Five foods dieters should be taking
THESE FIVE foods are often shunned by dieters, but avocado, banana, walnuts, chickpeas and flageolet beans are nutritious foods that can be enjoyed as part of a healthy diet, even by those trying to lose weight.
In fact, these foods can be great choices for dieters looking to fill up with healthy options.
Avocado Avocado doesn’t contain as many calories as dieters often think, with 160 calories per 100 grammes, equivalent to around one half of a fruit.
Avocado addicts even use the fruit in cakes and ice creams as a substitute for butter or milk.
As well as its creamy texture and delicious flavour, avocado has a low glycaemic index.
In other words, it doesn’t send insulin levels sky-rocketing, promoting the storage of fat.
As well as being packed with vitamins E and K, avocado contains healthy fat that reduces LDL cholesterol.
Banana With 89 calories per 100g, banana is the ideal substitute for sugary desserts or afternoon snacks like cakes or biscuits.
Rich in potassium, magnesium and manganese, banana has plenty of health benefits, especially for promoting digestion and helping you feel full.
Look for fruits that aren’t too ripe to keep the glycaemic index low. The fruit tend to be sweeter when eaten ripe
and in purées.
Walnuts Walnuts have excellent health benefits, so long as you don’t go overboard with quantities as the nuts carry 460 calories for every 100g. Rich in healthy fats (omega-3), they protect the heart and are a source of antioxidants and fibre. They also contain melatonin, phytosterols and arginine, all of which are essential to good health. Several studies have shown that walnuts could help with weight loss while helping reduce the desire to snack. Try sprinkling a few walnuts on salads, muesli or cereal as an even healthier addition.
Chickpeas Often associated with rich,