6 Reasons Why Eggs Are The Healthiest Food on The Planet

By Kris Gunnars

Eggs are so nutritious that they’re often referred to as “nature’s multivitamin.”

They also have unique antioxidants and powerful brain nutrients that many people are deficient in.

Here are 6 reasons why eggs are among the healthiest foods on the planet.

1. Whole Eggs Are Among The Most Nutritious Foods on Earth

One whole egg contains an amazing range of nutrients.

Just imagine… the nutrients in there are enough to turn a single fertilized cell into an entire baby chicken.

Eggs are loaded with vitamins, minerals, high quality proteins, good fats and various other lesser-known nutrients.

One large egg contains (1):

• Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin): 9% of the RDA.
• Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): 15% of the RDA.
• Vitamin A: 6% of the RDA.
• Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid): 7% of the RDA.
• Selenium: 22% of the RDA.
• Eggs also contain small amounts of almost every vitamin and mineral required by the human body… including calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, manganese, Vitamin E, Folate and many more.

A large egg contains 77 calories, with 6 grams of quality protein, 5 grams of fat and trace amounts of carbohydrates.

It’s very important to realize that almost all the nutrients are contained in the yolk, the white contains only protein.

Bottom Line: Whole eggs are incredibly nutritious, containing a very large amount of nutrients compared to the calorie load. The nutrients are found in the yolks, while the whites are mostly protein.

2. Eggs Improve Your Cholesterol Profile and do NOT Raise Your Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

The main reason people have been warned about eggs is that they’re loaded with cholesterol.

One large egg contains 212 mg of cholesterol, which is a LOT compared to most other foods.

However, just because a food contains cholesterol doesn’t mean that it will raise the bad cholesterol in the blood.

The liver actually produces cholesterol, every single day. If you eat cholesterol, then your liver produces less. If you don’t eat cholesterol, then your liver produces more of it.

The thing is, many studies show that eggs actually improve your cholesterol profile.

Eggs tend to raise HDL (the “good”) cholesterol and they tend to change the LDL (the “bad”) cholesterol to a large subtype which is not associated with an increased risk of heart disease (2, 3, 4).

One study discovered that 3 whole eggs per day reduced insulin resistance, raised HDL and increased the size of LDL particles in men and women with metabolic syndrome (5).

Multiple studies have examined the effects of egg consumption on the risk of cardiovascular disease and found no association between the two (6, 7, 8).

However, some studies do show an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients. This needs further research though and probably doesn’t apply on a low-carb diet, which can in many cases reverse type II diabetes (9, 10, 11).

Bottom Line: Studies show that eggs actually improve the cholesterol profile. They raise HDL (the good) cholesterol and increase the size of LDL particles, which should lower the risk of heart disease.

3. Eggs Are Loaded With Choline, an Important Nutrient For The Brain

Choline is a lesser-known nutrient that is often grouped with the B-complex vitamins.

Choline is an essential nutrient for human health and is needed for various processes in the body.

It is required to synthesize the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and is also a component of cell membranes.

A low choline intake has been implicated in liver diseases, cardiovascular disease and neurological disorders (12).

This nutrient may be especially important for pregnant women. Studies show that a low choline intake can raise the risk of neural tube defects and lead to decreased cognitive function in the offspring (13).

In a dietary survey in the U.S. from 2003-2004, over 90% of people ate less than the daily recommended amount of choline (14)!

The best sources of choline in the diet are egg yolks and beef liver. One large egg contains 113 mg of Choline.

Bottom Line: Choline is an essential nutrient that 90% of people in the U.S. aren’t getting enough of. Egg yolks are an excellent source of choline.

4. Eggs Contain High Quality Proteins With a Perfect Amino Acid Profile

Proteins are the main building blocks of the body and serve both structural and functional purposes.

They consist of amino acids that are linked together, kind of like beads on a string, then folded into complex shapes.

There are about 21 amino acids that the body uses to build its proteins.

The body can not produce 9 of these amino acids, which are deemed as “essential” and must be gotten from the diet.

