Regular readers of  Simple Natural Weight Loss know that we  love to share tips for natural weight loss. We recently came across an article that offers a number of tips, not just for weight loss, but for a healthy lifestyle. (Which we believe is the goal of natural weight loss.)

Here are a few of the tips offered in the article published on MedicineNet.com:

• The bulk of food consumption should consist of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk products.
• Choose lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts (with emphasis on beans and nuts).
• Choose foods that are low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars; look at the labels because the first listed items on the labels comprise the highest concentrations of ingredients.
• Control portion sizes; eat the smallest portion that can satisfy hunger and then stop eating.
• People trying to lose weight (body fat) should avoid all fatty and sugary foods and eat mainly vegetables, fruits, and nuts and markedly reduce his/her intake of meat and dairy products.

Read the full article here: Healthy Eating Tips

Our readers will be familiar with many of these tips, we have many times recommended eating more fruits and vegetables, and avoiding saturated fats, trans fats, and added sugars; in fact we suggest avoiding most processed foods, and eating foods as close to natural as possible.

Reducing the amount of meat and dairy products you eat can be a good way to cut down on calories, without feeling hungry (you can eat a lot more vegetables for the same calories in a piece of meat, provided you do not add a lot of fat in preparing the vegetables. For example, 3 oz of lean beef tenderloin is about 179 calories, 1 cup of cooked broccoli is 54 calories). You do need to be sure you are getting enough protein and iron in your diet, this is actually easier than you may think. (If you are unsure that you are getting enough of any nutrient, check with your doctor or a registered dietitian.) If you eat nuts and beans, you should have little trouble getting enough protein, both are good sources of protein. (Some are higher in fats than others, so pay attention to how much you eat.) Some beans also are good sources of iron, there is a fact sheet about iron available from the National Institute of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements at this link: Fact Sheet Iron. The fact sheet lists dietary sources of iron, both from animal sources and plant sources. It’s a useful reference, if you want to be sure you are getting enough iron every day.