Spring Diet Foods

There is no better time to start losing weight than in the spring. Nicer, warmer weather and longer daylight hours mean that there is no excuse for not making the most of it. Not only is spring time perfect for getting outdoors for some exercise, but it is also the perfect time to start eating a fresh, healthy diet. At this time of year, fresh vegetables start to hit the store shelves and many of them have fat-fighting benefits you may not be aware of.

Below is a list of the 10 Best Diet Spring Foods to start adding to your meals. Make sure to keep plenty of diversity in the foods you eat, afterall variety is the "spice of life". Also, it is a really good idea to include as much leafy greens in your diet as you can, such as kale, collard greens and spinach. These green gems are packed full of nutrients that not only help battle the bulge, but they affect many other aspects of your health, such as improvements to your skin, eye health and bone health (visit the article "Weight Loss Benefits of Leafy Greens" for more information).

The following are the 10 best spring diet foods that you can choose to help you to reach your weight loss goals:

1. Snow peas – these are very healthy and simple to prepare. They have edible pods, so that you don’t need to shell them like other peas. They are crisp and sweet and can be enjoyed either raw or cooked. Even better is that almost a quarter of the calories in these veggies comes from proteins that stabilize sugar. University of Toronto researchers say that if you eat a cup of them, you can help to halt both cravings and hunger for up to two hours!
2. Ginger – a teaspoon is all you need to help to suppress your appetite. University of Miami researchers say that you’ll get full nearly twice as fast with that amount added to your meals, as it is one of nature’s hunger management foods. It is also a great anti-inflammatory and painkiller, making you feel better overall.
3. Plums – these juicy sweet fruits are chock full of water soluble fiber, which grows larger in the digestive system so that you’ll feel full more quickly. Since fiber is slow to digest, the feeling of fullness lasts longer. Yale researchers say that plums can help to reduce the amount you eat by 20 percent.
   
4. Watercress – this green leafy tastes a bit peppery for lots of flavor in a salad. A half cup contains only two calories and is both low in carbs and fats. It is filled with vitamins and minerals, and Stanford University researchers say it’s great for flushing out retained fluids.
   
5. Baby lettuce – young lettuce available as one of the 10 best spring weight loss foods is fat and carb free and very high in vitamins that help to keep strong bones, according to researchers at the University of North Carolina.
   
6. Green onions – These spring onions are high in sulfur, which is a nutrient that helps with carbohydrate burning by the pancreas, preventing them from turning into stored fat, according to researchers from Stanford University.
   
7. Shiitake Mushrooms – the National Institutes of Health say that this fungus has a high amount of selenium, which is a mineral nutrient that helps the body to burn more stored and consumed fat for energy.
   
8. Baby Spinach – this is among the first leafy greens available among the 10 best spring weight loss foods and it has a much milder taste than regular spinach. A great addition to salads, it is rich in antioxidants that burn energy faster before it can be used to store fat.
   
9. Eggplant – actually a berry and not a veggie, there are only 20 calories in every cup of eggplant, with muscle strengthening ingredients that will help you to burn more calories more quickly.
   
10. Zucchini – researchers at the University of Sydney have said that zucchini are wonderful for reducing the appetite and are much lower in calories than many other appetite suppressing foods.