Winters are here finally and we all cannot resist the yummy holiday foods. This is the main reason why we gain a few extra pounds especially in the winter. There certainly is no way to avoid food in holiday season, but you can lose some weight with the top winter foods that are healthy and indulgent as well!
Here are the top winter foods for weight loss:
- GRAPEFRUIT
Eating half a grapefruit before each meal may help you lose weight up to one pound a week even if you change nothing else about your diet! A compound in grapefruit helps regulate insulin, a fat-storage hormone. Anything that helps lower insulin can help people lose weight-Grapefruit seems to be one of those foods. You can make some grapefruit smoothies, add it to your salads, bake healthy vegan cakes with it etc.
- KALE SALAD
To make this you need 1 cooked sweet potato, sliced long and thick like French fries, ½ cup chopped kale, little oil and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Add oil, sweet potato and kale in a pan and sauté until cooked. Add pepper flakes and salt as per needed. Your breakfast is ready!! You may also add sausages in this if you like. Health benefits of kale >>
- APPLE
An apple a day keeps not just the doctor away, but your excess flab too. Packed with fibre and wholesome carbohydrates, this delicious fruit keeps you full throughout preventing you from overeating. Plus, it is packed with antioxidants that are known to thwart off metabolic syndrome that is the main culprit behind the belly fat. Since it’s the holiday season, bake some healthy and delicious apple pies! Health benefits of apples >>
- NUTS AND SEEDS
Walnuts, almonds, pistachios, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds make their way into the list of the best weight loss foods. These are not just treasure troves of energy, but are excellent sources of protein for the vegetarians and vegans. They aren’t specifically for winters, but you can have them year round. The plus point is that they keep you warm during the winters and also help you lose weight when consumed in moderate quantities. Add them to your cakes, smoothies, desserts etc. Read more on Health benefits of nuts >> and Super seeds that you should be eating >>
- OATMEAL
To make healthy oatmeal, you need 4 tablespoons rolled oats, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 ½ cups water, ½ teaspoon pepper powder and black salt as per taste. Mix up all the ingredients and cook on low flame for 5 minutes. Pour it in a bowl and your oatmeal is ready! Overnight oatmeal recipes>>
- HONEY
Honey is very well popular in not just Indian kitchens, but all the kitchens worldwide. If you are trying to lose weight, honey can be very useful. Fat deposits are formed in the body when the fat remains unused. Honey has the ability to mobilize this stored fat and use it to produce energy. Use it as a substitute for sugar in whatever you eat. Benefits of raw honey over regular honey >>
- GUAVA
Guava is a sweet tropical fruit that not only tastes good but also provides you with vitamin A, C, potassium and magnesium. This tropical delight can help chase away the winter blues. Add it in your smoothies, bake a guava-flavored cake, Make cookies with guava pulp etc. Health benefits of guava >>
- FRUITS YOGHURT
To make this, you need chopped or sliced fruits- apple, raspberries, pineapple, bananas, pomegranate seeds etc. You may add any other fruit too, depending on what is available. Mix up all the fruits in a bowl and add whisked yogurt on it. Also, add honey if you like and mix. You are done.
- BROWN RICE
Brown rice can be used to make delicious chicken rice (chicken biryani) or turkey rice. This nutritious whole grain contains 110 calories per half-cup serving, along with 2 grams each of protein and fibre. The fibre content of brown rice keeps bowel function at its peak since it makes digestion that much easier. Benefits of brown rice >>
- POTATOES
Potatoes may come as a shock for those who have been avoiding them thinking they cause weight gain! Potatoes contain both soluble and insoluble fibres that take care of the bad cholesterol. Have them as French fries (brush oil on them and roast for a crunchy oil-free fries), as mashed potatoes, in pies, etc. Potato benefits >>