13 Food Combos That Will Give Your Weight Loss A Big Boost

Jun 05, 2018 by apost team

Whether your motive is to look phenomenal in your summer beachwear or it's a lifestyle change for your health, your diet is the battle in weight loss. The other half, of course, is physical fitness. But when it comes to nutrition, a lot of people resort to restrictive eating. Eliminating foods and overall eating is not the key to success, though. In fact, diets often starve your body of essential nutrients, vitamins, and energy necessary for quick, long-term, and healthy weight loss. The key is in the right food combinations to fuel, not starve, your body. 

We've researched the top fat-burning, fuel-building foods and how they can best make you feel great and make you look great. Ready. Set. Go. 

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Almond butter is a purée of almonds. If you prefer, you can use organic cashew butter or peanut butter. In any case, most nut butters provide you with about 25% of your daily protein needs. These are plant-based proteins that are healthy fats, low-carb, and low-sugar, making it an ideal fuel and energy source. It’s also glycemic-index friendly if you’re a diabetic. 

Now, we kick it up a notch by combining the nut butter with the power of oats. These are some of the healthiest grains you can put in your mouth. They’re full of essential vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. They’re gluten-free. Aside from being a filling source of fiber for your weight loss goals, research has shown positive health benefits in reducing unhealthy cholesterol levels, boosting healthy cholesterol levels, and in stabilizing blood glucose levels. 

This combo is as good for vegan and gluten-free diets as it is heart health and diabetic diets. 

Sesame butter, also called tahini, is another plant-based protein source that’s full of vitamins and minerals. Keeping your gut healthy and digestion on track is an important part of nutrition. Tahini has anti-inflammatory properties to help aid good digestion. As a high-fiber food, it’s also useful in naturally lowering your caloric intake by keeping you fuller longer. 

Add some carrot sticks or purée. Carrots are about 10% carbohydrate. You’ll get fullness from the starches and fiber. You can satisfy your sweet tooth from simple sugars without blowing the glycemic index scale up. They’re excellent sources of beta-carotene, potassium, vitamin K, and B-vitamins. 

Yet another combo that’s as friendly to vegans as it is to diabetics. 

Rich in fiber and selenium, Walnuts are powerful antioxidants that can reduce cholesterol, improve gut health, boost metabolism, and support a healthy immune system. You’ll feel fuller longer, helping you to avoid unhealthy snacking. 

Add the filling power of low-calorie, no fat figs. They too are rich in fiber and antioxidants. Plus, they help to ensure good digestion and relieve constipation. 

Note: When talking about filling power, don’t think this is that bloated feeling of ‘I may explode’ you get from eating foods like pizza that expand and sit in your stomach. The feeling you get from eating fiber is satiety - because we eat to feel energized on a biological level, not full on a physical level. 

Did you know that apples are about 85% water content? But, don’t think of them as useless. That remaining 15% is packed with low-calorie energy, fiber, and vitamins and minerals proven to assist in blood glucose stability, healthy brain functioning, heart health, and even lower your risk of cancer. 

Ginger is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory substance. It’s long been used as a digestive aid and remedy for upset stomach and nausea. Research has shown that these digestive benefits are due to ginger regulating and expediting how the stomach empties. 

High in insoluble fiber, low in carbs, and high in vitamins and minerals, spinach is a powerhouse to leave you full and energized. Added bonus... it regulates your blood pressure and aids in reducing oxidative stress. 

In addition to the above attributes of spinach, the body uses the protein in spinach as amino acids, which boosts metabolism, wound healing, organ function, and muscle growth and development. 

Bananas are non-fat sources of energy with around 90 calories. They’ve been studied in everything from reducing obesity and constipation to a cure for gout and anemia. As far as weight goes, it’s the fiber in bananas that keep ghrelin, the hunger hormone, from being released so often. Do consult your primary care physician if you have kidney disease since bananas are very high in potassium. 

Flavonoids in lime juice stimulate the flow of digestive juices in the gut and promote good digestion. Citric acid has been proven to decrease appetite. It’s also been proven to boost the body’s effectiveness at burning fat. 

