Top Superfoods for weight loss

The term “superfood” has become very popular these days. Superfoods are nutritional powerhouses that load your body with vitamins and minerals.

To lose weight, you don’t necessarily need to eat less—you just need to eat smarter. Superfoods are like superheroes. They combat and solve every darn problem! So, if you are losing your mind but not losing weight, turn to these superfoods. The fat burning phytochemicals, like antioxidants, in these foods aid fast weight loss without putting your health at risk. Also, consuming these will make 90% of your health problems disappear. Your weight loss exercises won’t return any results if your diet is not healthy. To reach your fitness goals faster, you can rely on superfoods.

Today I’m going to share with you the best superfoods for fat loss.

Lemon & Honey

Drink a large glass of warm water with organic lemon and honey first thing in the morning. This boosts the entire digestive system and gives you a fresh start to your day.

Fenugreek Seeds

Fenugreek seeds are one of the most effective weight loss superfoods that I have ever consumed! They work by boosting your metabolism, preventing fat accumulation, increasing insulin sensitivity, improving antioxidant activity, and promoting downregulation of fat synthesizing enzymes

How to consume - Soak two teaspoons of fenugreek seeds overnight in a cup of water (about 300 mL). Drink it first thing in the morning. I kid you not, you will see results in two weeks’ time – provided you follow a healthy lifestyle as well.

Ginger

Consuming fresh ginger, with or without honey is also suggested to burn fat in Ayurveda. You could have this in the morning since it increases body heat.

Cumin

Adding this one kitchen staple to your diet will help you boost fat loss and lose weight fast. Drink a glass of jeera (cumin) water every day for magical results.

How to make jeera water – add a spoonful of powdered jeera to a glass of hot water and drink it on an empty stomach in the morning. Keep a gap of at least 30 minutes between this drink and breakfast.

Pepper

Combining pepper with lemon and honey drink makes it more effective for weight loss. So you can add a pinch of pepper with your lemon-honey drink. Studies have shown that black pepper has piperine that enhances fat metabolism. 

Digestive Tea

Take equal quantity of cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and fennel seeds. About ½ spoon should do for one person. Now, add this to a bowl of water and bring it to a boil. Close the lid and boil for about five minutes. Transfer it into a flask and keep sipping it during the day. This tea will aid with digestion and weight loss.

Horse Gram

Many Ayurvedic experts suggest horse gram when you want to lose weight. You have to soak a cup of horse gram overnight, and boil it around afternoon. Once cooked, add chopped onions and rock salt to taste. Take this for 45 days, without skipping even one day! Follow this with a glass of buttermilk and see how fat is burned steadily.

Digestive Aids

Weight gain is often due to improper digestion, or lack of digestion fire according to Ayurveda. Increasing foods that increase digestive fire works wonders with weight loss. Foods that boost digestion and enhance your digestive fire include ginger, papaya, bitter gourd, garlic, chili, etc.

Buttermilk

buttermilk is also loaded with probiotics. It has an acidic-tangy taste and is a great drink for weight loss. The probiotics in buttermilk help improve digestion and increase the number and types of good gut bacteria. Once your digestion is fixed, it prevents fat and toxin accumulation in your body. As a result, you start losing the flab.

How to consume – add a little of rock salt, cumin powder and some finely chopped green chilies and coriander leaves. Mix well and drink after lunch.

Tomatoes

The combination of the antioxidant lycopene, water, and potassium makes tomatoes another winner. Try using them in salads.

Cucumber

When you're trying to lose weight, including low-calorie foods like cucumbers in your diet helps you lower your calorie intake to shed pounds. Cucumbers are very low in calories — a cup of sliced cucumber has just 14 calories, which is less than 1 percent of the daily calorie "budget" on a weight loss-friendly 1,500-calorie diet.

Popcorn

Yes, you read it right , its popcorn. certain healthy carbs can help you lose weight—and air-popped popcorn is one of them. Portion-wise, it has a lower calorie per unit volume than many other snacks. You get more bang for your caloric buck, and since popcorn is made up of complex carbs, it’ll digest more slowly, keeping you fuller longer.

Just skip the premade salty versions of the same. you can air pop and season your popcorn at home.

Flax seeds

Flax seeds are also high in fiber and do an excellent job of filling you up.

In order to get the most benefit out of your flax seeds, grind them up yourself or purchase them already ground.

