Serve This Diet Recipes At Holiday Grilled Salmon with North African Flavors

Version of the classic North African herb paste known as chermoula serves as both a marinade and a sauce for this richly flavored salmon. If it is too cool to grill outdoors, you can roast the salmon at 450 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes.

Makes: 4 servings

Active Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

View Our Nutrition Guidelines »

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup low-fat or nonfat plain yogurt

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 pound center-cut salmon fillet, cut into 4 portions (see Tip)

1 lemon, cut into wedges

PREPARATION

Stir together yogurt, parsley, cilantro, lemon juice, oil, garlic, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup for sauce; cover and refrigerate. Place salmon fillets in a large sealable plastic bag. Pour in the remaining herb mixture, seal the bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes, turning the bag over once.

Meanwhile, preheat grill to medium-high.

Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Remove the salmon from the marinade, blotting any excess. Grill the salmon until browned and opaque in the center, 4 to 6 minutes per side. To serve, top each piece with a dollop of the reserved sauce and garnish with lemon wedges.

TIPS & NOTES

Tips: Keeping the skin on when grilling salmon helps hold the fish together and protects the delicate flesh from the searing heat. Once cooked, the skin slips off easily.

To oil a grill: Oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.) When grilling delicate foods like tofu and fish, it is helpful to spray the food with cooking spray.

NUTRITION

Per serving: 229 calories; 14 g fat (3 g sat, 6 g mono); 67 mg cholesterol; 1 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 23 g protein; 0 g fiber; 134 mg sodium; 452 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: 452 mg potassium (23% dv), 9 mg vitamin c (15% dv).

Exchanges: 3 lean protein, 1/2 fat

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5 Plant-Based Foods Cheap But Amazing To Aid Weight Loss

How many commercials have you seen sell pills that promise to shrink your waistline? How many “slim” drinks or “low-fat” snack options have you stumbled upon that claim to work like a fat burner in a box? 

Those products may seem to work at first, but the results don’t last if your diet doesn’t change. Any good doctor will tell you that when it comes to weight management, “calories in vs. calories out” is the key. Thus, eating the right foods with healthy calories is a huge part of that equation.

I’m a firm believer that if you aren’t set in your nutritional foundation, and if you rely on quick fixes and fad diets, then you’ll never lose the weight and actually keep it off.

I’m not a fan of fake promises, and I’m definitely not a fan of pumping my body with drugs for weight loss. If you’ve used weight loss “miracle” products, I challenge you to throw them away and use food and good old fashion exercise as the key instead. By eating these foods, your body will love you and the weight will come off. Here are five foods to aid your weight loss:

1. Red chili or cayenne peppers

To lose weight, try adding spice. In particular, red chili and cayenne peppers contain capsaicin, which is known to help speed up metabolism and, in turn, aid weight loss. In one study conducted in the 1990s in Japan, people who ingested about 10 grams of cayenne pepper with their meals experienced reduced appetite.

2. Lentils

Lentils are the whole package. Low in fat and calories, yet high in fiber and protein, these little legumes will keep you full without packing on the pounds. Vegetarians in India rely on lentils for sustaining protein. One cup of lentils contains about 16 grams of fiber and 18 grams of protein, a combo that helps keep both your hunger and your weight down. Try eating masoor dal, a Northern Indian lentil dish.

3. Pumpkin seeds

Pumpkin seeds are incredibly healthy. Aside from containing good-for-you minerals like manganese, copper, magnesium, and phosphorus, the seeds are high in zinc. Consuming high amounts of zinc can help improve cognitive function and aid in weight loss. Try roasting them in the oven at 160-170 degrees for 15-20 minutes for a healthy snack.

4. Grapefruit

Grapefruit has long been touted as a weight loss food, and for good reason. A 2006 study found that eating grapefruit with meals can help you melt away the pounds. The 12-week study of 100 obese people found that consuming one-half grapefruit before meals resulted in an average weight loss of 3.6 pounds. Some participants lost up to 10 pounds.

