Last week we discussed how STARCH, yes CARBS, are the best thing to consume if your hope is to lose weight.
We talked about wet starches like potatoes, grains, tubers, squashes, beans, and fiber-rich noodles, and how filling your day with these foods triggers your body into thinking it's had enough to eat (by weight) without actually having that many calories.
That's due to a principle called calorie density, which is just a fancy way of saying the number of calories in a given weight of food. So starches have 300-700 calories per pound, while processed foods are usually over 1,000, nuts and seeds are over 2,000, and oils are over 4,000 calories per pound.
Check out this graphic from Forks Over Knives.
I mentioned last week that our body desires to eat 3-4 pounds of food per day. Imagine how hard it would be to eat 3-4 pounds of processed food and keep your total calorie intake below 2,000.
Enter calorie dilute foods like starches, vegetables, fruits, and legumes.
Imagine how full you would be if you consumed 1 pound of apples in 1 sitting. You would be STUFFED and probably couldn't do it. And yet, you would have only eaten 300 calories.
So the best way to lose weight is to fill up your plate with low-calorie plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans, and try to avoid using much oil (or coconut milk, or nuts) to cook them into a savory meal.
One expert put it this way, the best way to lose weight is to learn to eat more plainly. Learn to savor the way a vegetable tastes when it's not fried or slathered in oil or butter. Be content to eat a fruit sorbet you make at home with frozen fruit and nut milk without added fat or sugar.
This is the truth about how best to lose weight while not feeling deprived or hungry.
Wondering how to make this switch to a more starch-based diet? Click the link below to check out my services.
This article was written by:
Wondering what "evidence-based restorative nutrition" is? I'm committed to giving you evidence-based nutrition advice that helps your body return to its natural most healthful way of functioning. Let's restore your health together!