The Basics behind Weight Loss

To be perfectly honest, the best way to lose weight is to eat less and move more.

However, you can enjoy food without rationing. Weight Watchers and Slimming World have a portfolio of ‘Free’ foods, which when cooked correctly will aid weight loss.

These free foods are generally high protein meats such as chicken, or vegetables. However, we have decided to look a little more into them. Broccoli is delicious when it’s cooked right, but does get boring if all you’re eating is Broccoli, the same with Carrots or Beef.

We actively encourage you to experiment with your food, and you never know, you may tweak a recipe that suits your diet plan and also makes it more interesting. We have loads of variants of vegetables, from peppers to tomatoes, onions to potatoes. Add ingredients to your meals, just because a recipe calls for only pork and white onion doesn’t mean you have to stick to it. Chuck a handful of Spinach in or that lonely looking green pepper at the back of the fridge!

Food isn’t a simple one way process. If you like the taste and texture of something, cook it to your liking. Traditional bolognaise doesn’t call for mushrooms, peppers, extra tomatoes and red wine, but if you can use up ingredients that would otherwise be wasted, use them and you may find you enjoy it far more.

When losing weight, vegetables are the key. They are cheap, they don’t need cooking and they look nice. Snacking on a piece of carrot with Hummus, or cucumber sticks with paprika devilled eggs is not only low fat, but satisfying and will easily tide you over until your next meal.

You will also find that bulking meals out with veggies will not only improve your diet, but will improve your kid’s diet as you’re essentially smuggling vegetables into their food and they won’t notice. It will also reduce the cost of foods as meat and fish are expensive, and filling the dish with vegetables will reduce the amount of fish or meat required. Obviously, choose foods that are going to go well together, beetroot and broccoli soup does not sound particularly pleasant!

Be sure to look at your salt content also. Salt is a dehydrator, and as such, you will hold onto water a lot more if your diet is high in sodium. All you have to do is change your cooking technique to reduce the sodium you take in. This can include doing the old McDonalds’ trick and adding Salt to your oil or simply not adding salt to your food at all. It is entirely up to you, but generally, the less salt you take in, the better.

Take a look at the reduced salt and sugar products on offer also, for they can really help if you need a quick fix when out and about, such as shopping with your friends or running errands (or late for work!)

These products tend to be far higher in fibre, which keeps you fuller longer, and will also taste like actual food and not processed foods that can be just one molecule away from becoming plastic.