When people go on a diet, they often think that they’ll have to deprive themselves of anything tasty or good for the sake of losing some pounds. While it’s true that you’ll need to deny yourself those fatty food items that you’re used to eating all the time, it’s also true that you can still find plenty of foods for weight loss to keep your dieting experience full of flavor and variety.
The best diets are ones that don’t force you to eat bland food every single day, and, pretend that you’re actually going to like it. I’m sure you’ve been on some of these strict plans that made you feel cranky and ready to toss out every piece of lettuce onto the cold, hard floor. I mean, yes, you need to eat healthy, but there’s got to be some enjoyment too.
Many people give up on their diet after two or three weeks because they just can’t take the loss of enjoyment any longer. We eat to live, but we also eat to savor and enjoy our food. Take away the joy, and there’s not really much incentive to eat another plate of greens with light dressing.
Some of the most popular diet plans available today feature cheat days – days in which you can eat whatever you like. While you don’t want to go hog wild on cheat days, you can enjoy these days with abandon, if you stock up on healthy food items. When your cupboards are filled with fatty foods, then guess what? You’ll eat them without thinking. If you stock up on tasty, but low calorie foods, you’ll still be able to stick with your weight loss goals without feeling guilty.
Here’s a list of low fat food items that can make your low calorie meals more enjoyable:
Beverages – Water (plain or flavored), seltzer water (plain or flavored), black coffee, regular or herbal tea, ginger ale, juices made from fresh fruits and vegetables, smoothies.
Cereals – Cheerios (or similar), Bran Cereal, Plain Shredded Wheat, Fiber One, Wheaties, Whole Grain Total (or similar), Oatmeal.
Breads – Light breads that have no more than 45 calories per slice. Some varieties: multigrain, oatmeal, wheat, rye, Italian and sourdough.
Legumes – Any canned bean or dried bean is good. If you like Mexican food, go for the low fat refried beans. Some varieties: peas, kidney, lentils, chickpeas, black, green, lima, pinto and black eyed pea beans.
Condiments – Low fat or fat free mayonnaise, mustard (yellow, spicy or flavored), tomato puree, tomato paste, tomato sauce, tomato juice, low fat butter or margarine, cooking sprays (olive oil, canola oil or flavored), balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, tarragon vinegar, wine vinegar, horseradish, onion powder, garlic powder, seasoning salt, dried herbs (oregano, thyme, rosemary, dill basil, etc.), dried spices (cinnamon, cocoa powder, cloves, cumin, ginger, nutmeg, curry, allspice, paprika, etc.), extracts (vanilla, almond, maple, peppermint, etc.), cocoa powder and low fat salad dressing.
Frozen Fruits and Vegetables – Buy a variety of frozen vegetable mixes. When you can’t have fresh, frozen is the next best thing.
Spreads – Peanut butter, honey, low sugar jams and jellies
Pasta and Rice – Brown rice, long grain rice, whole wheat pasta, whole grain pasta, spinach pasta, whole wheat couscous, barley, kasha, bulgur, quinoa and whole grain cornmeal.
Soups – Low calorie flavors (chicken, rice, bean, pea, beef, etc.)
Candy – Surprise! Stick to the regular kind to quell your sweet tooth. Flavored hard candy (candy cane, lollipops, sour balls, fruit flavored, caramel and chocolate hard candies), chewing gum.
Seafood – fresh, canned or smoked salmon, tuna, haddock, halibut, sardines, etc.
Soy – Tofu, Boca Burgers, Garden Burgers, etc.
Dessert – Frozen yogurt, low fat ice cream, low fat frozen treats (Creamsicles, Fudgesicles, Popsicles, fruit juice bars)
Snacks – Nuts (almonds, sunflower seeds, walnuts), popcorn (plain or with a sprinkle of powdered seasoning), crackers.
