At every meal, eat a carb and protein. Why? Protein and complex carbs help with post-workout muscle recovery. It keeps you fuller. Protein and healthy fats slow sugar digestion, preventing blood sugar spikes.
1. Nut Butter + Banana
This dynamic duo will boost your health whether you squeeze lemon over spinach or add juice to your smoothie. Why? Lemons contain vitamin C, and spinach contains non-heme iron. Vitamin C boosts the iron bioavailability in spinach (also known as ascorbic acid).
2. Spinach + Lemon Juice
Start cooking with a pepper and some eggs. This fat-frying duo will get you into skinny jeans fast. Eggs contain choline, which boosts metabolism, and peppers have vitamin C. Vitamin C and weight loss? The nutrient can help fight cortisol, a hormone that causes belly fat.
3. Bell Peppers + Eggs
Oatmeal with berries is another fat-frying breakfast option. How powerful is the duo? According to Canadian researchers, their insoluble fibre boosts hunger-controlling ghrelin. Berry chemicals called polyphenols aid weight loss and prevent fat formation.
4. Oatmeal + Berries
Cereal and pretzels may taste good, but they won't give you a tight stomach. Substitute pistachios and almonds for starchy carbs. Researchers say eating nuts instead of carbs can speed weight loss.
6. Pistachios + Almonds
Those last few pounds are stubborn. Vitamin D-fortified yoghurt helps you lose weight (we like Stonyfield Organic). A Nutrition Journal study found that calcium and vitamin D-rich diets can reduce fat absorption and storage.
7. Yogurt + Cinnamon
If your appetite makes it hard to lose weight, try sautéing kale in olive oil. What foods help you lose weight? Olive oil's monounsaturated fats help stave off hunger, and high-volume, low-calorie greens like kale fill you up without weighing you down.
8. Olive oil + greens