Are you trying to lose weight? If so, you probably already know you must change your diet to aid in any exercise. Changing your lifestyle and eating habits is necessary to turn your life and weight around entirely.
Replace fats, processed foods, and carbs with protein to reduce hunger and appetite. Protein can help you maintain weight loss, lower blood pressure, and increase your strength and muscle mass.
Nuts
Nuts and seeds are good protein sources, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. The following nuts are high in protein:
- Almonds
- Hazelnuts
- Peanuts
- Walnuts
- Pistachios
If you want to snack, you can go to your pantry and eat the nuts mentioned above for a healthy and protein-rich snack. You can also include it in your salads. It’s a plant-based protein, so it’s a great addition to a salad for vegans trying to lose weight.
Recently, The Nut Protein Controversy has surfaced, sparking discourse amongst dietitians and health experts. According to this controversy, nuts are high in fat. According to the British Heart Foundation, although nuts are high in fat content, most are unsaturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated. These are all healthy fats, as compared to trans or saturated fats.
However, props to the controversy because nuts like cashews, Brazil nuts, and macadamia nuts recommended by others for weight loss are high in saturated fat, which can be bad for your health. Whether unsaturated or saturated, just eat nuts and the following food in moderation to ensure its effectiveness.
Eggs
Hopefully, you’re not allergic to eggs because it’s a great source of nutrients, beneficial fats, and protein. When we were young, eggs were always included in our diet plan. It’s affordable, and you can make different meals with it. You can make a sunny side up, omelet, frittata, poached eggs, and many more. You may eat it with baguette, crepe, stews, soups, etc.
Indeed, eggs are versatile. Furthermore, eggs have a high satiety index, making them the perfect weight loss food. It means that it makes you feel full for an extended period. Since you feel full for a long period, you won’t need to snack as much between meals. It’s an affordable food, and it’s the perfect food to start your day.
Fish
You can add a wide selection of fish to your diet, e.g., white fish and fatty fish. Whitefish includes sole, snapper, halibut, etc. On the other hand, fatty fish includes herring, sardines, and salmon. These fishes consist of different helpful minerals, vitamins, and proteins. It’s a low-fat food that’s rich in omega-3 fatty acids with vitamins B2 and D. There are also fish that contain phosphorus, iron, zinc, calcium, potassium, iodine, and magnesium.
When cooking fish, be sure to clean it and store it properly. After this, you can make fish fillets, baked snapper red curry, fish tacos, salmon schnitzel, and many more.
Greek Yogurt
Another good protein source that’s low in fat is Greek yogurt. It’s rich in probiotics that can aid in digestive and immune health. You can have a healthy gut with Greek yogurt low in carbs! You can quickly eat this with honey as a simple breakfast. You may also blend it into a smoothie to incorporate fruits.
Meat
Naturally, a list of protein-rich foods won’t be complete without meat. This includes chicken, pork, beef, and lamb. Let’s talk more about it!
Chicken
Compared to beef, chicken is lower in fat, and it’s also high in protein! What comes to mind when you think of chicken? Naturally, it would be white meat that’s primarily in chicken breast. It’s a delicious addition to a meal plan when you want a high-protein diet that’s low in fat. A chicken breast can provide about 22g of protein as long as it’s skinless.
Other parts of the chicken, like dark meat, also have high contents of protein. However, it’s high in fat content, so it isn’t recommended for those on a weight loss journey.
Beef
With every serving, beef is full of proteins. People trying to lose weight can choose from different cuts of beef. If you’re following a moderate carbs diet, lean meat is recommended, as compared to those undergoing a low-carb diet who eat fattier cuts of beef.
When buying beef, purchase flat iron steaks, sirloin steaks, brisket, or flank. These are some of the best, leanest cuts of beef that are recommended for weight loss purposes. On the other hand, rib-eye steaks and porterhouse are some of the fattiest cuts of beef for a low-carb diet. For good measure, eat in moderation and purchase cuts with low saturated fats (per serving).
Lamb
Another great source of protein is lamb. It’s packed with vital vitamins, and just 100 grams of lamb has 25 grams of protein. The body can easily digest this meat, and the carb content isn’t high. You can make different dishes with lamb, e.g., lamb curry, braised lamb shank, shepherd’s pie, lamb kleftiko, etc. We recommend slow cooking your lamb for a more extraordinary intense flavor and tender meat.
Final Thoughts
The weight loss journey isn’t easy; it can sometimes be discouraging. However, just remember your goal and the reason you started. Eat correctly to ensure you’re eating healthy and your food doesn’t let you gain more weight. Use the list above to help guide you in creating a meal plan.