Losing weight isn’t just about counting calories and low carb diets. The nutrients you eat play a vital role in weight loss.
It is hard to think of food in terms of measuring out the amount of food you eat and the serving sizes of what you’re eating. Managing your eating habits can be tricky, almost like a game in which you have to constantly keep score. One thing that can make things easier is to know the specific nutrients that you should incorporate into your diet that will help you to lose weight at a quicker rate.
Table of Contents
Fiber
Fiber can be essential to weight loss because it will help you to feel fuller for a longer period of time. This can help to curb any temptations that you might have to snack on sweets or overly fatty foods. A high fiber diet also has added health benefits such as the prevention of heart disease, some cancers, and Type 2 Diabetes. Most people typically only eat an estimated 15g of fiber a day, however, the recommended daily intake of fiber is 25g a day.
Some foods that could give you more fiber in your diet are:
- Broccoli
- Beans
- Oatmeal
- Peanuts
- Whole wheat bread
- Rice
Iron
Iron helps your red blood cells carry oxygen. Without enough iron your body’s cells can not get the oxygen they need to function more effectively and you’ll feel extremely fatigued all the time which will make it harder for you to have the energy to exercise. Since exercise is a major factor in weight loss, iron is one of the most important nutrients that you will need.
Certain foods that you can eat to implement more iron into your diet are:
- Beef
- Turkey
- Shrimp
- Spinach
- Lentils
Omega 3-Fatty acids
Most people think that eating anything that contains fat is counterproductive to trying to lose weight but eliminating all types of fat from your diet is not the answer to losing weight. There are some fats that are beneficial for you such as Omega 3-Fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are necessary for human health but the body can’t make them and you have to get them through food. Not only can a deficiency in Omega 3 fatty acids be harmful to your weight loss efforts but it can also cause dry skin, depression, and increase your risk of heart disease.
Some foods that can give you more Omega 3 fatty acids are:
- Fish
- Salmon
- Tuna
- Nuts
- Eggs
- Seafood
Calcium
Calcium does many things for your body but the two most important things that have to do with your weight loss efforts is making your bones stronger and regulating your blood pressure. If your bones are not maintaining their proper level of strength and density then they are not going to be strong enough for you to be consistent in your exercise regimen. The recommended amount of calcium an adult should consume every day is 1,000 milligrams.
Some foods higher in calcium and better for your diet are:
- Yogurt
- Milk
- Celery
- Flax Seed
- Fruit
- Any dark leafy green
Vitamin D
Vitamin D can be particularly important because it is essential to the absorption of calcium. Vitamin D is also important because it helps to prevent diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and hypertension. On average, an adult needs at least 200 IU of Vitamin D a day.
Some foods that can be a good source of Vitamin D are:
- Milk/ or Soy Milk
- Fish
- Orange Juice
- Oysters
- Eggs (yolks in particular)
- Fish oil supplement
Losing weight is not an easy thing to do. Even when you have the exercise part of your routine down you sometimes still find yourself struggling to get rid of those unwanted pounds. Paying attention to what you are eating is the other piece of the puzzle that often times we don’t like to adhere to. Making sure to include some of these nutrients into your diet will assure to increase the amount of weight you will lose but it won’t happen overnight.
