Health Insider Update

Eating yourself thin sounds like somebody’s idea of a bad joke. But what if I told you that by adding the right foods to your diet you can actually lose weight!

Not only that, these same foods will help to normalize your appetite so you eat when your body needs the nutrition rather than because the chips are calling to you from the cabinet. Sound hard to believe? Well, I’m about to make a believer out of you.

You see, food companies hire engineers to produce food products that are addictive. They are designed to make people overeat. But when you replace those foods with natural foods, you’ll naturally normalize your appetite without going hungry. If you’re trying to shed a few unwanted pounds, don’t turn to fad diets or dangerous weight loss programs. Instead, rely on natural food.

There are also many fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices that can actually help you reach and maintain a healthy weight. Read on and I’ll tell you which foods you should be eating more of for weight loss and weight maintenance.

Body Slimming Foods

These are the foods you can eat in quantity without worrying about your waistline. The more of these foods you fill up on, the less tempted you will be by those engineered convenience foods.

Fruits

Grapefruit. Grapefruit is high in enzymes, low in calories, and loaded with healthy carbs that will keep you feeling full. Grapefruit contains a compound that lowers insulin, the fat storage hormone. So the more grapefruit you eat, the better your chances for weight loss.

Start your day by eating a half grapefruit and see how it makes you feel throughout the morning. Thanks to grapefruit’s carbohydrates, your appetite should be curbed for hours. But if you still feel a little hungry try eating two halves the following morning. With grapefruit, like many of the foods here, it almost doesn’t matter how many you eat.

Kiwi. This delicious fruit contains lots of minerals and vitamins, including lots of vitamin C. Vitamin C is important for effective metabolism. People who don’t get enough vitamin C, but otherwise have a normal diet, tend to gain weight. Vitamin C is essential for helping to rev up your metabolism, which leads to weight loss.

Kiwis are low great to snack on. They’re also filling, so you won’t be tempted to eat more fattening alternatives.

Watermelon. Watermelon is a terrific fruit for weight loss. Instead of reaching for Gatorade or Coca-Cola, reach for a slice of watermelon. They’re a great source of arginine, an amino acid that helps burn fat. Watermelon will keep you satiated too. Like kiwis, you can eat tons of it without concern. This can lead to weight loss because you will be less likely to snack on less healthy foods.

Blueberries. These tasty berries have naturally occurring chemicals that aid in weight loss. Researchers fed a control group of rats a diet rich in blueberries. A second group got none. After 90 days the rats given the blueberries had less abdominal fat than the other group. They also had lower cholesterol, improved insulin sensitivity, and better fasting glucose levels. So chow down on those blueberries to help you lose that belly fat!

Vegetables

Kale. This leafy green vegetable is loaded with calcium, fiber and other nutrients that will help your body feel nourished so you won’t be reaching for junk food. Kale is a good source of important vitamins, including C. To really get the most out of the nutrition in kale, eat it with a bit of some healthy fat like butter. When done right, kale is delicious. Stream the kale, then lightly saute it with butter. Add a pinch of salt and a splash of lemon juice, and you’ve got a delicious side dish that can easily replace less healthy alternatives like fast food. To turn this delicious dish into a super fat-blasting food, add a small pinch of some of the spices mentioned below.

Hot Peppers. The ingredient in hot peppers that makes them hot is capsaicin. Several recent studies have shown that capsaicin may help shrink fat cells and speed up metabolism. The hotter the pepper, the more capsaicin it has. There’s only one obvious problem; some of the super-hot ones are totally unpalatable and should be avoided.

There are many peppers that are delicious and contain a good quantity of capsaicin. Try chopping fresh jalapenos and adding them to salads, omelets, and even soups. Or you can dash a little capsaicin-rich hot sauce on most meals for a spicy and weight-friendly change.

Cucumbers. On hot summer days cucumbers are the perfect refreshing snack. They are loaded with nutrients, and they’ll give you far more nutrition than a bag of chips. For a tasty snack, slice one up and sprinkle with lemon juice. Add a little salt and pepper for the finishing touch.

Broccoli. Broccoli is loaded with vitamins and minerals that help ward off lung, prostate, and skin cancers. Broccoli contains sulforaphane, which increases testosterone and helps fight belly fat storage. It also contains vitamin C, which boosts metabolism and helps battle stress. Broccoli is best eaten either raw with a tasty dip like fresh hummus, or lightly steamed with salt and pepper.

Herbs and Spices

Ginseng. This spice kicks up energy levels and boosts metabolism. One variety in particular, panax ginseng, has been shown to help weight loss. A recent study fed panex ginseng to diabetic, obese mice. After just 12 days they showed improved insulin sensitivity and a significant amount of weight loss.

Cinnamon. Cinnamon can boost your metabolism and offers benefits for reducing blood sugar levels. It has also been shown to reduce cholesterol levels and increase glucose metabolism.

Black Pepper. This common spice contains piperine, a substance that prevents the formation of new fat cells. A recent study showed that when it was combined with substances including capsaicin it burned as many calories as a 20-minute walk.

Mustard. The seeds of the mustard plant can boost your metabolic rate by as much as 25 percent, meaning you’ll burn calories more easily. Consuming just a half-cup of mustard seeds per day can burn about 45 calories per hour. You can pick up mustard seeds at most health food stores.

Turmeric. This is the yellowish spice that is the basis for a lot of curry dishes. Curcumin is one of the main ingredients of turmeric and has been extensively studied. It’s been shown to reduce the development of fatty tissue, so it’s an excellent spice to help keep the weight off.

It’s All About Choices

This is by no means a complete list of the foods that can help you slim down. But it should give you some good ideas for making waistline-friendly food choices.

The point is, there are lots of foods out there that can help you take the weight off and keep it off. Some of them, like cucumber and broccoli, are family staples while others are a bit more non-mainstream yet easily available. All you have to do is chose to put some on your plate on a regular basis.

All of these foods, when combined with a little moderate daily exercise and common sense about snacking, will help you eat yourself slim.