Pine Nuts

Pine nuts are often overlooked in supermarkets, but they pack appetite suppressing goodness, which shouldn’t be avoided.

Plus, the healthy mix of protein, iron, and monounsaturated fat also gives you a boost of energy.

I love to sprinkle pine nuts over salads or add them to soups and they taste great slightly pan roasted.

Spinach

You should definitely include spinach in your diet if weight loss is your goal. Three cups of raw spinach deliver 2.9g of protein for a mere 23 calories. Although I find it easy to add spinach to salads and smoothies, it’s easier to access some nutrients in the spinach after cooking

Chickpeas

These tan colored beans are packed with soluble fiber to absorb water and help you feel full. Chickpeas are also nutrient dense and provide you with 7 grams of protein and 22 grams of complex carbohdrates.

Almonds

Almonds are great snck for weight loss. they are rich in essential nutrients and minerals, including proteins and fibre, which are both essential for weight loss. Almonds are also rich in monosaturated fats, which promote skin health. Almonds are also rich in vitamin C and zinc, which suppress sweet cravings.

Lentils

Your ordinary dals like moong, masoor, and urad are capable of making you lose weight. Lentils are great sources of plant proteins and are rich in fiber, proteins and resistant starch, which boosts metabolic process, making you burn fat faster.

Oranges

 it aids weight loss due to the high amount of vitamin c and fibers that boost metabolism, fiber helps to make you fuller so you do not over Eat and vitamin C helps burn fat. plus being low in calories, this superfood is a great addition to your daily diet.

In addition to including these superfoods in your diet remember to drink 8 to 10 glasses of water daily when trying to lose weight.

Cinnamon

Even just a spoonful of this spice every day can help rev up the metabolism. It does this by increasing the metabolism of glucose and regulating blood sugar levels. For this reason, it is often recommended as a supplement for diabetics. Cinnamon is best taken when stirred into a drink or even a small teaspoon of honey.

Apples

An apple a day may keep more than just the doctor away. It might just help you keep those extra kilos off too. Apples are rich in dietary fiber and antioxidants, as well as essential vitamins and minerals.

They are yummy to eat and very versatile too. You can include them in your breakfast cereals and lunch salads, as well as make healthy snacks and desserts from them.

Soy protein-

 protein requires more effort to digest. Regular consumption of soy protein will help your system digest proteins more effectively and promote weight loss. soy protein also fuels your muscles to help you burn fat faster while toning your body up and giving you a more contoured physique. If you are serious about weight loss, the most important addition to your diet should be soy protein.

Brown rice

instead of eating polished white rice, opt for brown rice. Brown rice is low in calories and high in fiber content to keep you feeling full for a longer time so you will eat  less throughout the day

As little as one-half cup of brown rice provides healthy carbohydrates that boost metabolism and burn fat. also, it is one of the best source for vitamin B and E., magnesium and iron which help regulate bowels, hunger and metabolism.. finally it will reduce your risk of heart disease by decreasing cholesterol levels, blood pressure and the potential for blood clots to form

Grapefruit

studies have shown that eating a half a grapefruit before each meal will help you shed extra pounds.some believe the vitamin C present in grapefruit leads to weight loss, w hile others say the fruit naturally boosts metabolism. it also can lower insulin, a fat storage hormone, and has very few calories. It's also a good source of proteins, is high in fiber and contains about 90% water. this helps fill u up so you eat less.

 try eating half a grapefruit before breakfast and half before lunch to lose weight quickly.

Green  tea

there are many health benefits to be gained from drinking green tea instead of sweetened coffee or other beverages. green tea help boost your metabolism and reduce your appetite. the caffeine in green tea helps the heart function properly and its Antioxidants will increase the rate at which you burn fat and calories.

For optimum health benefits, drink two cups of freshly brewed tea or concentrated green tea drinks each day.

Avocados

These green fruits are packed full of monounsaturated fats called oleic acid. These fats provide a slow-burning energy for the body and have been shown to fire up the metabolism. In addition, they contain healthy fats, which provide a feeling of satiety.

Salmon

 cold water fish like salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which may boost your body's metabolism and help you burn fat faster. Omega 3 fatty acids also will improve your heart health, reduce depression and prevent arthritis. salmon and other cold water fish are leaner than red meat, so you ll take in less fat content.

try to eat two to three servings of salmon per week. You can try grilled or baked salmon.

