Here are the 6 golden rules that you need to follow strictly if you want to shed pounds without starving and diet.
1. Make sure you include enough antioxidants in your diet
Losing weight isn’t easy, but we all do know it begins in the same place: making the right food choices. It’s not just about calories in and calories out, it’s also about the science behind the foods themselves. Antioxidant-rich diet is a great accessory for weight loss. By choosing foods that are richer in antioxidants and phytonutrients you make actively the right food choices. Why do antioxidants matter? Well because they protect your body’s cells from being damaged by free radicals. By protecting the cells you protect the DNA inside the nucleus of every cell. This all leads to better functioning cells, which leads to better and more efficient energy production within each cell. Which in turn increases the quality of metabolism, the body’s ability to convert fats and sugars into energy. Plant-based foods normally contain the most significant levels of antioxidants.
Make sure you include regularly blueberries, goji berries, artichokes, figs, beans, cinnamon, plums, lemon water, red grapefruit, cherries, grapes, dark chocolate etc.
2. Take fiber-rich foods as much as you can.
If you want to lose weight, try increasing your daily fiber intake in the form of nutrient-rich high-fiber foods, such as kiwi, orange, plums, mango, melon, apple, beans, corn, green leafy vegetables etc.
Why fiber? Recent research in the Journal of Nutrition suggests eating more fiber as a way to prevent weight gain or even encourage weight loss. Over the course of the two-year study, the researchers found that boosting fiber by 8 grams for every 1,000 calories resulted in about 4 ½ pounds of weight lost. Try it for yourself. If you’re consuming 2,000 calories per day, aim to increase your fiber by 16 grams. Here are 7 fiber-rich foods that help do the weight-loss work for you.
3. Drink plenty of water
Water consumption is directly correlated with weight loss. Water does not have some magical property that burns fat, but it definitely can help you with your weight-loss efforts.
Staying hydrated could help you avoid overeating. A lot of people confuse thirst for hunger so they’ll tend to eat rather than drink water. If you’re craving a midday snack and want to make sure your pangs are caused by hunger, not hydration, have a glass of water first. Then see if you’re still hungry 30 minutes later.
Of course, drinking water also means you’re not drinking something else—such as sugary, caloric beverages or even potentially diet-breaking diet soda.
4. Reduce salt intake
Salt has become a major nutritional villain. In the United States, the maximum daily sodium recommendation is 1,500 – 2,300 mg.
Salt enhances the taste of foods and therefore may encourage overeating, and finally, there is some animal research to show that a high sodium diet may affect the activity of fat cells, making them larger.
Including too much salt makes you retain water weight and having extra fluid creates stress on the heart, which has to work harder to pump the fluid through your body. The added work load on the heart and pressure on the artery walls can damage the cardiovascular system, raise blood pressure and impairs the function of kidneys.
About 70 percent of the sodium in the American diet is from processed foods. By eating more fresh, whole foods, you’ll automatically slash your sodium intake.
5. Eliminate sugar consumption
Sugar! It’s been labelled “addictive”, and blamed for the rise in global obesity in recent years. Get rid of the white toxin from your diet and you’ll free up your body to drop those excess pounds.
If you eliminate sugar-laden foods, you eliminate a lot of calories from fat and refined starches too. That’s because we don’t eat sugar on its own. We consume it with fat and refined starches (you can’t bake a decent cake or biscuit without flour, fat and sugar).
No lollies, chocolate biscuits, cup cakes, fizzy drinks, caramel frappucinnos or Magnums means you’re removing “junk food” that is calories-dense, of poor nutritional value, that comes in huge portions, is highly refined with added colours, flavours and preservatives.
What’s more it’s usually low in fibre and has a high GI. None of these foods is any loss in a healthy diet. You’re better off without them.
6. Increase the intake of Vitamin C
Vitamin C is one of the most widely used supplements today, but many of us don’t realize that it also plays a key role in our blood sugar levels.
A 2007 study published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research looked at 84 patients with type 2 diabetes who randomly received 500 or 1,000 mg of vitamin C daily for six weeks. The researchers discovered that the group supplementing with 1,000 mg experienced a significant decrease in fasting blood sugar, triglycerides, cholesterol (LDL) and insulin levels. Most of them also managed to reduce weight during the 6 weeks period. The dosage group with 500 mg did not produce any significant changes.
