflower.
Also, aim for lots of different colors on your plate to get a variety of vitamins and minerals.
You can't go wrong with vegetables that are orange, red, dark green or purple.
Fill up with fiber: You do not have to ditch every carbohydrate to lose weight.
Instead, focus on complex carbohydrates that contain lots of fiber.
This means finding ways to incorporate oats, whole wheat, beans, legumes, and other forms of fiber containing natural foods.
Also make sure to use whole grain cereals, breads, rolls, and crackers for an added fiber boost.
Fiber is good for weight loss because it helps you to eat less.
Because it takes up so much room in your stomach and digests slowly, fiber helps keep you feeling full for long periods of time.
Eat skinny proteins: A well-rounded weight loss plan will include moderate amounts of meat and dairy, but these foods can contain lots of hidden fats.
Always buy lean cuts of meat, and choose low fat and skim versions of milk, cheese, and yogurt.
Flavor with healthy fats: Opt out of butter and shortening to help speed up the weight loss process.
Instead, experiment with ways to incorporate healthier fats like olive, coconut, and avocado oils into your eating plan.
Don't skip dessert...
but find a way to add more nutrition and fiber into your diet by finding ways to incorporate fruit into your desserts.
Try making apple crisp, baked pears, fresh berry cobbler, or a raspberry sorbet to help calm your sweet tooth.
Adjust your recipes to use less sugar and fat, and you'll still be getting healthy and losing weight while you indulge in dessert.
Hydrate with a twist: Lots of people really don't enjoy drinking water, even though it's essential to healthy weight loss.
Those recommended 64+ ounces of water each day are essential to adequate health, not just weight loss, so do what it takes to get those liquids into your body.
If you hate tap water, try a sparkling water or club soda.
Brighten up the taste by adding fresh citrus juice from an orange, lime, or lemon.
To really make things interesting, try freezing whole fresh berries into ice cubes and adding them to your drink.
You can also freeze individual grapes and use them instead of regular ice cubes.
