A majority of people who want to drop extra weight, would like to completely overhaul their diet, but think twice before doing so because a majority of widely popular diet charts stress a lot of importance on “exotic” and “hard to find” ingredients, and that might make dieting an expensive affair. If you are on a budget and if ingredients like quinoa, almond milk, extra virgin olive oil, protein powder, avocado, etc., seem lavish, then you should check out weight loss diets on the Rati Beauty app, which help you shed extra weight without spending too much just to put all the ingredients together. We have been wrongly made to believe that healthy food has to be expensive, especially with the list of countless “superfoods” with magical nutrients and the immense attention on “organic” produce and gluten-free stuff. Switching to healthy eating should not be a costly involvement, particularly in a country like India which has a rich food culture and fresh produce and nutritious food is found in abundance. High levels of sugar, unhealthy fats, and salt in processed food not only lead to weight gain, it makes losing weight and getting healthy absolutely difficult. Giving healthy eating its due importance, we list down 11 incredibly cheap foods from the grocery store to help with weight loss.
1. Brown Rice: People give up rice completely in an attempt to go zero carb, but brown rice is an extremely nutritious food source with vitamins and essential minerals such as magnesium, and also has fiber content.
2. Oatmeal: Oatmeal is a staple breakfast food across the world and have the ability to absorb liquid and hence they become soft in texture, which is easy on the stomach. Oats have key vitamins including thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B and folate. They also provide a range of different minerals, including calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc. Raw oats are made of 66% carbohydrates, 17% protein, 7% fat and 11% fiber.
3. Beans and Lentils: Lentils are packed with folic acid which is one of the most important nutrients for pregnant women. Lentils also have loads of protein, vitamin B6 and iron in them. You can try eating your lentils as side dishes, in your soups or you can also toss them into salads.
4. Whole Grains: Whole grains are high in fibre and nutrients like vitamin E, selenium, and phytonutrients (plant compounds that protect cells). You can try different versions of whole grains like oats, barley or even popcorn!
5. Sweet Potatoes: Sweet potatoes have pigments called carotenoids which are transformed into vitamin A once they enter our bodies. Sweet potatoes are also rich in vitamin C and have fibre and folate as well, so you can definitely incorporate sweet potatoes in your daily diet.
6. All Locally Available Vegetables: The easiest way to keep your portions and weight in check – fill half of your plate with vegetables, and if it’s locally produced, it would have all the nutrients intact.
7. Green Tea: Green tea is a beverage that is rich in antioxidants like polyphenols, flavonoids and catechins that fight free radicals. It is a zero-calorie drink and helps boost weight loss.
8. Chickpeas: Another must-have protein source for people on a diet, it’s also nutritious due to the high vitamin, fiber, and mineral content.
9. Banana: It often gets a bad rap for being bad for weight loss efforts, but in reality, if you are avoiding banana, you are depriving yourself of a good source of potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and other nutrients.
10. Curd/Yogurt: A healthy gut is often considered the secret behind weight loss and overall well being, and probiotics help to keep the gut robust. An inexpensive way to supply probiotics is by eating a cup of curd or yogurt on a daily basis.
11. Eggs: A rich source of protein, vitamins, essential nutrients, metabolism booster – one can never go wrong on a weight loss diet with eggs.
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