The quality of a protein source is determined by its relative amounts of these essential amino acids. A protein source that contains all of them in the right ratios is a good source of protein.

Eggs are among the best sources of protein in the diet. In fact, the biological value (a measure of protein quality) is often evaluated by comparing it to eggs, which are given the perfect score of 100.

Bottom Line: Eggs are an excellent source of protein, with all the essential amino acids in the right ratios.

5. Eggs Are Loaded With Lutein and Zeaxanthin, Which Protect The Eyes

There are two antioxidants in eggs that can have powerful protective effects on the eyes.

They are called Lutein and Zeaxanthin, both found in the yolk.

Lutein and Zeaxanthin tend to accumulate in the retina, the sensory part of the eye.

These antioxidants significantly reduce the risk of Macular Degeneration and Cataracts, which are among the leading causes of vision impairment and blindness in the elderly (15, 16, 17).

In one study, eating 1.3 egg yolks per day for 4.5 weeks increased blood levels of Zeaxanthin by 114-142% and Lutein by 28-50% (18).

Bottom Line: Eggs are very high in the antioxidants Lutein and Zeaxanthin, which can drastically reduce the risk of Macular Degeneration and Cataracts.

6. Eggs For Breakfast Can Help You Lose Body Fat

Eggs contain only trace amounts of carbohydrates, but plenty of protein and fat.

They score very high on a scale called the Satiety Index, which is a measure of how much foods contribute to satiety (19).

For this reason, it is not surprising to see studies where eating eggs for breakfast leads to fat loss.

In one study, 30 overweight or obese women consumed either a breakfast of eggs or a breakfast of bagels. Both breakfasts had the same amount of calories.

The women in the egg group felt more full and ate less calories for the rest of the day and for the next 36 hours (20).

In another study that went on for 8 weeks, eating eggs for breakfast lead to significant weight improvements compared to the same amount of calories from bagels. The egg group (21):

• Lost 65% more body weight.
• Lost 16% more body fat.
• Had a 61% greater reduction in BMI.
• Had a 34% greater reduction in waist circumference (a good marker for the dangerous abdominal fat).

Not All Eggs Are The Same

It’s important to keep in mind that not all eggs are created equal.

Hens are often raised in factories, caged and fed grain-based feed that alters the final nutrient composition of the eggs. It is best to buy Omega-3 enriched or pastured eggs, they are more nutritious and healthier.

However, conventional supermarket eggs are still a good choice if you can’t afford or access the others.

Take Home Message

To top things off, eggs are cheap, taste awesome and go with almost any food.

Eggs really are an egg-ceptional superfood.

http://authoritynutrition.com/6-reasons-why-eggs-are-the-healthiest-food-on-the-planet/

How Many Calories Should You Eat Per Day to Lose Weight?

By Kris Gunnars 

The Best Online Calorie Counters

Here is a list of free sites where you can insert the foods you are eating to keep track of your calorie intake:

• Cron-O-Meter (My Favorite).
• MyFitnessPal
• FitDay
• Lose It

All of them are available online and include apps for iPhone/iPad and Android devices.

It is highly recommended to use a calorie counter for at least a few days, to see how many calories, carbs, protein, fat, fiber, vitamins and minerals you are truly eating.

Seeing the numbers like this can often be an eye opener.

How to Reduce Calorie Intake Without Starving Yourself

Calories are simply a measure of energy.

It is known that in order to gain weight, more calories need to be entering your body than leaving it.

Conversely, if more calories leave your body than enter it, then you lose weight.

That being said, just cutting calories without regards to the foods you eat is usually not a sustainable way to lose weight.

Although it works for some people, the majority of people end up hungry and eventually give up on their diet.

For this reason, it is highly recommended to make a few other permanent changes to help you maintain a calorie deficit in the long term, without feeling starved.

Here are 5 evidence-based diet/lifestyle changes that have been shown to help people lose weight in numerous studies.

