Going vegan? While filling your diet with all or most vegan foods will lead to a healthier lifestyle overall, many people that go vegan also happily realize another benefit of veganism: weight loss.
As you fill your diet with beans or snack on nuts, chia seeds, and other popular vegan foods, you’ll find that going vegan will completely transform you–both on the inside and out.
Vegan Foods List for a Smaller Waist
Whether you’re hoping to slim down or you’re just curious as to what a vegan foods list for weight loss includes, read on for 15 great suggestions that are proven to stimulate weight loss.
1. Beans
Beans are one of the most popular foods that vegans and non-vegans alike eat to lose weight. With a wide variety of beans to choose from, you can take part in this power protein-filled diet by eating black beans, navy beans, garbanzo beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, and soybeans.
Lover of beans and bean-filled meals take advantage of the fact that this is one source of protein that is particularly low in fat. Due to their low-fat content, these beans are an excellent choice to include as part of any weight loss diet.
Every bean is packed full of fibers and proteins, which makes it one of the best low-calorie choices for any vegan hoping to slim down.
Wondering what type of beans to start with? If you’re looking for something with no saturated fat, black beans are the way to go. Are you a fan of chickpeas? These types of beans are also low in starch and a tasty way to lose weight.
2. Oats
Having oats as a breakfast staple is a healthy way to start the day, but can also become a staple for any vegan hoping to take off the pounds. Having a serving of oats each day will give your body the nutrients you need while taking advantage of oats’ slow-releasing carbohydrates.
As a low-fat food, oatmeal is recommended for weight loss. Additionally, its fiber content will help to boost your digestive system. This high fiber content makes oats a superfood that will keep you feeling fuller for longer periods during the day.
When making your own oats, choose a daily serving of a half cup or more. This serving size is filled with five grams of the healthy carbohydrate resistant starch. This starch will help to boost your metabolism.
3. Avocados
The avocado is often thought of as fatty food, but experts know that this fruit is included in many vegan foods list for the best solutions for weight loss. Avocados melt belly fat fast as these fruits have monounsaturated fats that work to boost cells’ ability to burn fat.
Additionally, avocados help to improve one’s metabolism by protecting most cells from any free radical damage.
Many vegans turn to avocados when they hope to lose weight. The unsaturated fats found in avocados help to raise the body’s levels of the hormone leptin, which lets the body know when it is full or not. By filling up on avocados, your body will feel fuller longer, allowing you to lose more weight.
Additionally, avocados contain oleic acid that helps to trigger the body’s ability to curb hunger pangs.
4. Pistachios
Pistachios are another food that vegans swear by when losing weight.
In addition to being low calorie, these nuts also contain polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. When consumed with other fiber-rich veggies and fruits, these fats can help to reduce one’s risk of developing heart disease. In turn, these fats can also fight diabetes, which has also been linked to weight gain.
if you hope to take advantage of the weight loss benefits of these nuts, eat them in-shell as a snack since it won’t lead to any weight gain. In fact, these nuts will help make you fuller, accelerate your metabolism, and reduce oxidative stress.
Wondering how many delicious pistachios you should eat to melt off the pounds? Experts agree that 24 kernels as a snack after breakfast and before lunch and 25 pistachios for a snack before dinner are the best servings of pistachios.
5. Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are gaining popularity for their ability to stimulate weight loss. These seeds will help to suppress your appetite as they activate the fat-burning hormone glucagon.
These trending seeds are quickly becoming known as a powerful superfood with a wide variety of health benefits that help to shrink the waistline.
According to experts, chia seeds are high in fiber and quite filling, so they’ll make you fuller faster and for a longer period of time. Thus, adding chia seeds to your diet is likely to prevent you from overeating or filling up on unhealthy foods.
As two tablespoons of these seeds contain about 10 grams of fiber, you’ll be able to enjoy around 40% of your recommended daily intake. These types of high fiber diets are linked to losing weight. According to experts, eating about 30 grams of this fiber every day will help you lose the same amount of weight that one might lose in a more extensive diet.
