Ever wish eating helped you lose weight? Wish granted! We’ve got the scoop on five superfoods that actually help shed pounds—and easy and delicious ways to add them to your diet.
Pears
Why you need them: Pack the fruit bowl with
pears if you want to lose pounds, reports a study out of the University
of Rio de Janeiro. In the study, which was published in the journal Nutrition,
women who ate three pears a day consumed fewer total daily calories and
lost more weight than those who didnt. Rich in fiber (one pear packs
15% of your daily recommended amount), pears help you feel full and keep
you from overeating.
Best way to work them in: Eat a pear before
a meal to help curb hunger. Ditch the peeler, though; most of the
fruits beneficial fiber is in the skin.
Grapefruit
Why you need them: According to
researchers at Scripps Clinic in California, eating half a grapefruit
before each meal may help you lose weight—up to one pound a week—even if
you change nothing else about your diet. The studys author, Ken
Fujioka, MD, says a compound in grapefruit helps regulate insulin, a
fat-storage hormone. “Anything that helps lower insulin can help people
lose weight,” he explains. “Grapefruit seems to be one of those foods.”
Best
way to work them in: Peel and segment; cut into chunks and add to
spinach salad. Its also a great companion with shrimp or peeled, sliced
jicama.
Almonds
Why you need them: Eating a handful of
almonds a day, along with a healthy diet, might help you zap fat,
suggests research published in the International Journal of Obesity.
Diet-study participants who ate almonds daily for six months lost 18%
of their body fat. Those who followed a diet with the same amount of
calories and protein but swapped almonds for an equal number of calories
in complex carbs (like wheat crackers) lost only 11%.
Best way
to work them in: Theyre a great at-your-desk snack—22 almonds add up to
one serving. Another idea: chop them finely and add them to oatmeal or
yogurt.
Chocolate
Why you need it: Cant resist a little rich
chocolate? No need to: Dark chocolate—and other foods high in
antioxidants—may help prevent the accumulation of fat cells in the body,
a precursor to heart disease and obesity, according to new research
from Taiwan published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.
Best
way to work it in: Melt a half-ounce of dark chocolate in the microwave
for 30 seconds and spread it on half a graham cracker; its just 98
calories.
