Healthy weight loss is a balancing act.
To lose weight, you need to reduce the number of calories you’re taking in just enough so that your body can burn off the excess calories it has already stored. Finding the sweet spot for that caloric deficit isn’t always easy, especially when you need to maintain adequate intake of vitamins and minerals to avoid a nutritional deficiency while dieting.
A simple way to meet your nutritional needs is to consume balanced meals, says Amber Core, a registered dietitian at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. “Each meal should include a source of protein, carbohydrates and a fruit or a non-starchy vegetable,” she explains.
A balanced meal will contain some protein, fat and carbohydrates, the three macronutrients that the body needs to fuel its activities. “Protein can help support muscle mass, fats help our bodies utilize vitamins and support hormone function and carbohydrates give our bodies energy and support healthy gut function,” Core explains. “Including variety at each meal can help to meet all vitamin and mineral needs.”
Start with a balanced breakfast.
It’s long been said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and that holds true when you’re dieting. Your body requires healthy fuel to get the day going, and consuming a balanced breakfast can jump-start your calorie-burning metabolism and keep you from bingeing on too much food later in the day.
Core offers one example of a balanced breakfast:
— ½ cup cooked egg whites.
— 1 slice of whole-wheat toast.
— ½ cup of strawberries.
The egg whites offer plenty of protein, which can help keep your muscle mass intact even as your body breaks down fat for fuel.
A balanced lunch
The idea of staying in balance should continue throughout the day, Core says. One suggestion for a balanced lunch meal that’s easy and delicious is:
— One grilled chicken breast.
— ½ cup of cooked brown rice.
— ½ cup of steamed broccoli.
Balanced meals like this “support a healthy weight loss by including all food groups and ensuring that the foods chosen are of high nutritional value,” Core explains.
Other food combos that can help with weight loss
Over the next seven slides, you’ll find a variety of food combination ideas and meal suggestions that can help you lose weight.
Avocado and whole-grain toast
There’s more than one reason avocado toast has become a popular meal across the country. Not only is it delicious and satisfying, but it could also help you stay lean. Avocado is chock full of healthy fats that keep you feeling fuller longer, and they’re also a good source of vitamin C, folate and potassium.
Whole-grain toast provides a boost of fiber, which is also satiating. Together, avocados and toast create a balanced snack or meal that can keep your metabolism humming along.
Just be careful to watch the portion size on the avocado. Because it is a high-fat food, it’s calorically dense. A 100-gram serving (3.5 ounces) of mashed avocado contains about 160 calories and 15 grams of healthy fats.
Salmon filet with a small baked sweet potato
Fatty, cold-water fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines and tuna are rich sources of brain- and heart-healthy omega 3- fatty acids. A lean source of protein, baked salmon clocks in at just 175 calories and about 20 grams of protein per 3-ounce (or 85-gram) serving. An excellent source of vitamin B6, which is important for keeping your nervous and immune systems healthy, a 3-ounce serving provides nearly 30% of your daily needs of this essential nutrient.
Pair the salmon with another orange wonder food, sweet potatoes. These colorful tubers contain a slew of nutrients and are an excellent source of vitamin C, which can give your immune system a boost, and vitamin A, which supports eye health. A cup of cubed sweet potatoes contains 943 micrograms of vitamin A, which provides more than 100% of the recommended dietary allowance of this vital nutrient. Women are recommended to consume 700 micrograms per day while men are recommended to aim for 900 micrograms. Because sweet potatoes are also full of fiber, they can help you feel fuller longer.
Chickpeas and salmon
If sweet potatoes aren’t your favorite, try pairing that salmon with chickpeas and leafy greens like kale and arugula. A mix of lean proteins and complex carbs, this combo will provide a balance of vitamins and minerals while helping you feel fuller longer.
Legumes, such as beans, chickpeas and lentils, are a great diet food because they’re a terrific source of plant-based protein and also chock full of fiber and complex carbs that can keep you feeling satiated. A one-cup serving of chickpeas contains more than 700 calories, 12 grams of fat and about a whopping 35 grams of fiber. That same serving of chickpeas provides 50% of your daily potassium needs, 57% of your magnesium, 55% of vitamin B6 and 69% of your iron needs, making it a superfood for hitting the gym.
Chickpeas and salmon both also contain leucine, an amino acid that’s been shown to help regulate blood glucose levels when it’s consumed with glucose. This means combining protein sources and complex carbs together might result in better outcomes than using just one of these types of foods. Salmon, eggs, chickpeas, soybeans, nuts and beef are all excellent sources of leucine. A 100-gram serving of salmon provides about a gram of leucine. Healthy adults should aim to consume about 25 milligrams of leucine per pound of body weight.
Oatmeal with chopped walnuts
Oatmeal is also a great food for dieters because it’s full of complex carbohydrates that the body can use to fuel activity plus loads of fiber to keep you feeling fuller longer. One-half cup of oatmeal contains about 150 calories, 27 grams of carbs and 4 grams of fiber.
What’s more, many people don’t think of oatmeal as being a source of protein, but it can be, as it provides roughly 5 grams of muscle-building stuff per half cup. Sprinkle on some nuts for an extra boost of protein plus heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. An ounce (about ¼ cup shelled) of walnuts contains 185 calories, 4 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, 18 grams of fat and 10% of your daily needs of vitamin B6.
Greek yogurt with fresh blueberries
Plain Greek yogurt has become a diet wonder food in recent years because it’s an excellent source of calcium and protein. A 170-gram serving, or about one container, of plain Greek yogurt contains just 100 calories and 17 grams of protein while providing up to 14% of your daily calcium needs.
