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Cart The most effective diet foods for weight loss that lasts
WATERMELONAs its name suggests, watermelon contains plenty of water – it makes up 92 percent of the fruit – so it is rehydrating as well as delicious.
Watermelon has a high GI (72) but a low GL (10), owing to its high water content. Low in calories, low in sodium and virtually fat-free, watermelon is also loaded with nutrients, particularly vitamin C, making it a superbly healthy diet food. The seeds contain essential fatty acids and protein, so if you juice watermelon, be sure to leave the seeds in.
Nutrients: Vitamin B5, C, beta-carotene, folate; calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium.
The vitamin C and beta-carotene in watermelon help protect skin against premature aging.
PINEAPPLE
This delicious, sweet, fragnant fruit improves the digestion of protein and cleanses the intestines.
Pineapples contain the enzyme bromelian, which aids the digestion of protein in a similar way to the enzyme papain, found in papayas. This fruit cleanses and stimulates the digestive system and also helps to lower cholesterol. It makes a great fresh juice, either on its own or juiced with other fruits, such as apples and bananas – quite different from the pineapple juice you get in a carton.
Nutrients: Vitamin C, beta-carotene, folate; calcium, phosphorus, potassium; bromelian.
BERRIES
Full of antioxidants, berries are the dieter’s friends – a healthy way to overcome those inevitable cravings for something sweet. Summer’s cornucopia of soft fruits includes strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, black and red currants. They stimulate all of the main organs that are involved in detoxification, boosting metabolism and making the body more efficient at burning fat.
Cranberries are the winter version if these fruits and they also contain powerful antioxidants for cleansing the body.
When you are choosing soft fruit, select berries that are ripe but not over-ripe – so you get maximum sweetness without the risk of the fruit going bad before you have time to eat it. To store berries, remove all the packaging, wash thoroughly and keep in the refrigerator. Eat within one or two days. Leave the fruit to return to room temperature before eating the fruit to taste its full sweetness, and add a little honey or fruit juice if desired.
Nutrients: Vitamins C, E, beta-carotene, biotin, folate; calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium.
Berry facts:
Rasberries are a mild laxative and beneficial for bloating and other problems associated with PMS. Raspberry leaf tea is recommended for new mothers as it may help the uterus contract.
Strawberries’ antioxidant properties are rejuvenating, especially to the skin, smoothing out lines and wrinkles.
Both raspberries and strawberries stimulate the circulation of the blood, which helps speed up metabolism, so you burn fat more quickly.
Cranberry juice is very alkaline and so helps to balance an over-acidic system and associated problems, such as heartburn and indigestion. Cranberries are particularly good for the liver, and for urinary and bladder infections.
Many berries are rich in calcium, helping to maintain strong bones and teeth.
