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If you’ve tried everything to lose weight — including cutting all of your favorite foods from your diet — but have still come up short, don’t lose hope. Try a better approach — and one that won’t leave you feeling unsatisfied: don’t focus on what you can’t have, but focus on adding more of the right foods to your daily regimen.
Here are five anti-inflammatory foods you should try to lose five pounds fast.
Deprivation diets that force you to constantly think about shedding calories can make you feel depleted. They can also lead to making poor food choices based solely on the number of calories they contain. Your body needs a variety of foods, including anti-inflammatory foods that work to combat inflammation in your body that can lead to obesity and diseases like cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
These five foods are winners for weight loss and for your health because they help lower blood sugar levels and are rich sources of vitamins and nutrients.
Oatmeal
If you love nothing more than starting your day with a filling carb, switch from bagels and muffins, which raise blood sugar levels, to heart-healthy oatmeal, a source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. According to Medical News Today, oatmeal contains B-glucans, which reduce glucose and your body’s insulin response and help control blood sugar levels.
Walnuts
Walnuts — and all nuts — are low on the glycemic index, which means they don’t contain a lot of sugar and are good for your health and weight management. They are also chockfull of nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and selenium, magnesium, and protein — and they’ll fill you up fast.
Garlic
Searching for an ingredient that will give life to bland foods and lower your blood sugar levels? Look no further than garlic, which is known as an appetite suppressant and one that can boost your energy levels and promote faster fat burning.
Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt has high amounts of protein and probiotics that clean your digestive tract and help balance your gut bacteria, which can help with weight loss. It’s also low in calories and sugar and extremely filling. Just be sure to choose plain varieties because flavored yogurts are usually filled with sugar.
Avocado
One of the healthiest fruits on the planet, avocado is an excellent source of vitamin E and unsaturated fats. And, believe it or not, those good, healthy fats are key to weight loss.
"One study found that adding half of an avocado to a meal reduced post-meal hunger without impacting post-meal blood glucose levels," Erin Palinski-Wade, R.D., C.D.E., author of 2-Day Diabetes Diet, tells MensHealth.com. "This helped improve portion control for the remainder if the day, which can be beneficial to anyone with diabetes who is working to manage body weight."