1. Eating More Protein Can Reduce Appetite, Cut Cravings by 60% and Increase The Amount of Calories You Burn

When it comes to losing weight, protein is the king of nutrients.

Adding protein to your diet is the simplest, most effective and most delicious way to lose weight with minimal effort.

Studies show that protein both increases your metabolic rate and helps reduce appetite (3).

Because protein requires energy to metabolize, a high protein diet can increase calories burned by up to 80 to 100 calories per day (4, 5, 6).

Protein is also the most fulfilling nutrient, by far. One study showed that people who ate 30% of calories as protein automatically ate 441 fewer calories per day (7).

In other words, you can easily increase calories out and reduce calories in… just byadding protein to your diet.

Protein can also help fight cravings, which are the dieter’s worst enemy.

In one study, 25% of calories as protein reduced obsessive thoughts about food by 60% and cut the desire for late-night snacking by 50% (8).

If you want to lose weight, sustainably, with minimal effort, then consider making apermanent increase in your protein intake.

Not only will it help you lose, it will also prevent or at least significantly reduce weightregain, in case you ever decide to abandon your weight loss efforts (9, 10).

For more details, read this in-depth article about how much protein you should eat.

Bottom Line: Increasing protein intake can boost metabolism, fight cravings and significantly reduce appetite. This can lead to automatic weight loss.

2. Avoid Sugary Soft Drinks (and Fruit Juices), The Most Fattening Items in The Modern Diet

Another relatively easy change you can make, is to eliminate liquid sugar calories from your diet.

This includes sodas, fruit juices, chocolate milk and other beverages that have sugar in them.

These “foods” are probably the most fattening aspect of the modern diet, by far.

This is because liquid calories don’t get “registered” by the brain in the same way as solid calories.

For this reason, drinking sugary soda doesn’t make your brain automatically compensate by having you eat less of other things instead (11, 12).

Studies have shown that sugary drinks are strongly linked to an increased risk of obesity, with one study in children showing a 60% increased risk for each daily serving of a sugar-sweetened beverage (13).

Of course, the harmful effects of sugar go way beyond just weight gain. It can have disastrous effects on metabolic health and raise your risk of all sorts of diseases (14).

Although small amounts of natural sugars from foods (like fruit) are absolutely fine, large amounts from added sugar and sugary drinks can be an absolute disaster.

There is absolutely NO physiological need for these beverages and the long-term benefits of avoiding them can be enormous.

Bottom Line: It is important to avoid sugary soft drinks and fruit juices, because liquid sugar is the single most fattening aspect of the Western diet.

3. Drinking More Water Can Help With Weight Loss

One very simple trick to increase weight loss is to drink more water.

This can increase the number of calories you burn for up to 90 minutes (15, 16).

Drinking about 2 liters (68 ounces, or 8 glasses) of water per day can make you burn about 96 more calories per day.

But when you drink water may be even more important, because having it before meals can help reduce hunger and make you automatically eat fewer calories (17).

In one study, drinking a half liter (17 ounces) of water a half hour before meals made people lose 44% more weight over a period of 12 weeks (18).

When combined with a healthy diet, drinking more water (especially before meals) does appear to be helpful if you need to lose weight.

Caffeinated beverages such as coffee and green tea are also excellent. The caffeine in them can help boost metabolism somewhat, at least in the short term (19, 20).

Bottom Line: Studies have shown that drinking water can boost metabolism. Drinking it a half hour before meals can help you eat fewer calories.

4. Do Some Exercise and Lift Weights

When we eat fewer calories, our bodies compensate by making us burn less.

This is why long-term calorie restriction can significantly reduce metabolism.

Not only that, but it can also lead to loss of muscle mass. Muscle is metabolically active, so this can reduce metabolism even further.

Pretty much the only proven strategy to prevent this from happening is to exert your muscles by lifting weights.

This has been repeatedly shown to prevent muscle loss and prevent your metabolism from slowing down during long-term calorie restriction (21, 22).

Of course, we don’t want to just lose fat… we want to make sure that what is beneath also look good.

