We all gain a few unwanted pounds during the cold and chilly months of winters, when we’re all loaded up in our parkas, hoodies and warm mommy pants. When the spring winds start to blow, it’s time to start working for a hot and toned summer body, and naturally, your weight loss regime cannot be effective unless and until you accompany it with a powerful weight loss diet.
In this article, we have picked out 15 powerful weight loss-friendly foods that pack up very few calories and heaps of flavour and nutrients to help you stay satiated and filled for longer hours.
By adding these foods to your weight loss diet, you can eliminate de-motivating factors such as feelings of deprivation and lack of flavour. These are packed with the powerful combo of protein and fiber to help you shed weight and stay energetic throughout the day.
Here, take a look:
1. Watercress
Watercress is packed with water like watermelon and lettuce, and it has very little calories, almost 8 calories in 2 large cups of chopped watercress. The best part is, this low-calorie delight is packed with countless powerful nutrients, including folic acid, calcium and vitamins A and C.
If you want to lose weight and get your daily fix of vitamins and calcium, add watercress to your diet and it will help eliminate feelings of deprivation by filling you up. You can add it to any and every dish, be it a casserole, grilled recipes, pastas, pea watercress dish, or even a watercress strawberry salad. You can also add it to your green smoothies and juices.
2. Honeydew
Honeydew is a succulent mint-green variety of melons, and it is one of the very first fruity treats to be available in the market when summer season begins. The best part about melons is the fact that they are loaded with water, which makes them one of the best fruits for a successful weight loss diet that doesn’t make you feel deprived.
Even if you devour an entire cup loaded with diced honeydew and all its savory sweetness, it will only cost your body a handful of 61 calories and countless essential nutrients.
Honeydew makes a terrific low-calorie snack to satiate your hunger, and you can also pair it up with other weight loss-friendly fruits, such as apricots, watermelon, peaches and strawberries, you can make a satiating and colourful fruit salad. You can even use honeydew to make a rich and creamy soup for lunch.
3. Artichoke Hearts
Artichoke hearts are an excellent source of hunger-satiating fiber, and just one cup is all you need to load up on an impressive 8 grams of this appetite-reducing nutrient.
What’s more, artichoke hearts are also packed with rich concentrations of magnesium and vitamin C, which aid in reducing the risk factors that lead to the development of the coronary heart disease.
Artichoke hearts can be steamed, roasted, boil and even baked, you can add them to dip sauces, salads, stews, pastas casseroles, and even baked treats. You can also create a puree of artichoke hearts along with lemon juice, olive oil and white beans.
4. Baby Spinach
Baby spinach is undoubtedly one of best water-packed vegetables that pack up a wide range of nutrients and very little calories. It is amazingly filling and satiating, and 3 large bowls of this rich and flavorful leafy green will give your body only 20 calories and several energizing nutrients.
You can add this delight to your casseroles, salad beds made with these leafy greens, sandwiches, dips with feta cheese, basil and Greek yogurt, sandwiches, omelettes, baked treats, pastas, and a lot more.
Baby spinach is also a great ingredient for protein-packed smoothies and green juices.
5. Fresh Herbs
Fresh herbs and leafy greens, such as tarragon, parsley, chives, mint, cilantro, and basil, are one of the best spring foods that pack up heaps of water, countless powerful nutrients, loads of flavour and very few calories.
These herbs mostly contain water, and if you’re trying to reduce your salt consumption to eliminate symptoms of bloating and heaviness or even indigestion, adding these flavourful and aromatic herbs to your meals is the best way to make sure your weight loss diet is satiating and filling.
You can use fresh mint to make a fresh weight loss-friendly salad with cubed watermelon, grilled chicken, baby spinach, baked tofu and some feta cheese. Garnish the salad with some lime juice, pepper, basil, salt, and extra virgin olive oil to boost the flavour and nutritional value.
6. Fennel
Fennel is packed with high concentrations of water, which basically means that it packs very few calories and a powerful punch of essential nutrients. One cup of sliced fennel will provide your body countless diuretic benefits at the cost of a mere 27 calories.
On days you feel bloated because of eating too many salty treats and dishes, just add some of this flavourful licorice-like vegetable to your tummy in the form of tea, a dessert or just a couple slices with your meal.
Roasted fennel is the perfect ingredient for a flavour-packed arugula and watercress salad, or you can even create a grilled tuna salad with olives, eggs, fennel and vinaigrette.
7. Strawberries
Strawberries are the best spring food to eliminate all your untimely sugar cravings and replace those processed and carb-loaded desserts with loads of fiber and very few calories.
Strawberries are the ultimate springtime snack and a large bowl of sliced strawberries will only cost your body 53 calories along with providing a whopping 3 grams of waist-slimming fiber. The best time to pick out rich, dark and juicy strawberries is between April until June.
You can add strawberries to anything and everything, be it a protein-packed smoothie with Greek yogurt and chia seeds, a rich topping with almond butter and whole-grain bread, a decadent dessert with almonds, walnuts and dates, or just a healthier take on peanut butter and jelly by adding sliced strawberries and chia seeds to your sandwich.
8. Ramps
Ramps are leek-like vegetables that can be classified as both, herbs and veggies, and they are excellent at boosting weight loss results by filling you up and keeping you satiated for longer hours.
One cup of ramps pack up only 16 calories and countless nutrients, and they are packed with a delicious flavour, very pungent and rich like garlic.
