Just recently we posted about some of the top vegetarian superfoods for weight loss and included mention of a few fruits such as blueberries, pomegranate, and avocado. These are indeed some of the best superfoods you can work into your diet, not just for weight loss but for your nutritional health in general.
When talking about foods like these however, fruits might not get enough attention in general. Because they’re natural sweets and we sometimes pair them with desserts, or even eat them instead of desserts, fruits can begin to seem like treats, more than parts of a balanced, healthy, nutritional diet. This of course misses the point, and anyone who cares about nutrition is probably well aware that most if not all fruits offer some excellent benefits. Nevertheless, we wanted to expand on the last piece on vegetarian superfoods by looking at a few more fruits that can help you with your weight loss efforts.
1. Apples
You’ve undoubtedly heard the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” and while it’s more of a jingle used by parents to get their kids to eat fruit, there’s something to it. These crisp, delicious fruits pack serious health punches and can lead to all kinds of benefits. But have you heard the other saying, “an apple a day melts the pounds away”? It comes from the idea that apples have a high natural fiber content, and fiber is about as important for weight loss as anything else you get from food. It stops cravings and helps to keep you feeling fuller, longer, meaning it provides natural portion control.
2. Grapefruit
Grapefruit is a little bit of an inconvenience, and for that reason a lot of people don’t even really think to eat it. It’s not like an apple or berries that you can simply wash and eat, and it’s even a little more complicated than an orange that you can peal and dig into. You might want to start thinking of a grapefruit as a regular snack or meal supplement though, because it can fill you up with minimal calories and a high water content. Additionally, grapefruit is high in naringin, which isn’t an immediate solution as fiber can be (in making you feel more full), but which over time can contribute to weight loss via its effect on blood sugar.
3. Cherries
Cherries aren’t particularly popular in diets, in part because their primary association has become with entertainment. Thanks to old slot machines, cherries are presented as rewards in any number of video games, including modern versions of the same slots. There are numerous fruit-themed games in online slots, and most of them are packed with cherries. This whole culture, for lack of a better word, of cherries as gaming rewards reinforces the notion that they’re treats rather than fruits. From a nutritional standpoint though, they can be excellent for weight loss. Cherries boost metabolism, fill you up with minimal calories, and help you sleep better, which is also an important aspect of the process.
4. Watermelon
Somewhat like cherries, watermelons don’t have the most serious nutritional reputation. They actually also appear in their share of games, and beyond that we tend to think of them as ways to occupy children on long days in the park or at halftime of soccer games. There’s something fun about watermelon as a summer fruit, something to cut up and eat as a group, etc. Some adults will even infuse watermelons with alcohol for a fun addition to a warm weather cookout! Taking it more seriously though, watermelon can be a powerhouse tool for weight loss. This is primarily because it’s about 90 percent water, so it can fill you up while adding an extremely low number of calories to your daily intake. That may be simple, but it’s also a pretty big deal.