If you can’t get to a gym, then consider doing some body weight exercises like push ups, squats, sit ups, etc.

Doing some cardio like walking, swimming or jogging can also be important. Not so much for weight loss, but for optimal health and general wellbeing.

Of course, exercise also has a plethora of other benefits that go way beyond just weight loss… such as a longer life, lower risk of disease, more energy and feeling better every day (23, 24, 25).

Bottom Line: Lifting weights is important, because it inhibits muscle loss and prevents the metabolic rate from slowing down.

5. Reduce Carbohydrate Intake, Especially Refined Carbs and Sugars

Cutting carbs is a very effective way to lose weight (26).

When people do that, their appetite tends to go down and they eat fewer calories automatically (27, 28).

Studies have shown that eating a low-carb diet until fullness can make you lose about 2-3 times as much weight as a calorie restricted low-fat diet (29, 30, 31).

Not only that, but low-carb diets also have all sorts of other benefits for health, especially for people with type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome.

But if you don’t want to go low-carb, then that’s fine too. Just make sure you eatquality, fiber-rich carbohydrate sources… from whole, single ingredient foods.

If you stick to real foods, the exact composition of your diet becomes less important.

http://authoritynutrition.com/how-many-calories-per-day/

How Coconut Oil Can Help You Lose Weight

By Kris Gunnars | 

Coconut oil is the world’s most weight loss friendly fat.

It contains a unique combination of fatty acids with powerful effects on metabolism.

Several studies show that just by adding coconut oil to your diet, you can lose fat, especially the “dangerous” fat in the abdominal cavity.

Let me explain how that works…

Coconut Oil is High in Medium Chain Triglycerides, Fatty Acids That Boost Metabolism

Coconut oil is vastly different from most other fats in the diet.

Whereas most foods contain predominantly long-chain fatty acids, coconut oil consists almost entirely of Medium Chain Fatty Acids (1).

The thing with these medium chain fatty acids, is that they are metabolized differently than the longer chain fats.

They are sent straight to the liver from the digestive tract, where they are either used for energy right away or turned into ketone bodies.

These fats are often used by epileptic patients on a ketogenic diet, in order to increase ketone levels while allowing for a bit more carbs in the diet (2).

There is also some evidence from animal studies that medium chain fats are stored less efficiently than other fats.

In one study, rats were overfed with either long chain or medium chain fats. The rats fed the medium chain fats gained 20% less weight and 23% less body fat (3).

Bottom Line: Coconut oil is high in Medium Chain Triglycerides, which are fatty acids that are metabolized differently than most other fats, leading to beneficial effects on metabolism.

How Coconut Oil Can Boost Metabolism, Making You Burn More Calories at Rest

A calorie is not a calorie.

Different foods and macronutrients go through different metabolic pathways.

The different types of foods we eat can have a huge effect on our hormones and metabolic health.

Some metabolic pathways are more efficient than others and some foods require more energy to digest and metabolize.

One important property of coconut oil is that it is “thermogenic” – eating it tends to increase energy expenditure (fat burning) compared to the same amount of calories from other fats (4).

In one study, 15-30 grams (1 to 2 tablespoons) of medium chain fats per day increased energy expenditure by 5%, totaling about 120 calories per day (5).

Several other studies confirm these findings. When humans replace the fats they are eating with MCT fats, they burn more calories (6).

Therefore, a calorie from coconut oil is NOT the same as a calorie from olive oil or butter (although these fats are perfectly healthy too).

Bottom Line: Many studies show that medium chain triglycerides can boost metabolism, in one study increasing energy expenditure by 120 calories per day.

Coconut Oil Can Reduce Appetite, Making You Eat Less Without Trying

“Weight loss is all about calories in, calories out.”

Even though I think this is a drastic oversimplification, it is mostly true.

If your body expends more energy (calories) than it takes in, then you will lose fat.

But even though it is true that we need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight, it doesn’t mean that calories are something that we need to count or be consciously aware of.

