A List of Foods to Eat to Lose Weight

You need to consume fewer calories than you expend to lose weight. Certain foods can help reduce hunger while you are limiting your calorie intake. More filling foods often have a higher water, protein or dietary fiber content and are lower in fat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When trying to lose weight, limit your intake of unhealthy, high-calorie foods, such as sweets, refined grains and fatty meats.

Eat plenty of vegetables to reduce hunger while you are trying to lose weight. (Image: ariwasabi/iStock/Getty Images)

Base Meals on Greens

Use raw greens, such as Romaine lettuce, fresh spinach, arugula and mixed baby greens as foundations for salads. (Image: robynmac/iStock/Getty Images)

Lettuce and other greens are low-calorie sources of dietary fiber. A cup of red leaf lettuce has only 4 calories, and a cup of turnip greens has 29 calories and 5 grams of dietary fiber, or 20 percent of the daily value for a 2,000-calorie diet. Use raw greens, such as Romaine lettuce, fresh spinach, arugula and mixed baby greens as foundations for salads, or add them to sandwiches to make your meal bigger without adding many calories. Add spinach, collard greens or kale to soups, stews and egg dishes or serve steamed greens as low-calorie side dishes to round out your meal.

Use Fruit to Save Calories

You can save hundreds of calories each time you choose a serving of fruit or fresh fruit salad instead of a high-calorie dessert. (Image: violleta/iStock/Getty Images)

A medium apple has 95 calories and 4.4 grams of dietary fiber, and a medium orange has 62 calories and 3.1 grams of fiber. The low calorie content and high amount of water and dietary fiber in fruit can help you lose weight. Sweeten yogurt, cold cereal or oatmeal with fruit instead of sugar, which is high-calorie and low-nutrient. You can also save hundreds of calories each time you choose a serving of fruit or fresh fruit salad instead of a high-calorie dessert, such as apple pie or chocolate cake.

Let Lean Proteins Suppress Hunger

Keep protein in your diet by adding grilled shrimp to your salad. (Image: cobraphoto/iStock/Getty Images)

Protein is not only essential for maintaining your muscle mass, but it also acts to reduce your hunger. Skinless white meat chicken and turkey, fish, shellfish, and lean beef and pork are high in protein and low in fat. Including a source of protein with a meal or snack helps keep you feeling full for longer after eating so that you are less hungry before the next meal. Have a breakfast scramble with lean ground turkey and vegetables, add grilled shrimp to a salad, or serve broiled cod with asparagus at dinner.

Let Nuts Keep You Healthy

Try a peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread for breakfast. (Image: Stacey Newman/iStock/Getty Images)

People who eat nuts and peanuts regularly tend to weigh less, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. Nuts and peanuts provide fiber, potassium, vitamin E and heart-healthy unsaturated fats. To avoid consuming more calories than you intend, control your portion sizes when you eat nuts and peanuts. An ounce has about 160 to 210 calories. Add walnuts to a green salad with chicken, sprinkle chopped pecans on broiled fish or take a peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread for breakfast.

Beans Can Do Double Duty

Beans are a filling option for low calorie protein. (Image: robynmac/iStock/Getty Images)

Beans are high in protein and fiber, and low in fat. They are filling options and can help you lose weight, as well as lower your risk for cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes. Have a bean burrito for lunch, add garbanzo or kidney beans to salads, make vegetarian bean chili with tomatoes, bell peppers and onions or make bean and vegetable soup for a low-calorie, filling lunch.