You may think that you can drop body fat by simply choosing to eat healthier foods, but that is not necessarily the case. As the Weight Control Information Network reports, foods are not able to burn fat or "cause" you to lose weight. However, when you eat nutritious, low-calorie and low energy-dense foods, you're more likely to build up a calorie deficit that can help you slim down.
The fact is, you must burn more calories than you consume to lose body fat over time. For example, you can cut 500 calories per day from your diet to lose about a pound of fat per week. Although some foods can be more helpful than others in that quest, there are no foods that will do the work for you. Keeping a food journal or tracking your daily calorie intake with an online calorie counter can help you to meet your nutritional needs and stick to a daily calorie goal.
Fruits and Veggies
Fruits and vegetables are some of the most beneficial foods to eat when you're trying to lose body fat because they have extremely low energy density values. According to MayoClinic.com, low energy-dense foods are best for achieving healthy weight loss because they offer high fiber and water contents and very low fat and calorie counts per serving. Those factors combine to make fruits and veggies satiating, meaning they can keep you full for long periods without adding a lot to your calorie total.
Whole Grains
Although whole grains contain more calories per serving than fruits or vegetables, they're also wise choices in a plan for fat loss because they provide your body with sustained energy that can last for hours. Because they have such high fiber counts, ChooseMyPlate.gov reports that eating more whole grains can help you manage weight. Nutritious choices include whole-wheat bread, quinoa, millet and oatmeal.
Low-Fat Proteins
Diets that include a lot of low-fat protein can effectively stave off hunger and help you reduce your body fat percentage. As a 2008 article from U.K. researchers published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" reports, high-protein diet plans reduced hunger and lowered food intake "significantly" in a group of test subjects over a four-week period.
Considerations
Losing body fat isn't only a matter of eating healthy, low-calorie foods. Your physical activity level also plays a role, and specific exercises such as weightlifting and strength training can go a long way toward helping you build muscle and reduce your percentage of body fat. Before you make any major changes to the way you eat or the exercise plan that you follow, speak with your doctor.