Best Diet Foods

The best diet foods are delicious, nutritious and low in carbohydrates which makes it easy to lose weight and keep it off.

The best diet foods include fruits and vegetables which are nutrient dense and contain a healthy amount of fiber so they digest more slowly to keep you full longer.

Fiber has many health benefits. It helps speed the movement of fat cells through the intestinal tract and can even block some calories from being absorbed. Fiber adds bulk to your diet for zero calories and even helps the body flush out toxins. In addition to keeping your digestive system in good health, fiber helps prevent blood sugar spikes and crashes.

Just by imagining yourself eating healthier foods triggers small changes in the brain that make it more likely to turn the vision into reality.

The Best Diet Foods

The following list of diet foods are key to a healthy diet and should be on your weekly shopping list as often as possible.

1. Avocado

When you want to lose belly fat fast, eat more avocados. The monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) found in avocados boost the body's production of an important metabolism boosting hormone.

In a Spanish study, women who were on MUFA-rich diets lost 56 percent more belly fat than those who did not increase their fat intake.

Blood sugar spikes alert the body to store fat around the middle, but monounsaturated fats stop the spikes, thus preventing fat accumulation.

2. Bell Peppers Best Diet Foods

Bell peppers are among the best diet foods but did you know that a red bell pepper contains eight times as much vitamin A, almost three times as much vitamin C and almost four times as many carotenoids as a green bell pepper?

Hot and sweet peppers contain substances that increase your body’s heat production after consumption so you burn extra calories.

3. Blueberries

Blueberries are a great source of antioxidants and are ranked No. 3 on the list of the top 10 superfoods with an above average level of vitamins, nutrients and minerals.

According to a recent study at the University of Michigan, blueberries even help fight belly fat.

Blackberries, raspberries and strawberries are also low in calories, high in fiber, low in sugar and rich in antioxidant. Berries are great way to satisfy your sweet tooth.

4. Cruciferous Vegetables Best Diet Foods

Vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale and radishes are loaded with skin beautifying compounds which keeps them at the top of the list of the best diet foods.

Low in calories, these vegetables contain important minerals and antioxidants that help neutralize carcinogens and oxidative stress on the skin.

They also reduce inflammation and improve immune response.

5. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Olive oil is high in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), which help to shrink belly fat as well as lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol.

According to a Harvard University study, monounsaturated fats or MUFAs, trigger a significant loss of belly fat. MUFA rich foods even taste great and help balance your appetite.

In the study of 101 men and women, Harvard researchers put half of the group on a conventional low fat diet and the other half on a diet that included about 20 percent of total calories from monounsaturated fats (MUFAs).

After several months, the MUFA group lost an average of 11 pounds of fat and lost 3 inches from their waistline. The low fat group lost an average of only 6 pounds.

6. Fish

Wild salmon, preferably sockeye salmon, is full of satiating protein and heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

The protein and fat work together to fill you up making it easier to stick with your weight loss program.

Salmon also contains vitamin D and the powerful antioxidant astaxanthin, which gives the fish its orange color.

7. Nuts and Seeds Best Diet Foods

Almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds are extremely nutritious and high in protein.

They are among the best diet foods since they contain healthy fats and fiber making them a fulfilling snack.

Nuts and seeds have also been shown to lower cholesterol and the risks associated with heart disease.

Best Diet Foods Bonus Tip - Consume More Omega-3's

The Protective Power of Omega-3

Omega-3 fats are one of the most essential foods. There is enough evidence that shows how a diet enriched with Omega-3 fats will positively improve your health.

Consume more omega-3 fatty acids to increase leptin levels. Leptin is the hormone that regulates appetite and can directly affect weight loss.

Omega-3 fatty acids increase the hormone leptin by facilitating the processing of glucose.

Research is beginning to show how Omega-3 fats can help prevent certain types of cancer, such as breast and colon cancer.

The anti-inflammatory properties of this healthy fat may help to reduce the symptoms of arthritis and are also good for the skin, hair and nails.

Omega-3 is important in the proper functioning of the brain in terms of attention, mood balance and memory.

Omega-3 fats help reduce and prevent the effects of stress on our bodies. They are calming fats and are great for helping prevent cancer, heart disease and even Alzheimer's disease.

New studies of Omega-3 fats show promise in other health matters such as slowing vision loss, alleviating PMS symptoms, and preventing obesity by lowering the level of certain hormones associated with obesity.

Omega-3 fats help fight infection and fight inflammation that has been linked to virtually every major disease that can threaten your health.

How to Include More Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids in Your Diet

It is important to include enough Omega 3 fatty acids in your diet if you want to maintain a balanced body. Since the body does not manufacture these fats on its own, you have to get them from the foods you eat.

* Buy Omega-3 enriched eggs.

* Eat wild salmon two to four times per week.

* Incorporate sardines and trout into your weekly diet.

* Increase your consumption of walnuts and green leafy vegetables.

* Cook with canola oil instead of corn oil.

* Sprinkle flaxseed on yogurt and cereal or add to a protein smoothie.

* Eat more kidney and pimento beans, which are a good source of Omega-3.

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