6. Broccoli
One of the world’s favorite vegetables, broccoli is one of the most loved low-calorie foods. This green veggie is high in fiber, meaning that a serving of broccoli will fill you up faster than most other foods.
The good carbs in broccoli will help improve your digestion and curb the desire to overeat. Along with these benefits, broccoli is preferable for losing weight as the fiber content and proteins will help you to feel full on more of this tasty vegetable.
Additionally, the water content in this vegetable will help to balance your meals without adding any empty calories.
Need another reason to fill up on this veggie? Broccoli has been proven effective in fighting cancer as it has antioxidants that help fight cell degeneration and aging.
7. Brown Rice
If you look at any list of popular vegan foods, you’ll likely see brown rice as a top pick. This fiber-packed healthy option is a popular alternative to starchier white rice.
Not used to brown rice? While the taste takes a little getting used to, the resistant starch in this rice will help to burn fat.
Additionally, as a low-density food, brown rice is filling and quite heavy, making it easier to have a filling meal with fewer servings of food. With the vitamins and proteins found in brown rice, you’ll be able to get the flat belly you hope for by eating this food.
8. Pears
Love fruits? Start eating more pears if you hope to melt off the pounds. As one pear has 15% of the recommended fiber amount, it is a perfect fit for anyone hoping to lose weight.
To make the most of this fat-busting fruit, eat the pear without peeling it first. As its skin has high amounts of fiber, eating it will allow you to feel fuller, and ultimately lose more pounds.
9. Lemon
Ever heard that lemon juice will help you lose weight? This is one of the best-kept secrets that many vegans use to pare down.
If you’re hoping to lose weight off your waist, try starting off the day drinking lemon water. As lemons contain high amounts of pectin fiber, this will help to fight your hunger cravings.
Additionally, the lemon juice in your water will stimulate the flow of gastric juice and saliva, ultimately aiding your digestion.
10. Red Wine
While you may debate that red wine isn’t quite a food, consuming this regularly as part of your diet will help to lose weight. Red wine delays young fat cells’ generation, preventing them from developing into mature fat cells.
Additionally, this wine will block insulin’s ability to stimulate genes that play a role in fat cell formation. Moreover, experts point out that this wine helps to burn calories through the process known as thermogenesis.
11. Grapefruit
Grapefruits are another popular fruit that makes it to many a vegan foods list for stimulating weight loss.
Experts agree that eating just half of this fruit before each meal can help one lose one pound every week. A certain compound in grapefruit helps to lower insulin, which will ultimately help to trigger weight loss.
12. Almonds
Filled with healthy fats, almonds are a great choice in nut if you are trying to slim down.
Almonds would be included as the best vegan foods for weight loss as they can curb hunger. High in vitamin B2 and rich in magnesium, these nuts are a great way to fill up and stimulate weight loss.
13. Green Tea
Green tea can improve one’s metabolism by 5% within a 24 hour period. Regularly drinking this tea will keep it high throughout the day.
This green tea will hydrate the body and help to burn calories and fat.
14. Asparagus
This popular vegetable is a favorite when it comes to vegan foods known for triggering weight loss.
As an excellent source of insulin, asparagus helps to regulate blood sugar and helps to prevent overeating.
Additionally, these vegetables contain high amounts of fiber which helps to improve digestion and to stimulate probiotic growth.
15. Tomatoes
Known as an effective fat-fighting fruit, tomatoes help to curb one’s appetite, allowing you to feel satiated for a longer period of time. Additionally, regularly consuming tomatoes helps to detoxify the body and flush any toxins from your fat cells.
Final Thoughts on Making the Shift to Vegan Foods
Eating vegan has a way of making us feel cleaner on the inside and outside. In addition to filling us with all the vitamins and nutrients in some of the most popular fruits and vegetables, an all-vegan diet will help you lose weight.
From veggies and fruits to beans and nuts, this list of foods will definitely help you keep the weight off. Try one or all of these foods to shrink your waist.
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