The key to weight loss, though, is to select the plain variety, rather than flavored types, as ones with the fruit mixed in tend to contain a lot more sugar that could make your efforts to shed pounds more difficult.
Instead, top your tub of Greek yogurt with fresh berries for a touch of sweetness and a big boost in fiber and nutrients. A cup of blueberries contains just 80 calories and nearly 4 grams of fiber in addition to 24% of your daily vitamin C intake.
Apple and peanut butter
For a quick snack or light meal, reach for a medium-sized apple with two tablespoons of peanut butter. This super satisfying combo offers up a big dose of fiber, complex carbs and healthy fats in a tasty, sweet package. A medium apple (which is about 6.5 ounces) contains just 95 calories, 4 grams of fiber and 14% of your daily vitamin C needs.
Just be sure to keep your portion size reasonable on the peanut butter and choose a natural variety that contains no added sugar. A two-tablespoon service of creamy peanut butter contains 188 calories, 16 grams of fat and 12% of your recommended dietary allowance of magnesium, an essential nutrient that supports muscle and nerve function.
Mushrooms and lean ground beef
Mushrooms can take the place of a portion of ground beef in dishes that feature both, such as chili and lasagna. This can make for a lower-calorie version of the dish that delivers just as much texture and that hearty umami flavor that you love.
Mushrooms are bursting with vitamins and fiber and are naturally low in calories, making them a dieter’s best friend. One cup of white mushrooms contains just 16 calories while providing 2.3 grams of carbs and 2.2 grams of protein. These edible fungi also have anti-inflammatory properties that could help combat obesity, according to a 2018 report in the journal Molecules.
Ground beef is also an excellent source of protein. When you choose the leanest version — 95% lean meat and 5% fat — you’ll keep your calorie count lower while reaping the benefits of all that protein. A 3-ounce serving of very lean ground beef contains 116 calories and 18 grams of protein.
Other strategies for sustainable weight loss
Eating a certain combination of foods might help support weight loss, but it’s not the only way to approach dieting. In fact, there are several other important ways to manage your calorie intake and energy expenditure to find the right pace for weight loss. The following slides offer other tips and suggestions for losing weight.
Control portion size.
In addition to covering all your nutritional bases, it’s important to keep an eye on the total volume of food you’re consuming if you’re looking to lose weight.
Core notes that “in order to lose weight, the body needs to use more energy than is being taken in from goods. By reducing portion sizes or replacing high-calorie foods with lower-energy options, weight loss can occur without making any drastic changes to dietary habits.”
Drink water at every meal.
If you’re someone who generally doesn’t drink enough water, adding a full glass to each meal can help you meet your daily hydration needs while also filling your stomach with zero calories so that you may feel less hungry.
Adding a slice of cucumber or a squeeze of lemon juice to your water can help liven up the taste if you don’t find plain water appealing. This extra flavor also provides a dash of vitamin C, which supports a healthy immune system.
Move more.
Cutting calories will take you only so far in losing weight, and it can actually backfire if you cut calories too drastically and your body begins using muscle for fuel.
Core notes that “if you’ve already decreased the amount of calories you’re taking in from food and have not seen a drop in the scale, you could increase the amount of calories you burn by increasing exercise time and duration or by adding in extra movement throughout the day by taking the stairs or parking farther away.”
Keep it simple.
Kelly Urse, an American College of Sports Medicine-certified exercise physiologist and wellness program coordinator for the exercise medicine program at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, says that less is more when it comes to meal planning and prep for weight loss.
Instead of overhauling everything all at once, she recommends making “small changes that can add up. Sometimes people are under the impression it must be super time-consuming and involved to eat healthier. Plan for several small meals or snacks spread throughout the day.”
Avoid the all-or-nothing mindset.
Lastly, Urse warns against being “too restrictive in how many calories we are eating, skipping meals and eliminating specific ‘forbidden’ foods from our diets. This type of behavior is not sustainable for the long term, and while you may see short-term results on the scale, you are probably doing more harm than good.”
For example, if you’re being overly restrictive in what you allow yourself to eat and not exercising, you could be losing muscle along with some fat, which ultimately slows down your metabolism, making it harder to lose weight.
“While it seems counterintuitive to make sure you are eating enough calories and eating often enough throughout the day, it is necessary to fuel your body with adequate calories for weight loss,” says Urse.
In addition, being too restrictive can lead to a rebound effect in cravings later.
“Don’t eat around something you’re craving. Allow yourself to have a small portion. Often, we eat other things to try to substitute for the food craving only to be left unsatisfied and eating the ‘forbidden’ food anyway,” Urse says.
Instead, adopting the mindset that no food is strictly off limits and focusing on keeping portions small is a healthier way to approach eating for weight loss.
Top food combos for weight loss
Avocado and whole-grain toast. Salmon filet with a small baked sweet potato. Chickpeas and salmon. Oatmeal with chopped walnuts. Greek yogurt with fresh blueberries. Apple and peanut butter. Mushrooms and lean ground beef.
1. Avocado and whole-grain toast.
2. Salmon filet with a small baked sweet potato.
3. Chickpeas and salmon.
4. Oatmeal with chopped walnuts.
5. Greek yogurt with fresh blueberries.
6. Apple and peanut butter.
7. Mushrooms and lean ground beef.
More from U.S. News
Are Avocados Good for Weight Loss?
Winter Fruits and Vegetables for Weight Loss
Healthy Meals for Weight Loss originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 03/20/23: This piece was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
