5 "Forbidden" Foods that Actually Help with Weight Loss
Sarah-Jane Bedwell,SELF magazine
Last Thursday, I got to be on the TODAY Show with Ann Curry to talk about five foods that many people think they should avoid. However, these foods can actually help keep you fit!
Chocolate (for Breakfast!): Recent research found that people who included desserts as a part of their breakfast lost 40lbs more that those who ate low-calorie, low-carb breakfasts--and they kept the weight off. Sweets in the morning seem to prevent cravings and overeating later in the day.
Related: Lose 2 Pounds a Week
Make it work for you: Try a bowl of oatmeal with dark chocolate chips, sliced strawberries, and toasted almonds (see recipe below!).
Pasta: Although high in carbs, pasta is relatively low in calories, and if you choose a whole-grain pasta, it's a good source of filling fiber as well. Research shows that the high water content in cooked pasta can also help fill you up. And when we eat carbs, our bodies releases a hormone called serotonin, which helps us feel relaxed and satisfied.
Make it work for you: Try whole grain penne tossed with steamed veggies and marinara sauce.
Related: 20 Superfoods for Weight Loss
A Juicy Steak: The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Diet (which does not promote inclusion of red meat) has long been viewed as the gold standard for a heart-healthy diet. However a recent study found that people lowered their LDL (bad cholesterol) by 10% following both the DASH diet and the BOLD diet, which is the DASH diet plus 4oz. lean beef per day. We now know beef can be included in a healthy diet, and in fact, it is a very nutrient-rich food full of protein, iron, zinc, and B vitamins.
Make it work for you: There are 29 cuts of lean beef to choose from! Try a sirloin steak about the size of your palm.
Cheese: The fat-burning benefit of the calcium in cheese trumps its high calorie-fat content when it comes to weight loss. Not getting enough calcium may trigger the release of calcitriol, a hormone that causes the body to store fat. Scientists at the University of Tennessee found that people on a reduced-calorie diet who included an extra 300 to 400mg of calcium a day lost significantly more weight than those who ate the same number of calories but with less calcium. Scientists aren't exactly sure why, but eating calcium-rich foods is more effective than taking calcium supplements--and cheese has about 200 mg per ounce.
Make it work for you: Enjoy a 2oz. portion of your favorite cheese each day for a snack (look for pre-portioned versions to make it easier to stick to 2oz.).
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Potatoes: Of course fried potatoes or ones drowned in butter and sour cream aren't diet-friendly foods. However, one medium potato only has 1g of sugar and no fat or sodium. After you bake or broil them, they form resistant starch, a type of fiber that seems to reduce the body's ability to burn carbs, leading the body to burn fat instead.
Make it work for you: For lunch, enjoy a baked potato, about the size of your fist topped with salsa and grilled chicken with a salad on the side.
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