What's On Your Plate? It's What's Inside That Matters
Updated: Nov 17, 2020
Whenever we think about weight loss, what comes to mind is bland food, low volume in plate, a growling stomach and sacrifices. Truth is, food is our ally, and feeding your hard working body should never evoke negative feelings.
It's challenging to think about all the things we need to give up in order to preserve our health, however, the way to a healthier body is not as gloomy as some people might think.
Think about all the beautiful colorful fruits and veggies nature has blessed us with! All those different colors, bring with them different nutrients that are vital for our livelihood. So why is it when we think about healthy food, a plate of dried chicken breast and broccoli pops to mind? Well, I for once love broccoli but I digress, that's because usually people who are used to eating mostly processed foods, get a bit lost on the way to "Healthy Land", and consequently start with what they think it's the healthiest food they know.
The benefits to including non-processed foods into our daily lives goes beyond what I could fit into a few words, however, a major one is volume. A common complaint I hear from clients trying to lose weight goes something along the lines of "I love eating, and being in a calorie deficit will be very difficult, because I like to see my plate full!". They're all basically concerned they'll have to eat like little "birds" in order to meet their caloric deficit. To some extent, it is true that they'll have to cut back on certain foods, but the best way to start is by substitution.
Start by choosing low calorie and nutrient rich vegetables, especially green leafy ones that pack a bunch of fibers, which help regulate hunger and promote satiety, while being low in calories.Bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, among others, are great to add to salads, sautéed, and they're also rich in micro nutrients and are lower in calories than other veggies. Substitute regular pastas for whole grain kind, it takes a bit getting used to, but I've been consuming them for over a decade now, and prefer them over the regular white flour ones any day. For fruits, berries and citrus fruits are a great bet to get good nutrients without adding major calories. Let's not forget that in reality any non-processed food is good food, so long as you don't forget to adjust their portion sizes.
Learning healthier ways to cook and bake, will also contribute to you being able to find a favorite recipe that you can incorporate in your lifestyle. Substituting cooking oils with Olive, Sesame, etc, will cut calories significantly.
Bottom line is, by choosing non-processed foods, you'll be able to serve more of it on your plate, thus eating more while still maintaining a caloric deficit.
Whenever possible, choose low calorie and nutrient rich non-processed foods, so that your eyes and stomach are both satisfied. Adding legumes, and healthy source of proteins are also extremely important, but you need not to sacrifice volume on your plate, if what you're eating is mostly nutrient rich foods.
Now go explore different ways to incorporate healthy fruits and vegetables in your meals, and remember to lose weight the most important component is to consume less than what we burn.
