1. KALE.
I overlooked Kale for many years because I wasn’t very experimental when it came to my greens; I generally stuck with leaf lettuce and romaine. However, this is one veggie that none of us should be passing up! Kale is an excellent weight-loss food because of its’ unusually high fiber content; a 1 cup cooked serving provides about 10% of our recommended daily allowance. Its’ bulk will help keep you fuller for longer and aid in the prevention of bloat and water retention! Not only that, but it is an excellent source of many important nutrients! Kale is one of the best sources of beta-carotene and other important carotenoids like lutein and zeaxathin. It also provides about 9% of our recommended calcium requirements, which is great news for those non-dairy eaters out there, 89% vitamin C, 1328% vitamin K, and 6% iron. Like most greens, you can fill up with very few calories (~34 calories per cup).
I generally like to eat kale in salads. I know it is a bit tough for most people to eat it this way, but I enjoy it! You can try sautéing it with a little garlic and olive oil or steaming it and adding some salt, pepper, and lemon though! Whichever way you choose to eat it, start incorporating kale today!
2. GOJI BERRIES.
Have you heard of these little buggers before? Well if not, you need to get on the goji berry bandwagon! Goji berries or wolfberries are chewy, tart berries that may help curb your hunger. They are low on the glycemic index (a numbered scale that determines how fast a food converts itself to blood sugar), which means that your blood sugar won’t come crashing down shortly after consumption. A serving of goji berries will also provide about 21% of your recommended fiber requirements and contains about 18 amino acids, making it a pretty good source of protein. Goji berries contain the mineral chromium, which can help regulate blood sugar levels and they are also another non-dairy source of calcium!
One final thing about goji berries? They are considered adaptogens or a natural food capable of enhancing your body’s tolerance to less than desirable conditions; think hard exercise! Goji berries, like other adaptogens, can help improve your endurance, oxygen utilization, and circulation, allowing you to exercise longer and burn more calories! Hello weight-loss!
Goji berries can be found at your local health food store. I love adding them to my oatmeal, yogurt, or trail mixes!
3. SARDINES.
I will admit that I have yet to try sardines, but it is on my TO-DO list! Why? Because they are loaded with heart healthy omega-3′s and very high in protein, both of which can help the body maintain calorie-torching muscle! Sardines are also lower in mercury than other fish and high in calcium, making them great for pregnant woman, like myself.
How to include them (I’ve read): try using sardines in place of anchovies in Caesar salad dressing or mix with onions, herbs, and bell peppers and eat on a sandwich with cheese.
I think I have to get over my mental phobia of sardines before I can give these a go but does anyone out there have any great ways to enjoy them? If so, I’d love to hear from you!
QUESTION: Have you tried any of these foods? Which are your favorite?
If you don’t like sardine, you can try salmon instead. Salmon is rich with omega-3 fatty acids which increases fat oxidation. Fat oxidation is the process of breaking down of triglycerides into free fatty acids for energy production.
However, if you want to maximize the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids for weight loss, you need to work out.
I was excited to read that sardines are a super weight-loss food! I love sardines! Don’t knock them until you’ve tried them and I would suggest trying them multiple times. My boyfriend really likes sardines, but I had never tried them. Some brands I love and some are just no good. The flavors and textures really vary from brand to brand so I would suggest trying a few before you give up. I also like them on a really crusty bread with some olive oil, goat cheese, avocado and fresh ground pepper, yum!
I buy the 5pack of sardines at Costco. They are in olive oil – I just have them on crackers. Simple, I love them.
Can you do some sardine recipe experiments and share reviews? I’d love to try them but need you to go first
Kale is by far my faovrite! I do like goji berries. the sardines I was surprised to see. It does makes sense, but I think I’ll stick to taking my Fish Oil supplements.
Very interesting info. For some reason the kale numbers really impressed me. I”m already a kale eater but didn’t realize the fiber content. I love goji berries, use them during marathon training. As for sardines, I posted about trying these too. I didn’t love them. Although he tip about having them with goat cheese intrigues me. If i get to have cheese, I may give it a whirl.
My favorite way to ever have had sardines was broiled in garlic butter with parsley, sherry, dill, and lemon, then served on baguette slices. OMG SO GOOD. I couldn’t get enough! I bought a tin a sardines in olive oil and some gluten-free baguette bread so that I can recreate it.
Love sardines and I’ve recently been cooking a lot more with kale. I made a kale-tomato soup a few weeks ago that was so good and easy. A great way to eat the veggie. Goji berries are yummy too but I don’t find them where we live now.
wow….i just say no to sardines…yuck. I love the goji berries though….and still waiting to try kale.
xoxo from Trinidad
Eek to the sardines! haha But YES to the kale and goji berries!
i love sardines! i simply use them instead of tuna to make a salad for sandwiches. I usually buy the ones packed in water with no salt added. then i drain them, mash them and add things like relish, avocado, plain yogurt, mustard or spices to flavor them. One can usually makes 2 sandwich servings for me
I’ve never had goji berries before! i’ll have to check them out
I had a fear of sardines for YEARS. Maybe fear isn’t the right word, but they skeeved me OUT! Now, I love them. I also love that they’re sooo high in Vitamin D
Kale-yes, love it! Hope you try my lemony kale, pasta, and pistachio salad
Goji Berries-I think I’ve had chocolate covered ones-does that count? Would love to buy some plain and try them in oatmeal and trail mix. Have you had Golden Berries? They are super yummy too!
Sardines-I posted about my sardine challenge last year. I used to love them as a kid, then didn’t eat them for SO…. long. When I finally tried them again, they were MUCH better than I expected. Really! Here’s my favorite easy way to enjoy them: Spread a little goat cheese on a cracker {I like Mary’s Gone Crakers} then top with a piece of sardine. Try it!!
I need to try out kale again. I know how good it is for you but the taste is so strong to me. Maybe I will try mixing it in a salad with other greens.
Great post!
I tried sardines exactly once– they are very bony little suckers!! I love kale though!
Hi Girl! I just found your blog through Facebook and I love it! I can’t wait t o read more of your posts and I am adding you to my blog roll!
I LOVE kale! Sardines on the other hand……….not so much. I do eat pretty much every other eafood though, so that must count for something, right?
I wish I liked goji berries, but I actually think they have a terrible taste.
Maybe you can try buying fresh sardines instead of canned ones to start off with. There are a lot of Italian and Portuguese recipes that call for them and I’m sure you could find a good one online.
Although you’d be missing out on the calcium you get from eating the bones which are soft and edible in canned sardines (not so much in fresh ones).
I like to mash up the canned ones with a fork and add dijon mustard and thyme to make a little sardine salad sandwich.
I’ve tried all these foods, but haven’t had sardines in a while!
I LOVE kale and eat it every week. It’s SO good for you!
Of the three, I’ve only ever had kale, but I do love it!!!! Hope you have an awesome weekend!
Interestingly enough, I’m posting a new snack mix I created, which contain those same goji berries. I just tried them for the first time last week. I wasn’t a HUGE fan, but with popcorn and a few other ingredients they taste pretty delicious.
Sardines, on the other hand….umm….haven’t tried those quite yet!