Humans are very capable of remaining lean and healthy in their natural environment. The obesity epidemic didn’t start until 1980 and we didn’t even know what a calorie was back in the day.

Anything that reduces our appetite can make us take in fewer calories without having to think about it. It appears that coconut oil has this effect.

Many studies on medium chain fatty acids show that, compared to the same amount of calories from other fats, they increase feelings of fullness and lead to an automatic reduction in calorie intake (7).

This may be related to the way these fats are metabolized. It is well known that ketone bodies (which the liver produces when you eat coconut oil) can have a powerful appetite reducing effect (8, 9, 10).

Whatever the mechanism is, it works. In one study of 6 healthy men, eating a high amount of MCTs caused them to automatically eat 256 fewer calories per day (11).

In another study of 14 healthy men, those who ate MCTs at breakfast ate significantly fewer calories at lunch (12).

So… coconut oil boosts fat burning (increases “calories out”) and it also reduces the appetite (reduces “calories in”).

Bottom Line: Many studies show that people who add Medium Chain Fatty Acids to their diet have reduced appetite and start eating fewer calories automatically.

Coconut Oil Can Help You Lose Fat, Especially The “Dangerous” Abdominal Fat

If coconut oil can boost metabolism and reduce appetite, then it should help you lose fat over the long term.

In fact, there are several studies that support this.

In one study, 40 women were given either 30 grams (2 tablespoons) of either coconut oil or soybean oil for 28 days.

They were instructed to eat fewer calories and walk every day. These were the results (13):

• Both groups lost weight (about 2 pounds).
• Only the coconut oil group had decreased waist circumference (belly fat) while the soybean oil actually had a mild increase in belly fat.
• The coconut oil group had increased HDL (good) cholesterol levels, while the soybean oil had reduced HDL and increased LDL.

In this study, coconut oil did not cause overall weight loss compared to soybean oil, but it did lead to a significant reduction in belly fat.

In another study in obese men, 30 grams of coconut oil for 4 weeks reduced waist circumference by 2.86 cm, or 1.1 inches (14).

There are also other studies showing that medium chain fats lead to weight loss, reduced waist circumference and various improvements in metabolic health (15, 16).

The weight loss effects of coconut oil appear to be fairly mild, except for the abdominal fat.

Abdominal fat, also called visceral fat or belly fat, is the fat that tends to lodge around your organs and cause inflammation, diabetes and heart disease.

Any reduction in abdominal fat is likely to have very positive effects on your metabolic health, longevity and drastically reduce your risk of chronic disease.

These results are far from being dramatic, but consider that all these people are doing is adding coconut oil to their diet.

Combined with other proven weight loss strategies (like cutting carbs and increasing protein), all of this can add up to a significant amount.

Therefore, coconut oil can support a healthy, real-food based weight loss diet, but don’t expect it to work any miracles on its own.

If you’re interested in even more research on coconut oil, then you can find a very impressive collection of studies here.

Bottom Line: Eating coconut is particularly effective at reducing the harmful belly fat in the abdominal cavity, which is strongly associated with disease.

What About The Calories?

It’s important to keep in mind that coconut oil is fat.

Fat has 9 calories per gram… and coconut oil is no exception.

Therefore, if you are eating a fixed amount of calories and then add coconut oil on top of that, then it’s likely to make you gain weight, not lose.

However, most people aren’t counting calories and eating a fixed amount per day.

In these cases, adding coconut oil to your diet will reduce your appetite and probably make you eat less of other foods instead.

So this really is not about adding fat calories to your diet, it is about replacing some of your other cooking fats with coconut oil.

It’s also important not to go overboard and think you need to add tons of coconut oil to your diet to reap the benefits. The studies above used about 30 grams per day, which equals 2 tablespoons.

Even if coconut oil is good for cooking and has some powerful health benefits, your diet should still consist primarily of whole, nutritious foods like plants and animals.

http://authoritynutrition.com/coconut-oil-and-weight-loss/

The 20 Most Weight Loss Friendly Foods on The Planet

By Kris Gunnars |

Not all calories are created equal.

