The greener the vegetables, the better for your body. Broccoli is a great snack you can eat raw, or steamed. It lowers cholesterol, gets rid of toxins and is packed with vitamin D, vitamin A and vitamin K. If you’re busy, you’re better off packing raw broccoli florets in a bag, and eating them on the go.
Healthy Fats
Eating healthy fats, in moderation, during weight loss fulfills your dietary fat needs without increasing your chronic disease risks. Examples of heart-healthy fats include plant-based oils — such as olive, canola, walnut, soybean and flaxseed oils — nuts, seeds, nut butters, avocados and olives. Nuts and seeds are rich in heart-healthy fats as well as fiber and protein, which increase satiety more than carbs or fat, so they are an ideal choice when you’re trying to shed pounds.
Fats to Avoid
Bad fats are those that increase your chronic disease risk when consumed in excess. These include saturated animal fats — found in butter, lard, whole milk, ice cream, cream, cheese and high-fat meats like bacon. Plant-based fats that have been hydrogenated and contain trans fat — found in margarines, shortenings, fried foods and commercial baked goods — also increase your risk for heart disease, so avoid them when you’re trying to healthfully lose weight.
Make a low-sugar meals
Swap breakfast cereal for oats and try adding fruits such as bananas or berries as a sweetener.
Eat small and often
This means three meals and two snacks, so try having something on hand mid-morning, mid-afternoon.
A handful of almonds or some vegetables should do the trick.
Increase your intake of Vitamin C
Some studies have shown that a very high intake of Vitamin C, helps reduce blood sugar levels and lowers the damaging effects of sugar.
Stay away from caffeine
You might have decided coffee was to be your crutch while you kicked sweets, but caffeine also disrupts blood-sugar balance. Instead drink green tea it has antioxidants that will help repair any damage done by yo-yoing blood sugar levels.
Use sugar replacements
Work out the times of day you eat something sweet and replace it with something less sugary. For example: a punnet of strawberries has the same effect on your blood-sugar levels as 10 raisins, or one date. Xylose, the sugar in berries, is available in supermarkets as xylitol. You can add this to hot drinks or porridge and bake with it. Manuka honey is a great replacement for refined sugars as well.
Supplement help
Once you’ve balanced your blood sugar, you need to make sure insulin is working as it should. Cinnamon supplements will help with this. Tryptophan can help reduce sugar cravings (take 200mg a day) and tyrosine will help you deal with the low moods and flatness in the initial stages (take 500mg twice a day, but none too late in the day to avoid disrupting sleep).