When we're trying to lose weight and stay healthy, everything counts. It's not just about eating less or not eating at all, it's about eating right. There are foods worth incorporating while others are worth eliminating from the grocery list.
Make your own yogurt
This is a great option when trying to eat better. Yogurt has a high nutritional value and contains proteins, vitamins, minerals, and probiotics, all essential to stabilizing and strengthening the intestinal microbiota and, consequently, the defenses. In fact, yogurt is considered the most biologically active food we can consume thanks to good bacteria and metabolites (which are molecules involved in metabolism). This is all wonderful news, so long as you don't eat yogurt loaded with sugar, artificial flavors, and other additives. You can make your own version of probiotic culture to use as yogurt or kefir with strains or ferment of kefir or even, with a little plain Greek yogurt. You can use the same method to make a vegan option using plant-based almond, soy, or cashew milk instead of cow's milk. It's easy, inexpensive, and healthier. (1, 2)
Eliminate high fructose corn syrup
We know a lot about eliminating high sugar foods like cakes and jams, but corn syrup is perhaps one of the hardest demons in sweet form to fight. It is powerfully elusive to detect and dangerous to the body, and we owe most problems like metabolic syndrome, excess weight, and abdominal fat to it. It often happens that many products appear healthy with the magic word ‘natural’ on the label. So many products contain it, such as granola bars, some prepared teas, certain electrolyte drinks, yogurt brands, and very popular cereals.
To avoid this sweet, we should carefully check the labels of products before buying them. Ideally, you would choose fresh products. If you need a drink with electrolytes, select pure water boosted with them or coconut water with no additives. Prepare your own granolas and other similar activities to help avoid high fructose corn syrup from sneaking into your diet. (3)
Add the power of legumes
Beans and legumes help decrease belly fat, while increasing monetary savings at the grocery store. It's amazing how underrated they are, especially considering the incredible nutrition they contain. The 2015-2020 U.S. dietary guidelines advocate increasing legume consumption. Chickpeas, for example, fill you up just as much as a steak, but also provide abundant fiber to help you feel full longer and reduce appetite. Beans and legumes have been shown to provide a higher intake of nutrients for people who consume them, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins A, E, and C, minerals like magnesium, potassium, and iron, among many others. There are new studies suggesting that, in addition to providing good nutrition, beans and legumes can help control weight, glucose, and insulin, all markers of cardiovascular disease (4). Add lentils, beans, or legumes to hot stews or cold salads.
More (and more!) fiber
In general, we hardly eat a high-fiber diet that would assist our bodies in flowing naturally to eliminate what's left over of food consumption, especially for those looking to lose weight. According to the U.S. Institute of Medicine, fiber should exceed or at least meet the basic amount we need as follows:
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Women between the ages of 19 and 50 require a minimum of 25 grams per day.
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Men between the ages of 19 and 50 require a minimum of 38 grams per day.
Do you consume enough fiber? Probably not, like most of the rest of us living in the United States.
There is much insistence on increasing consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains that add soluble and insoluble fiber to our diet (5). If that's not easy for you to do, take supplements like prickly pear cactus before meals. It's a simple fiber recharge that also helps improve gastrointestinal function (6).
Support your intestines with digestive enzymes
You already know how important it is to add fiber and probiotics to your diet for proper intestine functioning. Just as important, however, are the use of enzymes like amylase, bromelain, and lipase. Taking these before eating, especially when there is gastrointestinal discomfort or intolerance to certain foods, can help with weight loss. All fresh foods contain good enzymes. Nowadays, though, we consume refrigerated products for days which loses enzyme value. Therefore, it is generally necessary to supplement digestive enzymes. Doing this decreases digestive disorders and improves nutrient absorption from food. Lipase, particularly, supports the work of pancreatic enzymes. Plant-derived enzymes such as bromelain, from pineapple, facilitates the breakdown of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. (7) (8)
Don't skip out on the crunch of almonds
They do pack quite a few calories, but worth it, especially for those who are trying to eat with more nutritional sense and purpose. These nuts provide monounsaturated fats, fiber, minerals like magnesium and copper, plus phytonutrients.
Research is showing that precisely because of these nutrients, almonds can placate some cardiovascular risks like weight, glucose control, oxidative stress, and inflammation. This, in turn, helps reduce the development of degenerative diseases, lowers cholesterol, regulates type 2 diabetes, and controls other manifestations of metabolic syndrome. Therefore, adding almonds as a snack, or sprinkled on salads and desserts, can be a tasty option. Just consume them natural, without sugar or salt. (9)
Give nutritional yeast a try
It is one of the trendiest foods, especially among vegans, and for good reason. The hype over this fungus (not brewer's yeast) is due to it being an economical and versatile food, with a taste similar to aged cheese and a crunchy, dry consistency. It can easily be added to salads, casseroles, sautéed vegetables, potatoes, or even pizza. It contains protein and an abundant source of B-complex vitamins, which among other things help provide energy and red blood cells and assist with tissue repair. Many vegans tend to have a vitamin B deficiency, which can be supplemented by adding a spoonful of nutritional yeast. (10)
Many of these foods are incorporated in the Santo Remedio diets, which help guide you to begin a regimen of healthy eating. Learning to add and eliminate certain foods is a key piece to this healthy living puzzle.
Let's keep getting healthier, together, every day.
Your Santo Remedio Team