Different foods go through different metabolic pathways in the body.

They can have vastly different effects on hunger, hormones and how many calories we burn.

Here are the 20 most weight loss friendly foods on earth, that are supported by science.

1. Whole Eggs

Once feared for being high in cholesterol, whole eggs have been making a comeback.

New studies show that they don’t adversely affect blood cholesterol and don’t cause heart attacks (1, 2).

What’s more… they are among the best foods you can eat if you need to lose weight.

They’re high in protein, healthy fats, and can make you feel full with a very low amount of calories.

One study of 30 overweight women showed that eating eggs for breakfast, instead of bagels, increased satiety and made them eat less for the next 36 hours (3).

Another 8 week study found that eggs for breakfast increased weight loss on a calorie restricted diet compared to bagels (4).

Eggs are also incredibly nutrient dense and can help you get all the nutrients you need on a calorie restricted diet. Almost all the nutrients are found in the yolks.

2. Leafy Greens

Leafy greens include kale, spinach, collards, swiss chards and a few others.

They have several properties that make them perfect for a weight loss diet.

They are low in both calories and carbohydrates, but loaded with fiber.

Eating leafy greens is a great way to increase the volume of your meals, without increasing the calories. Numerous studies show that meals and diets with a low energy density make people eat fewer calories overall (5).

Leafy greens are also incredibly nutritious and very high in all sorts of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. This includes calcium, which has been shown to aid fat burning in some studies (6).

3. Salmon

Oily fish like salmon is incredibly healthy.

It is also very satisfying, keeping you full for many hours with relatively few calories.

Salmon is loaded with high quality protein, healthy fats and also contains all sorts of important nutrients.

Fish, and seafood in general, supplies a significant amount of iodine.

This nutrient is necessary for proper function of the thyroid, which is important to keep the metabolism running optimally (7).

Studies show that a huge number of people in the world aren’t getting all the iodine they need (8).

Salmon is also loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to help reduce inflammation, which is known to play a major role in obesity and metabolic disease (9, 10).

Mackerel, trout, sardines, herring and other types of oily fish are also excellent.

4. Cruciferous Vegetables

Cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and brussels sprouts.

Like other vegetables, they are high in fiber and tend to be incredibly fulfilling.

What’s more… these types of veggies also tend to contain decent amounts of protein.

They’re not as high in protein as animal foods or legumes, but they’re high compared to most vegetables.

A combination of protein, fiber and low energy density makes cruciferous vegetables the perfect foods to include in your meals if you need to lose weight.

They are also highly nutritious, and contain cancer fighting substances (11).

5. Lean Beef and Chicken Breast

Meat has been unfairly demonized.

It has been blamed for all sorts of health problems, despite no good evidence to back it up.

Although processed meat is unhealthy, studies show that unprocessed red meat does NOT raise the risk of heart disease or diabetes (12, 13).

According to two big review studies, red meat has only a very weak correlation with cancer in men, and no correlation at all in women (14, 15).

The truth is… meat is a weight loss friendly food, because it’s high in protein.

Protein is the most fulfilling nutrient, by far, and eating a high protein diet can make you burn up to 80 to 100 more calories per day (16, 17, 18).

Studies have shown that increasing your protein intake to 25-30% of calories can cut cravings by 60%, reduce desire for late-night snacking by half, and cause weight loss of almost a pound per week… just by adding protein to the diet (19, 20).

If you’re on a low-carb diet, then feel free to eat fatty meats. But if you’re on a moderate- to high carbohydrate diet, then choosing lean meats may be more appropriate.

6. Boiled Potatoes

White potatoes seem to have fallen out of favour for some reason.

However… they have several properties that make them a perfect food, both for weight loss and optimal health.

They contain an incredibly diverse range of nutrients, a little bit of almost everything we need.

There have even been accounts of people living on nothing but potatoes alone for extended periods of time.

