Weight loss journey challenge: try amping up the healthy fats in your diet.
This post comes with a challenge that may sound counterintuitive to your health or weight loss journey: Try amping up the fat in your diet with slight adjustments and see how you feel. You may be surprised that you end up eating less and remaining stable-minded throughout the day as well as even losing some of the stubborn weight.
Don’t go replacing all your usual proteins with bacon. That would be one delicious day... But, no. Your body actually needs and craves a certain amount of fat in your daily diet. Good fat causes your joints to loosen up, reduces the inflammation in your body, and fluidly connects brain cells to help you focus with ease. These fats actually help suppress your appetite because they satisfy and hold you over.
You may stray away from fatty foods as you fear the calories. You are right. Foods with higher fat content do contain a higher calorie count. However, you may also notice that if you do not include enough fat in your diet, you will feel symptoms such as headaches, foggy focus, and fatigue. Your body may be trying to alert you that you need to splash a little more oil in that pan.
Embrace the avocado. Rich in Omega-3s, folate, fiber, vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin B, and vitamin E, avocados even contain more potassium than bananas! This nutritional powerhouse keeps you full for longer while also providing your body with a high amount of your daily nutrient need.
Slice it over a piece of toast in the morning, bake an egg into half of one for breakfast, cut it up over your salad for lunch, or simply sprinkle garlic powder, cayenne, and lemon juice over it for a mid-afternoon snack. The possibilities go on and on!
Don’t be afraid of the good oil. Olive oil, for example, is loaded with antioxidants and contributes to reducing your risk of chronic diseases and developing high cholesterol. While fat may be a culprit for weight gain or obesity, diets that contain a higher amount of olive oil actually link to healthy weights and stable bodily health. Just make sure not to heat it up, or it goes quickly from a superfood to a toxic food. Use avocado oil instead for cooking.
Nuts, such as almonds and walnuts, contain wonderful nutritional benefits. Do not worry so much about the calories they contain. Instead, remind yourself of their nutritional benefits. Just make sure your nuts are RAW, not roasted or candied.
Walnuts boast an array of protein, antioxidants, Omega-3s, and even the cancer-fighting ellagic acid. Welcome in the highest amount of polyphenols than any other nut and say goodbye to free radicals and high cholesterol.
Almonds contain more fiber than the other nuts and also contribute to lowering cholesterol and combating heart disease. This nut also is linked to weight loss. Studies find that people who more commonly eat almonds tend to lose more weight than those who do not.
If you like fish, try fitting more salmon into your diet. Have it for lunch or dinner in poke bowls, hand rolls, over a bed of brown rice and salad, inside tacos, raw, barbecued, baked — you name it. It is filled with Omega-3s that replenish your body with massive amounts of nutrients as the flaky fish melts in your mouth. This fish helps decrease inflammation, lower blood pressure, reduce risk of cancer, and maintain artery health. It is also high in protein, which helps heal bodily injury and maintain muscle mass.