Here are the 20 most weight-loss-friendly foods on earth that are supported by science. Whole Eggs. Once feared for being high in cholesterol, whole eggs have been making a comeback. ... Leafy Greens. ... Salmon. ... Cruciferous Vegetables. ... Lean Beef and Chicken Breast. ... Boiled Potatoes. ... Tuna. ... Beans and Legumes.

2. 8 Foods That Help You Lose Weight and
Satisfy Your Stomach
Eat Your Beans to Fill Up With Fiber

3. a bowl of bean salad
There are lots of reasons to put beans on your shopping list. Firstly, beans are an excellent
source of fiber, and any food that’s high in fiber will be filling, says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD,
author of Doctor's Detox Diet: The Ultimate Weight Loss Prescription. One-half cup of black
beans, for example, has 7 g of fiber, or 28 percent of your DV. One-cup of red kidney beans has
8 g of fiber, or 32 percent of your DV. And one-half cup of garbanzo beans has 6 g of fiber, or 24
percent of your DV.
Plus, fiber helps to fill you up without adding any calories to food (since our bodies can’t digest
fiber), explains Kelly Kennedy, RD, staff nutritionist for Everyday Health. Fiber also takes longer
to digest and adds bulk to food, she adds. A small study published in ISRN Obesity found that a
high-fiber, bean-rich diet increased satiation and reduced hunger.
Beans also stimulate the production of the gut hormone cholecystokinin (CCK),
which slows gastric emptying and can help to suppress appetite, Kennedy notes. All of these
benefits may lead to weight loss. A study published in April 2014 the Journal of Human Nutrition
and Dietetics found that a high-fiber, bean-rich diet was as effective as a low-carbohydrate diet
for losing weight.
Meal Prep Inspiration A veggie chili or a bean-based stew will fill you up without weighing you
down, suggests Kennedy. She also loves the convenience of canned beans, which can be
rinsed (to reduce the sodium content) and added to a rice dish or on top of a salad for more
protein and fiber.
Savor Salmon to Feel Full, Longer

4. salmon
Why put salmon on your list of foods for weight loss? Among its many health benefits, salmon is
a great source of protein — 3 ounces (oz) of wild Atlantic salmon has about 22 grams of protein.
In a small study published in the journal Obesity, researchers at Purdue University found that
men who were trying to lose weight felt full longer when they ate higher amounts of protein at
each meal. The participants, who were put on a low-calorie, high-protein diet, also reported
fewer food cravings throughout the day and didn't crave unhealthy snacks late at night.
Protein-rich foods are filling foods because "protein is metabolized more slowly than fats or
carbohydrates," explains Dr. Gerbstadt. Salmon is also one of the best sources of heart-healthy
fats known as omega-3 fatty acids, adds Kennedy.
Meal Prep Inspiration Try baking or grilling salmon — you can have a
3-oz portion for dinner and flake the leftovers over salad greens for lunch the next day, says
Kennedy.
Enjoy Eggs for a Protein-Rich Breakfast
hard boiled eggs
In an eight-week study published in the International Journal of Obesity, overweight men and
women who ate two eggs for breakfast lost more weight than those who ate bagels. Eggs may
help with weight loss because they are high in protein (one large egg has about 6 g), and it
requires more energy to break down a protein than it does a starch, which many breakfast
foods, including bagels, cereals, and muffins, are made up of, Dr. Kantor suggests.
If you're worried about high cholesterol, you may want to consider eating more egg whites than
yolks, but odds are you don’t have to worry too much. Some people are considered
“hyper-responders” to dietary cholesterol (cholesterol in the foods we eat), but it's a small
percentage of the population, says Kennedy. For the majority of people, eating foods with
cholesterol does not significantly affect their blood cholesterol levels. The current
recommendation from the American Heart Association is that most people should eat seven
yolks or less per week.
Meal Prep Inspiration Add hard-boiled eggs to your salad for a low-calorie protein, or try egg
whites and cucumber with salt and pepper for a snack, says Kennedy.
Nosh on Nuts to Decrease Your Appetite
a bowl of nuts