They are particularly high in potassium, a nutrient that most people don’t get enough of and plays an important role in blood pressure control.

On a scale called the Satiety Index, that measures how fulfilling different foods are, white, boiled potatoes scored the highest of all the foods tested (21).

What this means is that by eating white, boiled potatoes, you will naturally feel full and eat less of other foods instead.

If you boil the potatoes, then allow them to cool for a while, then they will form large amounts of resistant starch, a fiber-like substance that has been shown to have all sorts of health benefits… including weight loss (22).

Sweet potatoes, turnips and other root vegetables are also excellent.

7. Tuna

Tuna is another low-calorie, high protein food.

It is lean fish… so there isn’t much fat in it.

Tuna is popular among bodybuilders and fitness models who are on a cut, because it’s a great way to keep protein high, with total calories and fat low.

If you’re trying to emphasize protein intake, then make sure to choose tuna canned in water, but not oil.

8. Beans and Legumes

Some beans and legumes can be beneficial for weight loss.

This includes lentils, black beans, kidney beans and some others.

These foods tend to be high in protein and fiber, which are two nutrients that have been shown to lead to satiety.

They also tend to contain some resistant starch.

The main problem is that a lot of people have problem tolerating legumes. For this reason, it is important to prepare them properly.

9. Soups

As mentioned above, meals and diets with a low energy density tend to make people eat fewer calories.

Most foods with a low energy density are those that contain lots of water, such as vegetables and fruits.

But you can also just add water to your food… by making a soup.

Some studies have shown that eating the exact same food, except made in a soup instead of as solid food, makes people feel more satiated and eat significantly fewer calories (23, 24).

10. Cottage Cheese

Dairy products tend to be high in protein.

One of the best ones is cottage cheese… calorie for calorie, it is mostly just protein with very little carbohydrate and fat.

Eating plenty of cottage cheese is a great way to boost your protein intake. It is also very satiating, making you feel full with a relatively low amount of calories.

Dairy products are also high in calcium, which has been shown to aid in the fat burning process (25).

11. Avocados

Avocados are a unique type of fruit.

Whereas most fruit is high in carbs, avocados are loaded with healthy fats.

They are particularly high in monounsaturated oleic acid, the same type of fat found in olive oil.

Despite being mostly fat, they also contain a lot of water, so they aren’t as energy dense as you may think.

Avocados are perfect as additions to salad, because studies show that the fats in them can increase the nutrient uptake from the vegetables 2.6 to 15-fold (25).

They also contain many important nutrients, including fiber and potassium.

12. Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is incredibly popular in the natural health community.

It is popular for use in condiments, like dressings or vinaigrettes. Some people even dilute it in water and drink it.

Several studies in humans suggest that vinegar can be useful for people who are trying to lose weight.

Taking vinegar at the same time as a high-carb meal can increase feelings of fullness and make people eat 200-275 fewer calories for the rest of the day (26, 27).

One study in obese individuals also showed that 15 or 30 mL of vinegar per day for 12 weeks caused weight loss of 2.6-3.7 pounds, or 1.2-1.7 kilograms (28).

Vinegar has also been shown to reduce blood sugar spikes after meals, which may lead to all sorts of beneficial effects on health in the long term (29, 30).

13. Nuts

Despite being high in fat, nuts are not inherently fattening.

They’re an excellent snack, containing balanced amounts of protein, fiber and healthy fats.

Studies have shown that eating nuts can improve metabolic health and even cause weight loss (31, 32).

Population studies have also shown that people who eat nuts tend to be healthier, and leaner, than the people who don’t (33).

Just make sure not to go overboard, as they are still pretty high in calories. If you tend to binge and eat massive amounts of nuts, then it may be best to avoid them.

14. Some Whole Grains

Despite grains having gotten a bad rap in recent years, there are some types that are definitely healthy.

This includes some non-gluten, whole grains that are loaded with fiber and contain a decent amount of protein as well.

Notable examples include oats, brown rice and quinoa.

