Choosing Low Calorie Foods For Health
Tags : low calorie foods, weight loss tips
Many people want to lose weight or get healthier; in fact, that is the number one New Years Resolution. We are faced with food choices every day and barraged with advertisements for foods that are not good for us. In school, we are taught about the food groups and a little about how to eat healthy, but as adults, we have discarded that knowledge in favor of eating what feels or tastes good to us. As a consequence, 2/3 of Americans are overweight and health problems related to poor diet are at an all time high. Knowing which foods are low calorie foods is a start to winning the battle.
Low Calorie Food List
Vegetables are by far the best low calorie foods. Vegetables are packed with nutrients needed by the body, which also contain fiber, which is necessary for lowering cholesterol and having a healthy digestive system. There are a variety of vegetables to choose from including the green leafy and the cruciferous. Each type offers different nutritional benefits and they are all considered low calorie foods.
Fruits contain natural sugars, so not all fruits are typically low calorie, but they offer a variety of nutrients including vitamins and antioxidants, and the calories obtained from fruits do not contain fat. Eating a wide variety of fruits in your diet will also provide the necessary energy your body needs for healthy living. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables will lead to weight loss and overall health.
Lean meats are good high protein low calorie foods. Your body needs protein as much as it needs energy and vitamins. Lean meats include chicken, fish, seafood, and lean pork. Including some of the higher fat fish like salmon or tuna will provide unique nutritional elements like the Omega 3 needed for organ health.
Dairy foods like milk, cheese, and cottage cheeses can hide a lot of fat in them so they are not necessarily low calorie, unless you buy the skim milk or low fat cheeses. Dairy products provide calcium needed for strong bones and teeth, so a bit of dairy should be included in every diet.
Preparation of Food
Even the list of low calorie foods above can become high calorie if prepared with fat. Fats contain a high caloric density so they should be avoided. Other high calorie, low nutritional value foods include breads and white grains. If a food is breaded or fried, it becomes a high calorie food. When choosing food in a restaurant or preparing food at home, consider how it is cooked. Broiled or baked food contains far fewer calories than fried food. Steamed vegetables with a bit of lemon juice for flavoring instead of butter are a better choice.
For a diet that contains the best low calorie foods, fill your plate with vegetables, lean meats, and fruits. Stay away from pastries, desserts, and unrefined sugars. Check the calorie counts on your salad dressing, mayonnaise, cheese, sour cream, and butter and try eating foods that do not need these additional adornments. It is possible to retrain your taste buds to begin to enjoy these low calorie treats so that it becomes easier to choose them over the foods with higher calorie counts.