Adding ramps to your meals is the perfect trick to enhance the flavour and give it a creamy consistency. You can add sautéed ramps or spring onions to your appetizers, side dishes and grilled meats, or fold grilled ramps to create frittatas, pasta toppings or even healthy toppings for a homemade vegan pizza.
9. Radishes
Craving a flavourful and crunchy snack? Spring is the best time to grab some pink radishes for they are healthy, low-calorie and tasty.
Radishes are extremely low in calories and they are loaded with large amounts of water, one cup of sliced radish will only provide you 19 calories.
Radishes are packed with loads of vitamin C, and you can add them to countless recipes, such as salads, stews, casseroles and a lot more. They are also an excellent ingredient for your guacamole or hummus, and a much healthier alternative to tortilla chips, nachos, fries or even pita wedges.
10. Apricots
Apricots are undoubtedly one of the sweetest springtime fruits that are a much healthier and nutritious food alternative to satiate your sugar cravings with low-calorie and carb-free treats.
Apricots are filled with waters and nutrients, and an entire cup of these delights will provide your body an impressive 3 grams of fiber and only 74 calories.
You can devour a plain apricot on days you’re running late for breakfast or need to carry a healthy snack on-the-go. Apricots can also be added to your cold pressed juices, strawberry smoothies and even frozen pineapple shakes. They are an excellent ingredient for healthy sugar-free desserts.
11. Fava Beans
Fava beans are a lot like Lima and peas, they are excellent weight loss-friendly foods that pack up heaps of protein and fiber at the cost of very few calories.
One cup of fava beans will brim you up with a mighty 9 grams of fiber and a whopping 13 grams of protein, a powerful weight loss combo that boosts satiation and keeps you energised without craving untimely snacks or sugary treats.
Basically, the combination of protein and fiber aids in slowing down the digestive processes within the body, which allows you to stay satiated and fuller for longer hours without devouring too many calories.
You can add fava beans to your Mexican dishes, dip sauces, salads, or even create a fabulous weight loss salad with fava beans, fennel and herbs.
12. Asparagus
These flavour-packed spring delights are loaded with rich concentrations of waist-slimming fiber and energizing iron.
All you need is one cup of asparagus to load up a whopping 3 grams of fiber and an impressive 16% of your daily dosage requirement of iron, at the cost of just 27 calories.
An iron deficiency is one of the main reasons behind constant bouts of fatigue, grogginess and exhaustion, and it also reduces the body’s ability to successfully combat and ward off infections, viruses and germs. So, load up on asparagus to eliminate your iron deficiency and energize your body along with achieving your weight loss goals.
You can add sautéed or steamed asparagus to your grilled chicken, baked tofu or grilled salmon meals, or even shave off some raw asparagus stalks with a vegetable peeler to create noodle-like layers that you can add to a leafy green salad with some extra virgin olive oil, aromatic herbs and some vinaigrette.
13. Spring Lettuces
Even though you can shop red leafy lettuce and butter lettuce throughout the year, spring is the best time of the year to pick out juicy, sweet and tender lettuce. These delights are packed with water, and a large bowl of chopped lettuce, or 2 ½ cups of lettuce will only pack up 10 calories, which is hardly worth counting. These delights are perfect to add a low-calorie crunch, a rich flavour and dark colour to your meals.
You can add them to your salads, low-calorie rolls for your chicken slices, turkey slices and cheese, or even use them as fajita wrappers instead of this carb-loaded tortillas.
During the winter or cold spring evenings, you can always create a rich broth or soup with wilting chopped lettuce leaves.
14. New potatoes
New potatoes are packed with water and they are a powerful source of fiber, providing a whopping 4 grams of fiber with one medium-sized potato. If you’re seeking to lose some weight without depriving yourself of flavour and nutrients, these waxy spuds are the best spring veggie to add to your grocery list.
Research reveals that boiled potatoes are the best foods to eat for increased satiation so your body is filled and you don’t end up devouring untimely snacks and processed treats.
Try to make your potatoes with a healthy carb-free twist, for instance, you can bake them after marinating with spices and olive oils or even roast them with herbs and olive oil.
You can also boil the potatoes and then, mash them to create baked treats, or boil them and cool them off to create a lovely grilled salmon salad, with watercress, vinaigrette and peas.
15. Peas
Peas are widely regarded as both, vegetables and legumes, and if you’re seeking to add some to your weight loss diet, pick out green peas for they pack up the richest concentration of satiating and waist-slimming fiber.
One cup of green peas will provide you a whopping 8 grams of fiber. Spring is the best time to shop for fresh peas, and they are a great deal more nutritious and beneficial that frozen varieties that we shop throughout the year.
Peas are an incredibly versatile food item and you can add them to any given recipe, be it a baked chicken, grilled meat, turkey salad, soups, sautéed peas with grilled salmon, pastas, stews, grain casseroles and a lot more.
We all gain a few unwanted pounds during the cold and chilly months of winters, when we’re all loaded up in our parkas, hoodies and warm mommy pants. When the spring winds start to blow, it’s time to start working for a hot and toned summer body, and naturally, your weight loss regime cannot be effective unless and until you accompany it with a powerful weight loss diet.
In this article, we have picked out 15 powerful weight loss-friendly foods that pack up very few calories and heaps of flavour and nutrients to help you stay satiated and filled for longer hours.