The fastest, safest, and most natural way to lose weight is to eat a nutrient-dense diet. This means eating foods that are high in nutrients and low in calories. The result of this eating plan is that you satisfy all of your nutritional requirements at a lower caloric cost.
Let's take an example. Hank and Tom are the same height and age, have the same activity level, and their nutritional needs are equal. Hank eats 3,000 calories a day to satisfy his nutritional needs. Tom eats 2,000 calories a day and also satisfies his nutritional needs. Who do you think weighs less? Tom, of course. What's the difference in their eating styles? Hank eats a diet with a low nutrient density, while Tom eats a diet with a high nutrient density. In other words, Tom gets just as much nutrition as Hank, but without that whopping 1,000 extra calories.
The typical American fast food diet is also a low-nutrient diet: high in calories and low in nutrition. We call this "junk food" for a reason - too much junk, not enough food.
The first thing you need to do when switching from a typical low-nutrient diet to one with a high nutrient density is to learn which foods are the most nutrient-dense. So here's a list. The following foods pack the most nutrient bang for the caloric buck. Eat as much as you want from these categories. These amazing foods are the best of the best, and should form the bulk of your healthy new diet. In order of best to worst, they are:
1. Raw leafy green vegetables
2. Solid green vegetables
3. Non-green, non-starchy vegetables
4. Beans/legumes
5. Fresh fruits
Other foods, of course, have nutritional value. They also come with more calories per nutrient. Feel free to supplement the all-star list above with the following foods, which have a moderate nutrient density:
6. Starchy vegetables
7. Whole grains
8. Raw nuts and seeds
9. Fish
10. Fat-free dairy
Rounding out our list, the following foods should be eaten sparingly, or not at all:
11. Wild meats and fowl
12. Eggs
13. Red meat
14. Full-fat dairy
15. Cheese
16. Refined grains
17. Refined oils
18. Refined sweets
One of the keys is to consider salad as a main dish. Enjoy the incredible versatility of salads. Experiment. You don't have to be a strict vegetarian, but you might want to seek out recipes and advice from those who are.
As you continue to eat a high-nutrient diet, monitor your progress. Keep track of your steady weight loss, plus other vital statistics related to lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and lower triglycerides. Once you see all the amazing results of a nutrient-dense diet, you'll look forward to eating your vegetables!
And perhaps more importantly, your friends will be jealous of your fabulous new figure.
