Top foods that are useful for people who want to lose weight

Scientific studies show that while no food is a panacea for weight loss, there are certain foods that can help you reach your weight loss goals. Accordingly, most foods on a weight loss diet have some things in common: high in fiber (which helps you feel full longer) and has a low energy density, making it possible to eat. delicious without increasing calorie content.

How to calculate the energy density in foods

It is possible to calculate the energy density of a food if you know the portion’s weight (in grams) and how many calories it contains. The energy density of a food is the number of calories divided by weight.

Energy density = calories / food weight (grams)

People divide food by energy density into categories:

Food with a very low energy density = less than 0.6 kcal / g

Food with low energy density = 0.6 to 1.5 kcal / g

Food with an average energy density = 1.5 to 4 kcal / g

Food with a high energy density = more than 4kcal / g

Therefore, it is better to stick to a diet with foods with low or very low energy density, consuming a moderate amount of some medium energy density foods, and consume foods with a higher energy density in small amounts and less often. It is the advice of health professionals so that you can maintain a reasonable weight level while ensuring satisfaction after each meal.

Foods that have the right energy density for people wanting to lose weight

Foods with lots of water: Water does not produce energy but takes up a certain volume and weight in the stomach. To reduce the energy you eat and still feel full, you should drink more water before a meal or eat more soup with the meal, use water-rich foods such as soup, porridge, noodles, pho, …

The “dilution” of the food as above will help increase the volume and volume of food many times without changing energy. Obviously when we eat rice with soup, we get full faster than rice without soup.

Porridge has a much lower energy density than rice. 100 g of porridge contains about 50 kcal while 100 g of rice contains up to 140 kcal.

Foods rich in fiber: Vegetables and fruits are not only rich in fiber but also high in water. The water content of the fruit accounts for 60-95% depending on the type, so the energy provided by vegetables and fruits is generally not high. The same weight is 100 g, but vegetables only contain about 20-30 kcal while protein or sugar powder contains 400 kcal; while oil and fat contain up to 900 kcal, 30 times more than vegetables.

Types of seed, dew sa, latex Trom, seaweed … contain many types of soluble fiber, this type of fiber when absorbing water expands to increase in volume and volume. As a result, they are kept longer in the stomach, creating a feeling of fullness for a long time. In fact, the satiety index for the fruit group averaged 170 while the satiety index for standard foods, white bread, was only 100.

In fact, brown rice makes us full longer than rice cooked with white rice thanks to its indigestible bran ingredients. Soybeans, green beans, and whole grains are also high in fiber. In legumes, in addition to fiber, there are anti-absorption agents like antitryptine that prevent digestion and absorption, making them feel longer.

Fiber does not directly provide energy, so foods high in fiber help us “full” without causing weight gain.

Low-fat, high-protein foods: Of the 3 energy-generating food groups, fat produces the most energy, up to 9 kcal / 1g. Therefore, to have low-energy dishes, you need to limit fats and fats. You should use fats from fish or plants such as sesame, soybeans, and peanuts because they contain more unsaturated fatty acids that are beneficial to the body than animal fats.

You should note that foods rich in nutrients such as fish, beef … have a higher satiety index than foods rich in carbohydrates, even though 1 g of protein or 1 g of carbohydrates provides 4 kcal. . With the same amount of energy you want to include, if you want to stay full for a long time, you should choose foods rich in protein over foods rich in carbohydrates.

Notes on losing weight you need to know

– Between being active and dieting, it is important to pay attention to the role of diet in weight loss is more and more decisive than being physically active. In addition to the above two factors, other means are just supportive measures;

– Do not set a goal to lose weight within 1 month and each weight loss should last at least 3 months, with a goal of losing 500g per week, if you have achieved it successfully;

– Always have something available, to eat when hungry or crave, never fast or don’t let your stomach be so hungry that anything can eat;

– Practice recording what you eat, exercise the amount of calories consumed during the day. Thereby, we will see the dangers of snacking: It is enough necessary energy but lacks the necessary substances for the body and an excess of substances that easily lead to weight gain;

– Beware of food or meals outside the program such as parties, parties or just a few peanuts, a few small cakes;

– Eating a lot of vegetables is very good for dieting but need to pay attention to fruits, especially those with sweet taste, which are not helpful for weight loss. Vegetables are not high in energy, but there are many vitamins in them;

– Absolutely do not use fried, roasted, leather, baked goods, onion fat, scallions, if you can control yourself, only try 1 piece and only 1;

– Be wary of vegetarians, because most of them contain a high amount of fat and carbohydrates.