5.  Almonds

There are good and bad fats. Almonds make the “good” cut. They’re high in fat, but when eaten in moderation, they can help maintain a healthy weight and aid in weight loss. A ¼ cup serving of almonds contains 205 calories and 18 grams of fat. Of those fat calories, 16.5 are of the healthy, unsaturated kind. Now that it’s wintertime, healthy fats are especially useful in keeping us warm and full.

by. Alexandra Evans

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10 Amazing Foods That Can Speed Up Weight Loss

Weight loss efforts are often derailed by sudden cravings for high-calorie, low-nutritious foods, which leave us feeling hungry again too soon and send us into carb-craving energy crashes. Fortunately, we can stave off these unhealthy cravings by indulging in foods that leave us feeling fuller longer and which give a healthy dose of nutrition without unnecessary calories.

These superfoods satisfy hunger without piling on the calories, they pack a big flavor punch, and they can even help your body fight off cancer and maintain healthy blood sugar and cholesterol levels. 

Try adding these delicious nutrition-packed powerhouses to your daily diet for amazing results!

Quinoa

This highly popular “New World” grain cooks up just like rice. Quinoa is high in fiber and is full of protein. Use quinoa, plain or flavored, as a side dish, add it to soups and salads, or eat it like oatmeal.

Kale

This curly green relative of wild cabbage is packed with nutrients such as vitamins K and C, beta carotene and calcium. It also contains sulforaphane, a powerful cancer-fighting chemical. Kale can be sautéed, steamed, added to soups and even cooked into crispy chips.

Sprouts

Sprouts can be grown from a number of seed types, including mung beans, alfalfa, sunflowers, and lentils. Sprouts are very low-calorie but highly nutritious, containing numerous vitamins and minerals as well as protein and calcium. Sprouts are great added to salads or stir-fries, or piled onto sandwiches.

Nuts

Nuts such as cashews, almonds, pistachios, pecans and walnuts are full of fiber, protein and many vitamins and minerals. Notably, nuts contain a good amount of Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants thought to fight off heart disease and help maintain healthy blood sugar and cholesterol levels. A small handful of nuts with their dose of healthy fats can stave off cravings for less healthy foods. Eat nuts plain, use them to top oatmeal and yogurt, or try nut flours in baked goods.

Berries

Fresh or frozen, berries such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, acai berries and cranberries satisfy a sweet tooth while dosing the body with powerful nutrients. Sweet and juicy berries have high fiber and water content to help produce a feeling of fullness without piling on the calories. Berries are great eaten plain, on top of yogurt or cereal, or blended into smoothies.

Cinnamon

This spunky spice adds flavor to foods without adding fat, salt or sugar, and it even has been shown to lower blood sugar levels in diabetes patients. Cinnamon sticks can be used to flavor stews and beverages, and powdered cinnamon can be added anywhere for a flavor boost. Those with more adventurous palates can also try spices like ginger, galangal, and cayenne pepper. Cinnamon and other brightly-flavored spices can be added to oatmeal, coffee, baked goods, stews and stir-fries.

Beans

Dry or canned, lentils and beans of all colors – red, pink, black, white and more — are full of fiber and protein. Beans are healthy, filling, and have seemingly endless uses in the kitchen. Beans are great on salads, as sides, in soups and stews, wrapped in tortillas or mashed and served as a dip.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes come in a variety of colors and sizes, and they contain essential nutrients like potassium, vitamins and lycopene, one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants. Tomatoes are juicy and have a sweetness and depth of flavor that make them ideal for a great number of uses. Raw tomatoes are great in salads, salsas and sandwiches, while cooked tomatoes can be stuffed, stewed, added to soup and chili or made into sauce.

Seeds

Seeds are stuffed with fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals. Sesame, sunflower and pumpkin seeds make great snacks on their own or added to cereals, yogurt, salad or stir-fries.

Flax, chia, and hemp seeds can add nutritional power to smoothies, oatmeal and baked goods. Seed pastes and butters can be used as sandwich spreads and as dips for fruit or whole grain crackers.

Oats

Oats have more soluble fiber than other grains, and therefore satisfy hunger for longer. Oats are high in protein and have been shown to help reduce bad cholesterol. Oats can be used to make bread and other baked goods, oatmeal, granola and tasty toppings for yogurt or fruit.