Oats are loaded with beta-glucans, soluble fibers that have been shown to increase satiety and improve metabolic health (34, 35).

Rice, both brown and white, can also contain significant amounts of resistant starch, especially if cooked and then allowed to cool afterwards (36).

Keep in mind that refined grains are a disaster, and sometimes foods that have “whole grains” on the label are highly processed junk foods that are both harmful and fattening.

If you’re on a very low-carb diet then you’ll want to avoid grains, because they are high in carbohydrates. But there’s nothing wrong with eating some of the healthier grains if you can tolerate them and are not on a low-carb diet.

15. Chili Pepper

Eating chili peppers may be useful on a weight loss diet.

They contain a substance called capsaicin, which has been shown to help reduce appetite and increase fat burning in some studies (37, 38, 39).

This substance is even sold in supplement form and is a common ingredient in many commercial weight loss supplements.

One study showed that eating 1 gram of red chilli pepper reduced appetite and increased fat burning in people who didn’t regularly eat peppers (40).

However, there was no effect in people who were accustomed to eating spicy food, indicating that some sort of tolerance can build up.

16. Fruit

Most health experts agree that fruit is healthy.

Numerous population studies have shown that people who eat the most fruit (and vegetables) tend to be healthier than people who don’t (41, 42).

Of course… correlation does not equal causation, so those studies don’t prove anything, but fruit do have properties that make them weight loss friendly.

Even though they contain sugar, they have a low energy density and take a while to chew. Plus, the fiber helps prevent the sugar from being released too quickly into the bloodstream.

The only people who may want to avoid or minimize fruit are those who are on a very low-carb, ketogenic diet, or have some sort of intolerance to fructose.

For the rest of us, fruits can be an effective (and delicious) addition to a weight loss diet.

17. Grapefruit

One fruit that deserves to be highlighted is grapefruit, because its effects on weight control have been studied directly.

In a study of 91 obese individuals, eating half a fresh grapefruit before meals caused weight loss of 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg) over a period of 12 weeks (43).

The grapefruit group also had reductions in insulin resistance, a metabolic abnormality that is implicated in various chronic diseases.

So… eating half a grapefruit about a half hour before some of your daily meals may help you feel more satiated and eat fewer overall calories.

18. Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are among the most nutritious foods on the planet.

They do contain 12 grams of carbohydrate per ounce, which is pretty high, but 11 of those grams are fiber.

This makes chia seeds a low-carb friendly food, and one of the best sources of fiber in the world (44).

Because of all the fiber, chia seeds can absorb up to 11-12 times their weight in water, turning gel-like and expanding in your stomach (45).

Although some studies have shown that chia seeds can help reduce appetite, they have not found a statistically significant effect on weight loss (46, 47).

However, given their nutrient composition, it makes sense that chia seeds could be a useful part of a weight loss diet.

19. Coconut Oil

Not all fats are created equal.

Coconut oil is high in fatty acids of a medium length, called Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs).

These fatty acids have been shown to boost satiety compared to other fats, as well as increase the amount of calories burned (48, 49).

There are also two studies, one in women and the other in men, showing that coconut oil led to reduced amounts of belly fat (50, 51).

Of course… coconut oil still contains calories, so adding it on top of what you’re already eating is a bad idea.

So this is not about adding coconut oil to your diet, it is about replacing some of your other cooking fats with coconut oil.

Extra virgin olive oil is also worth mentioning here, because it is probably the healthiest fat on the planet.

20. Full-fat Yoghurt

Another excellent dairy food is yoghurt.

Yoghurt contains probiotic bacteria that can improve the function of your gut.

Having a healthy gut may potentially help protect against inflammation and leptin resistance, which is the main hormonal driver of obesity.

Just make sure to choose full-fat yoghurt… studies show that full-fat dairy, but not low-fat, is associated with a reduced risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes over time (52).

Low-fat yoghurt is usually loaded with sugar, so it is best to avoid that stuff like the plague.

http://authoritynutrition.com/20-most-weight-loss-friendly-foods/