5 powerful food combos for weight loss

When you think of weight loss, I bet one of the thoughts in your mind is that you need to eat less.

And when you think less, I’m guessing you’re thinking less quantity of food? You would be correct. Cutting down on calories is one of the basics of weight loss. But that’s not all.

What often happens with people on a diet is that they often eat a smaller variety of foods, and that’s not a good thing. To get the full benefit of certain foods you need to combine them with others. This helps your health and can also greatly help your weight loss.

Here are a few ‘food power couples’ to get you started on your weight-loss plan.

Green tea and lemon

Picture: iStock

Green tea has long been known to be a great mood enhancer and a wonderfully healthy drink. It is rich in antioxidants that can help your burn more calories, and that can help with weight loss and lower blood pressure.

Adding a slice of lemon will help your body to absorb the antioxidants, making the whole process work that much more effectively.

Chilli chicken

Picture: iStock

Chicken breasts are a great option for anyone looking to lose weight because they are high in protein (around 30g per breast) while being low in fat and calories. They have one downfall, however, and that is that they are low on flavour.

You can solve this problem by adding some chilli or cayenne pepper to the mix, and get more diet bang for your buck, too, because the spice will ramp up your metabolism and help you burn more calories throughout the digestion process.

Spinach and avocado

Picture: iStock

A spinach salad (or any other dark, leafy green vegetable, for that matter) is a low-calorie, high-nutrient option that’s great for weight loss. But they are often not as satisfying as they could be because they are fairly insubstantial.

Adding in some avocado gives you a more rewarding meal, both because of its extra calories, and the fact that it has a whack of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. Avocado will also assist in the absorption of the antioxidants from the spinach.

Mushroom burgers

Picture: iStock

If you’re making a meal that includes minced beef (like burger patties or spaghetti bolognaise), then by swapping out half of the meat for mushrooms you’ll be reducing the calories drastically while keeping all of the flavour and texture of the original recipe.

The mushrooms may also help to keep your blood sugar steady – an added bonus.

Fish tacos

Picture: iStock

Fish is a really healthy and diet-friendly source of protein, but most people have few really great recipes for fish. An easy one that tastes amazing and is good for the diet is fish tacos.

Cook up your fish on the grill with some spices and seasoning, make a salsa with tomatoes, onions and cucumber, whack all that into tacos, and add a splash of olive oil and lime.

The fish gives you protein, the tacos provide fibre, and the veggies bring the vitamins. It’s a balanced, tasty meal that won’t break the calorie bank.

The post appeared first on All4Women

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