5. Nuts pack in protein and fiber, according to the Mayo Clinic, which makes them filling foods. A
daily serving may also help you lose weight, according to a preliminary study presented at the
American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2018 in Chicago. Another study published in
the Journal of Proteome Research found that people on a 12-week diet that included a handful
of mixed nuts daily had higher levels of serotonin, which is a hormone that can decrease
appetite, than those who didn't eat nuts.
However, the calories from nuts and nut butters can add up quickly because they are such a
rich source of healthy fats, says Kennedy. While this fat is not a bad thing and is actually good
for you, it’s important to keep an eye on portion size when consuming nuts. Kennedy
recommends keeping your portion size to 1.5 oz, or a small handful of nuts, each day. (The
amount of fat differs from nut to nut; for example, 1.5 oz of whole almonds have about 21 g of
fat). If you find that you’re not losing weight, take a look at your portion of nuts again and see if
you need to make adjustments. It’s also important to choose nuts without any added fat, sugar,
or salt, which can decrease the overall healthfulness of the nuts, Kennedy advises.
Smart Snacking Tip Thinly spread 1 tablespoon of peanut butter or almond butter on a piece of
whole-wheat toast for breakfast and add a sprinkle of slivered almonds on steamed green
beans at dinner, says Kennedy.
Pop Some Popcorn for a Guilt-Free Snack
a bowl of popcorn
Your stomach lags behind your brain — it takes about 20 minutes for digestive hormones to
send the signal to your brain that you're filling up, says Kennedy. That's one reason popcorn is
high on Gerbstadt's list of foods that can help you lose weight: It takes a long time to eat
popcorn, and the more slowly you eat, the more likely you are to start feeling full before you
overdo it.
Popcorn is also a good source of fiber, making it a filling food, too, says Kennedy.
One cup of air-popped popcorn has 1.2 g of fiber, but since a serving of popcorn is usually
considered to be more than 1 cup, the fiber adds up. To be considered a good source of fiber, a
food has to contain just 2.5 g of fiber — this can be reached at just (about) 2 cups of popcorn.
Smart Snacking Tip Use a hot-air popper and you'll save on fat and calories, Gerbstadt says. Or
pop your corn on the stove with a minimal amount of oil, suggests Kennedy.
Go for Greek Yogurt for More Protein and Less Sugar
greek yogurt
Greek yogurt is another chart-topper on the list of smart foods for weight loss, says Kantor. It's a
great choice because it has more protein and less sugar than most other yogurts. While the

6. amount of protein can vary from brand to brand, one 7-oz container of plain, lowfat Greek yogurt
has about 20 g of protein and 7 g of sugar (this sugar is naturally occurring from the lactose in
the milk and not added sugar).
Greek yogurt is also a good source of calcium, with about 230 millgrams per 7-oz container
(about 18 percent of your DV). A study published in the journal Diabetes Care found that a diet
rich in dairy calcium intake enhances weight reduction in people with type 2 diabetes.
Meal Prep Inspiration Make a parfait of Greek yogurt and fresh fruit for breakfast or as a
dessert, or use Greek yogurt as a base for thick and creamy smoothies, suggests Kennedy, who
recommends using plain Greek yogurt without any added sugars.
Choose Chili Peppers to Boost Your Metabolism
chili peppers
The higher your metabolism, the more calories you burn, even when you're at rest, says
Kennedy. Various studies, such as one published in June 2017 in the journal Bioscience
Reports, have suggested that capsaicin, the active ingredient in chilies and other peppers that
makes them spicy, may help boost metabolism (although no individual food has been proven to
increase metabolism to the point of leading to weight loss, Kennedy notes). One small study
published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that people who added capsaicin to their
high-fat and high-carb breakfasts decreased protein and fat intake at lunch, and felt more
satisfied and less hungry.
Meal Prep Inspiration Try spicing up your morning eggs with chili peppers, fixing a
breakfast burrito or tacos with chilies, or making yourself a bowl of piping hot chili with red
beans for an early lunch, says Kennedy.
Water should be a staple on your list of foods for weight loss, even though it isn’t a “food” per
se. A study published in 2014 the Journal of Natural Science, Biology, and Medicine found that
drinking more water (more than the usual intake) reduced weight and body fat and suppressed
appetite in overweight female participants. Another study, published in the July–August 2016
issue of Annals of Family Medicine, found a significant association between inadequate
hydration and elevated body mass index (BMI), and inadequate hydration and obesity.
"I recommend you drink a glass of water before you eat and
between servings," Kantor says. And if you're drinking alcohol, he suggests having a glass of
plain water between drinks. "Your intestines can only hold so much volume," Kantor says.
"Water will fill you up quickly and prevent you from overdoing it on foods and drinks that don't
help with weight loss."