Have you heard that old saying, you are what you eat? It could be that you just thought people used this phrase to encourage healthy eating but, in reality, you are what you eat. If you munch on a tuna sandwich, the tuna is broken down and the amino acids (proteins) from it are used in your body to build muscle and new cells! When you ingest a lot of junk food, you may notice that your complexion changes and you look heavier, whereas when you ingest healthy foods, your overall appearance is slimmer. Hence, when you want to lose weight the first thing you need to do is take a look at your diet. There’s no point in working out if your diet isn’t up to scratch! You must ensure your diet consists of meals that are nourishing!

So now we’ll examine what you should be including in your healthy diet to help lose weight. You want to cut back on calories so you will lose weight, but you don’t want to starve yourself so much that you start to overeat junk food. See if you can gradually change, don’t drop your calories and eat healthy all of a sudden. Slowly replace your meals and snacks with newer, healthier options. Protein is the first thing to add to your diet. Your body has to have protein to repair cells and build muscle, among other things. It is not at all difficult to get adequate protein by adding foods such as beef, chicken, pork, eggs, and soy products to your diet. A second essential food group to include is carbohydrates. Nevertheless, you don’t want to overeat carbohydrates because the unspent energy will turn to fat. Opt for foods such as whole grain bread and brown rice for your carbohydrate needs. And last, you’ll be needing fats. Yes, fats! I know you’re losing fat but you nevertheless need to eat them. Go for healthy fats such as those found in nuts and fish. And make sure to eat plenty of fresh fruits and veggies as your body needs the vitamins and minerals.

You should also be mindful of the kinds of foods you ought to stay away from. Majority of them are pretty obvious; avoid eating too much fat by eating lean cuts of meat and don’t eat junk food as it has too much calories of little nutritional value. Don’t eat refined carbohydrates like white bread and pasta and replace them with whole grain alternatives. Stay away from alcohol if you can as it has no positive value when losing weight.

So now you know what you need to eat and what foods you should avoid. Examine your diet and come up with some healthy meals that are good for you. If eating too much at one sitting is a concern, eat 5 to 6 smaller meals during the day so that your stomach will shrink and require less food.