Blueberries, kale, kohlrabi, acai berries are some superfoods popular all over the world because they pack a lot of nutrients in a little quantity and thus come under the “nutrient-dense” food category. Most superfoods have high levels of vitamins, protein, fiber, micronutrients, minerals, healthy fats, antioxidants and the good news is that Rati Beauty weight loss diets use a lot of superfoods in their diet programs that are easily available in India as well. But as is the case is with all healthy foods, portion control is essential while consuming superfoods too because some of them can lead to weight gain instead of boosting weight loss. In this post, we list out 14 superfoods that can make you overweight, hence you should check out our weight loss diets on the Rati Beauty app on how to use these power-packed foods to get leaner, healthier and fitter.
What is a Superfood?
Any food that comes packed with a lot of nutrients and are beneficial to the human body can be termed as a “superfood.” Superfoods come loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, protein, etc., without increasing your calorie load or count.
How Do Superfoods Boost Weight Loss?
Superfoods are nutrient-dense food options with weight-loss boosting benefits – from inflammation-reducing antioxidants, to appetite-suppressing fiber and protein, fat-burning omega-3 fatty acids, firing up the metabolism – most superfoods come loaded with these factors. However, portion control is essential with these category of foods too because some of them are calorie dense and we are listing them one by one here.
1. Chia seeds: These tiny seeds have fiber, healthy fats, protein, and other weight-loss boosting factors but there are about 137 calories in just 28 gm of chia seeds.
2. Dark Chocolate: Full of antioxidants, dark chocolate is a healthy treat for health and weight conscious, but in about 28 gm, you intake 155 calories and about 9 gm of fat, so nibble on just one or two squares in a day.
3. Avocado: Every weight loss expert suggests the use of avocado in daily diet; however, this metabolism-revving fruit is high in calories too, with one medium avocado has 250 calories and 23 gm of fat.
4. Pistachios: No one can say “no” to a handful of pistachios because they are extremely delicious and have high fiber and content, but hold your breath, there are 562 calories in 100 gm of pistachios.
5. Dates: It’s a healthy option to satisfy your sweet tooth and they have iron, magnesium, essential minerals, and other nutrients, but they also have natural sugar and also about 235 calories in 100 gm.
6. Peanut Butter: The combination of peanut butter with apple is considered a healthy snack with its high protein and vitamin content, along with healthy fats that boost metabolism, but there are approximately 190 calories in 2 tbsp, so do practice portion control with this delicious butter.
7. Ghee: Desi ghee has long been made the villain in weight loss circles, but desi ghee with its high omega-3 fatty acids, helps to mobilize fat molecules out of the fat cells to be used as energy. It also has vitamin A, E, and K. Clarified butter or ghee is gaining huge popularity the world over because of the amazing benefits it provides to the human body including increasing immunity, keeping digestive system on track, cleansing the liver. It is also a great food item if you want to lose weight because it boosts metabolism up to a great degree. Just two tsp each day is just about enough to reap all benefits that it claims because do remember that 1 tbsp of clarified ghee has 42 calories.
8. Eggs: Do we even need to go into details about the amazing benefits of eggs? In one egg, there are about 75 calories with up to 7 gm of protein, 5 gm of fat, 1.6 gm of fat and a host of other minerals, vitamins, lutein, carotenoids, etc. If you are eating just two eggs each day, don’t skip on the egg yolk, they pack the most punch. Have them scrambled, boiled or poached – they taste amazing in all forms, but you need to practice portion control with this healthiest food too.
9. Apples: How can someone gain weight by eating the healthiest fruit – “apple?” An apple a day can certainly keep the doctor away, but if you are eating too many, 52 calories in a medium sized apple does add up.
10. Almond Butter: This butter is a great source of healthy monosaturated fat, rich in vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids, which boosts metabolism, but there are about 190 calories in 2 tablespoons.
11. Honey: This viscous fluid is full of nutrients and has anti-inflammatory properties, but then it also has natural sugars and 64 calories in one tbsp.
12. Olive oil: Choosing olive oil as your staple cooking oil is a great way to kickstart weight loss, but then keep a tight control on the amount of oil because it is fat dense and calorie rich.
13. Coconut oil: The people in the west are turning towards coconut oil after realizing the amazing benefits it has on weight loss with its medium-chain fatty acids, it helps in the whole fat-burning process, but do measure it every time you use it for cooking because it is a fat-dense oil as well.
14. Walnuts: It’s a really good source of healthy fats aka omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and antioxidants. Along with almonds, macadamia, pistachios, it is one of the healthiest nuts around, but wait, 100 gm of walnuts have 654 calories!
But as we have mentioned above, you can use these superfoods to lose weight when used in the right amount – do check out our weight loss diets on the Rati Beauty app.
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