Welcome to the NEW Healthista series featuring 30 days of weight loss tips with Nutritionist Rick Hay and his favourite foods and supplements to help you reach your weight loss goals. Today’s tip is about how lentils can help you lose weight
January is here again and we can wipe our slate clean and forget about all the feasting that took place over Christmas…that was easy. Now for the hard part, the new year’s resolutions. This tends to be health related for the majority of us and usually we set ourselves an ambitious target.
Well, with the help of Nutritionist Rick Hay selecting his best food and supplement choices for weight loss goals, that ambitious target can become reachable. Over the next 30 days we will be providing you with a weight loss tip every day to help keep you fuelled with the right nutrients to keep you on track.
Today’s tip: Eat more lentils and pulses. Not only are they low in fat and calories, high in protein and fibre, they’re also super-filling and great for the planet – as they’re plants. What’s more, eating more of them can help you lose weight. One study showing this was published in 2016 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It looked at the results of 21 clinical trials on the benefits of eating pulses and concluded that eating three quarters of a cup of beans, lentils or chickpeas daily could lead to just under a pound weight loss in six weeks. That’s not bad for a tiny little change. You could always spend hours soaking and boiling your lentils, or you could try the ready-made variety.
Try: Merchant Gourmet Beluga Lentils
Rick says: ‘Fibre is integral to weight loss. If you want to lose weight sustainably and over time, healthily and keep it off, you have to make sure that your fibre levels in your diet are high. One of the best ways to do this is with chickpeas, lentils and beans. Here I have some Merchant Gourmet lentils, these are beluga lentils and I love them. They will help to keep you fuller for longer. They go well in soups and in a stir fry and they’re effective to hit the satiety centre of the brain. Fibre will help you to be cleaner inside, it acts like an intestinal broom making sure your digestive tract is functioning in the best possible way. Lentils, chickpeas and beans also provide a decent level of plant-based protein, this plant-based protein is important to overall cardiovascular health. So you have something that is really a health food that will help you lose weight.’
Available for £2.29 for 250g from the Healthista shop
Shop 20% off (plus free UK delivery!) on all of Rick Hay’s weight loss essentials until 31st January on Healthista – shop now.
Rick Hay is an Anti-Ageing and Fitness Nutritionist with many years clinical experience in nutrition, naturopathy, botanical medicine and iridology. He specializes in obesity treatment and weight management. He writes a regular Natural Health and Fitness Blog for Healthista. Find out more at rickhay.co.uk. Follow Rick on Twitter @nutritiomalphys
READ MORE
30 weight loss tips in 30 days – #2 aloe vera juice
The heart health supplement proven by science
5 symptoms of vitamin D deficiency even doctors miss
What is the best probiotic pill? If you’re looking for one, read this first
8 hangover cures that REALLY work
Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox.