Eggs

 to lose weight, eggs are a good choice for the meal to start your day. studies suggest that eggs contain an ingredient that can help cut down calories consumed during a meal. the proteins in the egg will help you feel fuller for a longer period of time reducing your urge to eat frequently. they also keep your cholesterol at healthy levels.

You can mix it up from day to day by boiling, scrambling, or baking eggs.

Dark chocolate

 many chocolate treats contribute to weight gain. but dark chocolate can actually help you lose weight. dark chocolate with a high quantity of cocoa powder is rich in antioxidants that help in slimming down.a nibble of dark chocolate here and there also can slow down digestion so you feel full longer and eat less at your next meal .studies have shown that regular consumption of dark chocolates can revive your metabolism to burn fat and calories.

Beans

many varieties of beans can promote weight loss. For example, a cup of black beans contains a healthy amount of protein and fiber without any saturated Fat often found in other protein sources, like red meat. similarly, a cup of white beans contains fibers and healthy carbohydrates that boost metabolism and burn fat. Our bodies digest beans very slowly, which means you feel full for a long period of time after eating them. For the best results, choose the dried beans, which need to be rehydrated before use.

Berries

 a wide variety of foods especially small berries, contain a large number of antioxidants and soluble fiber to aid in digestion . also the ample amount of fiber content produces a feeling of fullness so you 'll stay satisfied longer while improving digestion. eating berries such as blueberries, blackberries, and cranberries also promote heart health and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Some ayurvedic tips for weight loss

Exercise enough to break a sweat as a daily morning practice for healthy weight loss.45-60 minutes is ideal, even 30 minutes will do.

Eat with the season and preferably the region – our mother nature has already planned our diet. seasonal fruits and vegetables are best to include in your daily diet. Our body needs food according to the different seasons and that’s why our body craves seasonal foods during those seasons. 

Move a little after each meal Going for short walks after each meal stimulates peristalsis and digestion. It’s most important to go for a walk after lunch, preferably 10 to 20 minutes at a moderate pace. If possible, lie on your left side after walking for 10 minutes to further aid in digestion.

Go to bed with sun , and rise with sun Go to bed before 10:00 pm, when we get our second wind. Obtaining a proper seven to nine hours of sleep a night gives the body time to detoxify and reset for the next day, and helps maintain healthy levels of cortisol (a stress-response hormone that causes weight gain).

Eat Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner at About the Same Time Each Day

Follow an Ayurvedic diet – which includes

Intake of six rasas or tastes. At each meal, you will incorporate foods that are sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent and astringent. You begin your meal with foods that have a sweet taste (like sweet fruit), then consume food that salty (such as seafood) and sour (citrus fruit, for example), then finish with foods that are pungent (like onions or peppers), astringent (such as green apples or tea), and bitter (celery, kale, or green leafy vegetables). 

Eat mindfully and with concentration.

Eat slowly enough that you can savor the taste of the food

Eat quickly enough to prevent the food from getting cold

Eat the proper quantity of food. Be aware of hunger signals and signs of fullness to avoid overeating

Eat only when your previous meal has been digested.

Eat Your Largest Meal at Noon

Eat lightly cooked foods instead of raw produce.

Breathe away fat: yes you read it write few breathing exercises of Ayurveda helps burn fats. Bhastrika pranayama will increase the rate at which your body burns off fat. Right Nostril breathing(Surya bhedi) would also be helpful.

Use hot spices: Don't toss away the spices. Some of them may actually help speed up weight loss. According to Ayurveda, using hot spices while cooking, may help burn fat. Many spices such as cumin, coriander, fennel, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon and garam masala are good for kindling gas fire. You can also include these spices in your beverages. Jeera water is known as an effective remedy for weight loss. Black pepper added to turmeric milk(Haldi Doodh), also plays a crucial role in fastening metabolism.

Fasting  - Fasting once a week is recommended in Ayurveda for detoxification and efficient functioning of the digestive system. You can have water, green teas (ginger tea, tulsi tea, mint tea, etc) and clear vegetable soups.

Avoid intake of too much salt as it may be a factor for increasing body weight.

Raw or cooked cabbage inhibits the conversion of sugar and other carbohydrates into fat. Hence, it is of great value in weight reduction

Final Word - 

Try to make a habit of exercising and eating right – not just to lose weight, but also to feel better and live longer. It can be hard at first. In fact, it took years for me to do it in my own life. But now proper nutrition and exercise are always on my mind and part of my routine. It’s well worth the effort.