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6 Weight Loss Plant Foods

Vegetarians have an advantage over meat-eaters in terms of weight loss, because vegan staples are packed with fiber. Meanwhile, animal-based foods have zero fiber.

Dairy products and eggs don’t contain fiber either, so vegans are even a step ahead of vegetarians in losing weight. Why should you care about fiber? By adding little-to-no calories, fiber keeps the digestive tract healthy, controls the appetite, and promotes regular bowel movements.

Not only does a high-fiber diet enhance weight control and improve gastrointestinal function, but it’s also been linked to the prevention and treatment of chronic heart disease, reduced blood pressure, reduced risk of cancer, and blood glucose control. “Plant-based diets are low in energy density and high in complex carbohydrates, fiber, and water, which may increase satiety and resting energy expenditure,” according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

So let’s take a closer look at 6 weight loss plant foods that not only support weight loss, but actually burn fat in your body.

Avocados

Some dieters shy away from avocados, because the average one contains 21 grams of fat. But just as food isn’t your enemy, fat isn’t either … at least, not every type. According to the U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s Dietary Guidelines, avocados are the only fruit that has monounsaturated fat, which is the good fat that lowers cholesterol, and they also contain about 80 percent dietary fiber.

In a study of 26 overweight adults, participants who ate half of an avocado at lunch reported increased satiation, less hunger, and less desire to overeat. Numerous studies about monounsaturated fats have shown that diets rich in these foods prevent fat from accumulating around the abdomen.

Black Bean

Beans are packed with fiber and are low in calories, but black beans are among the best for fat burning. Dark-colored beans generally have higher amounts of phenolic compounds, which can interfere with glucose absorption and play an important role in weight management. A half cup of black beans provides the body with 100 calories and 6 grams of fiber, with no cholesterol or fat. They’re also a great source of vegan protein.

According to a University of Colorado study, foods high in resistant starch (like black beans) help the body burn up to 24 percent more calories throughout the day. And since they’re low on the GI scale, black beans help the body metabolize fatty acids instead of letting them collect and expand.

Spinach

Many leafy green vegetables, like spinach, are low in calories and high in fiber, which makes you feel full faster and eat less. A cup of raw spinach has about 3.5 grams of fiber, which is significant because of its nutrient density and the fact that it has just eight calories per serving.

Recently, studies have been conducted using spinach extract, which is a concentrated liquid form of the vegetable. A Swedish experiment at Lund University studied 38 overweight women for three months and saw a 95 percent decrease in hedonic hunger and a 43 percent increase in weight loss.

Broccoli

Like spinach, broccoli is loaded with fiber and calcium, nutrients that break down fat in the body and prevent new fat from forming. Raw broccoli has four grams of fiber per half-cup serving and only 20 calories. It’s an incredibly filling vegetable that keeps your appetite at bay for hours after a meal.

Broccoli is also very high in vitamin C, which is often associated with boosting the immune system, but also plays a role in fat burning and weight loss. Researchers who published a healthy weight loss study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition wrote, “Individuals with adequate vitamin C status oxidize 30 percent more fat during a moderate exercise bout than individuals with low vitamin C status; thus, vitamin C-depleted individuals may be more resistant to fat mass loss.”

Almonds

Nuts are a well-known appetite suppressant, but almonds in particular are effective in burning fat in the body and maximizing digestive flow. Since almonds are low in carbohydrates, which stimulate the appetite, you can decrease your food cravings by eating about 20-25 almonds per day.

Interestingly, research shows that people who eat nut-rich diets excrete more fat in their stools. Because of the way almonds and pecans store lipid granules, they don’t readily absorb into the body as fat, but pass through the digestive system with ease.

Green Tea

Green tea has been called a fat-burning elixir, because it contains polyphenols that activate enzymes in your fat cells. A polyphenol known as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) significantly reduces body weight and interacts with appetite control pathways.

With deep roots in ancient ceremonies and spiritual traditions, this tea is also powerful enough to boost metabolism. Because of its thermogenic properties, green tea promotes fat oxidation, which is the process of fatty acids breaking down and releasing energy.

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