Weight Loss: Include These Low Energy Density Foods In Your Diet

Low energy foods to include in the diet for weight loss

Weight loss and fitness become buzzwords at the start of every year. But even as we enter the second month of the New Year, many of us are struggling to clean our diets out and get adequate workout. Exercise and diet are both important to stay fit, but many health experts have argued that diet is perhaps more important than workout to bring about weight loss and to sustain it. This is because what you eat affects your body's capability to burn fat by improving or decreasing metabolic rate. Moreover, your diet may leave you feeling fulfilled and satiated or hungry and bloated. Therefore, it's extremely important to pick your meal ingredients very carefully, if you are going for a calorie-deficient but satiating diet. Low energy density foods are hence, great for including in a weight loss diet.

Every food has a specific energy density, which indicates the number of calories the food is packing in a specific amount of the food item. Simply put, low energy density foods have low number of calories in a large amount of the foods, while high energy density foods pack in larger number of calories in smaller amounts of food. Including more of low energy density foods in your weight loss diet may benefit you, as these foods fill you up while supplying your body with a low number of calories. The concept of energy density of foods is the central concept of the Volumetrics Diet for weight loss. The diet doesn't ban any food, but instead focuses on the energy density of specific foods.

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Best Low Energy Density Foods For Weight Loss

The best low energy density foods will have more water and fibre, but will be low in fat. Here's a helpful list of such weight-loss friendly foods that you can include in your diet:

1. Fruits

A lot of people on a weight loss diet give up fruits thinking that these are high in calories. But fruits make for great healthy snacks as they are rich in water and while they also contain natural sugars, these are still better than processed sugars or empty calories in a lot of your other snacks.

(Also Read: Grapefruit Diet For Weight Loss: Should You Follow This Strict 10-Day Low-Carb Diet?)

^{Weight Loss: Fruits are great low energy density snack foods}

2. Vegetables

If you're on a weight loss diet, you cannot give vegetables a miss. These are rich in a range of nutrients and fibre, which is satiating and healthy for your body. Give the starchy veggies like potatoes a miss and opt for high-fibre cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower etc.

3. Whole Grains

A lot of our junk foods like pastas and pizzas are also made from grains, but these are processed grains. Whole grains retain the fibre-rich bran and endosperm, which makes them better for weight loss. They pack in more fibre, less calories and are considered healthy carbohydrates. Grains like whole wheat, barley, brown rice, bulgar, etc., are good low energy density foods.

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4. Lean Protein Sources

Protein is also a satiating nutrient and one of the most important ones for gaining muscle mass and losing weight. Include more lean protein sources like lentils, soybean and its derivatives, as well as white meats like chicken and turkey in your diet as they are great low energy density foods.

Although some nuts and seeds are high in fats, you are only likely to eat these in small quantities in a day. Moreover, they are a source of high quality monounsaturated fats, which fight cholesterol build-up in the body. So you might want to include these in your weight loss diet as well.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.