When working to lose weight healthily, it’s important to make sure you’re getting enough vitamins and nutrients to aid your changing body. We checked in with registered nutritionists, dietitians and other health experts to learn more about 3 tasty and beneficial food pairings that can give you more energy and promote healthy weight loss. Read on for tips and suggestions from George Yang, RDN, registered dietitian, nutritionist and founder and chief designer of Yanre Fitness and Trista Best, MPH, RD, LD, registered dietitian at Balance One Supplements.
1. Beans & Rice
Fiber is crucial for healthy weight loss, and Best notes that pairing beans with rice can provide a fiber-filled meal any time. The fiber content of beans will keep you "full and satisfied long after a meal and is beneficial for feeding the gut's good bacteria," she says, binding and flushing out toxins and waste from your body. Additionally, beans and rice even help to "reduce cholesterol and body weight."
Along with fiber, beans are rich in protein, a "macronutrient that can often be found lacking in the diet of those seeking to save money at the grocery store," she says. Beans are "known for their protein content, but eating them along with rice is the best way to get in all 9 essential amino acids." There are 20 amino acids, Best continues, and 9 of which are essential, "meaning they must be obtained through the diet." Animal protein sources naturally contain all 20 amino acids and are therefore naturally complete proteins, Best stresses, but many plant-based proteins are not. "Taking in all essential amino acids is necessary for a healthy life and combining rice and beans provides the right combination of amino acids to achieve this."
Canned vegetables and legumes are beneficial for a healthy diet for two reasons—Best adds— nutrition and cost. They are less expensive than fresh and will not expire at as quickly a rate. "They are also often just as nutrient dense as fresh because they are harvested and processed (frozen or canned) at their peak," she explains. "Beans of every variety pack a ton of nutrients and calories into any meal, which is helpful when you are working to reduce your grocery budget."
2. Cottage Cheese & Berries
Eating enough protein is essential for "exercise to and to strengthen your body," Yang says, and choosing foods that are "rich in protein" can help you lose weight by keeping you full and satiated until your next meal. Yang's snack of choice is cottage cheese with berries and almonds.
"Cottage cheese is one of the best sources of protein and keeps the bones and muscles strong," he explains, "It is also a slow digestive protein that keeps you full for a longer time." Adding berries to cottage cheese is also beneficial for weight loss as these fruits are "loaded with antioxidants to help reduce weight." Cottage cheese, berries and almonds eaten as a "combination in the morning" works best to fight "obesity and other diseases," he says.
3. Eggs, Spinach & Avocado Oil
Whether you use these ingredients to whip up an omelet for breakfast or add them to a salad, the possibilities are endless and very beneficial for weight loss, Yang says. "Thanks to the protein content in eggs, they are the most satisfying choice for breakfast," he adds. "Have them with a hearty amount of spinach tossed in avocado oil and you are good to go for the day," he suggests.
"Eggs are also rich in selenium, vitamin D, B6, B12 and minerals such as zinc, iron and copper which help fight the fat accumulated in the body." Additionally, Yang notes that "spinach provides required minerals to benefit the eyes and overall health of the body." Sounds like a win-win!
