I recently got an email from someone who asked me for a list of what they called weight loss foods. I wasn’t really sure what they meant at first, so I wrote back asking for a better description. They then explained that they wanted a list of foods that they could choose from to be a part of their weight loss diet. Sounds simple enough… so let’s get to the list.

Wait…

Before you go looking over the list of weight loss foods, there is one very important diet fact you need to understand. Eating the right food is extremely important. You need protein, you need carbs, and you need fat. Making sure these nutrients come from the right food sources is very important. However, you need to realize that eating these so-called weight loss foods will not be what causes you to lose weight. It will definitely help, but eating “good” and “healthy” food alone is not what causes weight loss to happen.

As I’ve explained in other parts of this web site, the key to weight loss isn’t just eating weight loss foods… it’s making sure you take in less total calories than your body requires each day to maintain your current weight. For example, if you eat 3000 calories a day and this causes your weight to stay the same, you will lose weight by eating 2500 calories day. Got that? Good. If not, the weight loss and diet plans pages explain it in much more detail. Once you understand it completely and realize it’s all about eating less total calories each day, the next step is making sure those calories come from good food sources…

Here now, separated by category (protein, carbs, fat) is a list of what can be described as weight loss foods. They are foods that contain things your diet needs, and nothing it doesn’t.

High Protein Weight Loss Foods

As you should know by now, protein is an extremely important part of every diet. The following weight loss foods can be considered good high quality sources of protein.

- Chicken breast
- Tuna fish (and most other fish)
- Turkey
- Lean cuts of meat
- Egg whites
- Nuts
- Whey protein shakes

High Carb Weight Loss Foods

Despite all of the gimmick low carb diets around, you do actually need carbs in your diet. The key is to make sure most of these carbs are complex carbs rather than simple carbs. The following weight loss foods can be considered good sources of complex carbs.

- Oatmeal
- 100% whole wheat bread
- Whole wheat pasta
- Brown rice
- Yams
- Sweet potatoes
- Beans
- Fruits and vegetables

High Fat Weight Loss Foods

Don’t be scared of fat. First of all, every diet needs fat. It is required by the body in order for it to function properly. Second, just like carbs there are both good types of fat and bad types of fat. The bad types are unhealthy and should be avoided completely. The good types however actually have positive health benefits and may even help assist your weight loss. The following weight loss foods can be considered good sources of healthy fat.

- Fish (salmon, mackerel, albacore tuna, sardines, etc.)
- Fish oil supplements
- Peanuts
- Walnuts (and most other nuts and seeds)
- Olive oil
- Avocados
- Flax seed oil

So, there’s your list. Pick out your favorites and try to make sure your diet consists primarily of these types of weight loss foods. However, remember to make sure that they fit into your diet in such a way that you are eating the right number of calories that you need to eat each day for your body to lose weight. This combination is what makes weight loss happen.