Discover a Good Diet to Lose Body Fat

With all of the fad diets on the market today, it can be very difficult to find a good diet to lose body fat. Today, more than ever, people around the world are struggling to fight obesity and lose excess weight. The problem is many people do not understand what makes up a good diet to lose body fat. Obesity causes many problems including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular infection, and many different forms of cancer. This article will give a brief overview of how to identify and create a good diet to lose body fat.

Step 1: Protein

Protein is one of the body's main building blocks, and needs to be incorporated into any good diet to lose body fat. Protein promotes muscle growth and is also used to repair damaged tissues. Food high in protein will also provide you with zinc, iron, and B vitamins. The more muscle you have on your body the faster your metabolism will work, thus helping you to get rid of excess body fat. Some foods high in protein are fish, eggs, meats, poultry, beans, nuts, and lentils. In general you should try to select low fat cuts of meat (like white chicken breast, tenderloin, and less fatty steaks).

Step 2: Carbohydrates

The first thing you need to understand about carbohydrates is that are an essential part of any good diet to lose body fat. Many low carbohydrate diets out there today are designed only for short-term weight loss. Any diet that severely restricts your daily carbohydrate intake (less than 30 grams a day) is not healthy, and in the long run you will put the weight you lose in the short-term back on. In order to lose weight, your carbohydrate intake needs to come from "whole grains". Whole grains are a great source of energy, B vitamins, and fiber. Avoid refined grain products such as white bread, white rice, and processed crackers.

Step 3: Dairy

Why does a good diet to lose body fat contain dairy? Dairy products provide your body with calcium and can be used as an extra source of protein. A recent study of adolescent girls showed that those girls who consumed more calcium also tended to be the leanest. Researchers have found that at the cellular level calcium causes fat to be broken down in the cell. This "fat breakdown" speeds up the rate at which your body burns calories (faster metabolism).

Step 4: Fats

Try to avoid saturated fats as much as possible and choose healthier fats such as monounsaturated fats. Saturated fats are filled with extra calories, and have been linked to heart disease and high cholesterol levels. Saturated fats should be eliminated from any good diet to lose body fat. Butter, high-fat cheeses, and red meats with lots of fat (prime rib) are all sources of saturated fats. Good sources of fat will come from olive and canola oils, margarine spreads, nuts, and "fatty" fish such as mackerel and salmon.

Just four easy steps and you will be well on your way to starting a good diet to lose body fat. Begin today and start losing unwanted weight immediately. Good luck and remember to stay focused on your weight loss goals.

Alex M is a health and fitness researcher, and helps maintain a website about a body-fat-elimination.com/DietToLoseBodyFat.html good diet to lose body fat.