Like apples, pineapple has a high water content, but it remains rich in fiber and nutrients. Since pineapple also promotes the secretion of gastric and digestive juices for foods to be digested quickly and efficiently, it makes a perfect pair with lime juice. 

Eggs, whether scrambled or boiled, can provide you with energizing protein to keep your body satisfied and fulfilled without a huge block of calories. They only weigh in at around 70 to 80 calories each. Do keep your egg content to just one per day due to the cholesterol content, or you can omit the yolk in all but one of your morning eggs since the yolk is the source of bad cholesterol. 

The phytochemicals in avocado make them excellent fuel sources. While an avocado may contain around 300 calories, these are from healthy fats that give you energy, lower bad cholesterol, and boost good cholesterol. Over 20 essential nutrients are contained within a single avocado slice. Eaten in moderation, it’s been shown to stabilize blood sugar, reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome, reduce inflammation in the gut, and promote healthy bowel habits. 

Avocado also makes a great pairing with salmon. The protein from salmon helps to control appetite, regulate hormones, and increase metabolic rate, but yet it remains low in calories and unhealthy fats. The combo works great to raise energy levels and eliminate the urge to snack for appetite satisfaction. 

Grapefruits also pair well with the avocado’s rich good fats. Grapefruit is one of those stables that can be eaten daily for a metabolic boost. They’re high in nutrients, contain no fat, and are low in calories. Grapefruit has an organic compound that naturally activates AMP, which regulates metabolism and plays a role in cellular energy. 

The combo of avocado and grapefruit work so well together because each helps the absorption of other nutrients, including those from other food sources. Avocado, for example, help the body absorb and utilize lycopene from a tomato. 

Olives can provide you with 20% of your daily fiber needs. Now, you may be wondering how a handful of these little things can possible satisfy hunger. 

High fiber foods work by providing the illusion of a full belly. The body gets the nutritional substance it needs to sustain itself from the quality of the content of foods, not the quantity. With the body’s needs satisfied, fiber signals that ghrelin doesn’t need to be released; your body receives the message that it’s full and healthy and doesn’t need anything else. 

Lycopene, potassium, vitamin A, insoluble fiber, and iron can be found in abundance within a tomato. They provide a few carbs, around 4%, and some simple sugars that complement the olive well. 

Like apples and pineapples, watermelon is mostly water - around 90%. It’s only 46 calories per 8 ounces. Again, though, don’t think such a high water consistency makes it a useless fruit. Watermelon has plant compounds and vitamins C and A. It’s been studied as a prevention for everything from cancer and strokes to macular degeneration and kidney disease. 

Garnish your watermelon with a little antioxidant balsamic vinegar. By regulating your pH balance, vinegar helps improve blood circulation, curb appetite, balance blood glucose, and improve digestive health. It can also help you avoid dreaded metabolic syndrome. 

Like limes, lemons have citric acid to detoxify and protect the body. It’s low on the glycemic index, has zero fat, and is plentiful in vitamin C. It helps clean and regulate the gut, boost metabolism, boost the immune system, and stabilize blood pressure. 

Honey has sugars, but its value is offset by tiny amounts of an array of essential nutrients from zinc to vitamin B. In other words, these aren’t refined sugars; they’re natural sugars with nutritional value. Fat is typically reserved as an energy store to be used for emergencies. Research has found that honey can actually attach itself and mobilize portions of fat storage to be used and burnt as current energy. Let’s face it, we need some sugar for energy and
our own mindset of having something sweet to enjoy. The important consideration is where the sugar comes from, and honey is an excellent source. 

For the carnivores out there, this combo provides a lean and low-calorie protein punch from healthy white meat chicken. 

Chicken breasts pair perfectly with the heat of cayenne pepper. The heat of a hot pepper comes from a compound called capsaicin. Research has shown that the capsaicin doesn’t just heat up your mouth. It boosts your metabolism to burn off calories faster. It’s also been studied in blood glucose and blood pressure regulation. 

Which weight loss food combo are you most excited to try? Already tried them? Tell us about your experience, successes, and any complications you encountered as you’ve tackled weight loss through diet modifications. We always love to hear from our readers.