9 Foods to Help You Lose Weight

Losing weight is a matter of simple math. To drop pounds, you need to eat fewer calories than you burn. There’s no way around that. But what you eat can have an impact.

“Certain foods can help you shed body weight,” says Heather Mangieri, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, “because they help you feel full longer and help curb cravings.”

Some even kick up your metabolism. So consider this list when you go to the supermarket:

1. Beans

Cheap, filling, and versatile, beans are a great source of protein. Beans are also high in fiber and slow to digest. That helps you feel full longer, which may stop you from eating more.

2. Soup

Start a meal with a cup of soup and you may end up eating less. It doesn’t matter if the soup is chunky or pureed, as long as its broth based. You want to keep the soup to 100 to 150 calories a serving. So skip the dollops of cream and butter.

3. Dark Chocolate

Want to enjoy chocolate between meals? Pick a square or two of dark over the milky version. In a Copenhagen study, chocolate lovers who were given dark chocolate ate 15% less pizza a few hours later than those who had eaten milk chocolate.

4. Pureed Vegetables


5. Oatmeal


6. Nuts

For a healthy snack on the run, choose a small handful of almonds, peanuts, walnuts, or pecans. Research shows that when people munch on nuts they automatically eat less at later meals.

7. Apples

Skip the apple juice or the applesauce and opt instead for a crunchy apple.  Research shows that whole fruit blunts appetite in a way that fruit juices and sauces don’t. One reason is that raw fruit contains more fiber. Plus, chewing sends signals to our brain that we’ve eaten something substantial.

8. Yogurt

Yogurt can be good for your waistline. Yogurt, of all the foods that were tracked, was most closely linked to weight loss.Vegan yogurts come from alternative milk sources such as coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk, and a few other sources. There are so many vegan yogurts on the market.

9. Grapefruit

Yes, grapefruit really can help you shed pounds, especially if you are at risk fordiabetes. Researchers at the Scripps Clinic in San Diego found that when people ate half a grapefruit before each meal, they dropped an average of 3 1/2 pounds over 12 weeks. Drinking grapefruit juice had the same results. But be careful: You cannot have grapefruit or grapefruit juice if you are on certain medications, so check the label on all your prescriptions, or ask your pharmacist or doctor.

Shop Smart

Remember to load your shopping cart with lots of lean protein, fresh veggies, fruit, and whole grains, says food scientist Joy Dubost, PhD, RD. “The overall nutritional composition of your total diet remains the most important thing when it comes to lasting weight loss.”


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