The 20 Best Weight-Loss Foods

Breakfast

• Homemade raisin bran. Mix one cup of Total cereal, a packet of raisins, and 1 cup nonfat milk. Save 50 calories, 6 teaspoons of sugar, and 5 grams of fat compared with ready-to-serve raisin bran doused with a cup of 2-percent milk.

• Scrambled whites with greens. Pour into a pan four servings of Eggology, Second Nature or Egg Beaters egg whites, in a bowl and blend with 1/2 cup spinach and 1/2 cup mushrooms.

Save 40 calories, 100 milligrams of cholesterol and 13 grams of fat compared with two normal scrambled eggs.

• Balanced Diet Shake. The Balanced Diet nutritional drink provides complex carbohydrates vitamins, and minerals in a naturally flavored French vanilla or chocolate royale.

Save 60 calories daily and nearly 6 grams of fat compared with similar drinks.

• Frozen fruit smoothie, the kind runner Bruce Shapiro used to lose 30 pounds over the past few years. Combine and blend one cup frozen, unsweetened blueberries; 1/2 banana; 1/4 cup wheat germ; and water.

Save 200 calories for each 2- to 3-cup serving, compared with many commercial smoothies.

• Toasted plain Lender's Bagel with natural jam. Save 160 to 360 calories and more than 10 grams of fat compared with similar bagels you can buy slathered with cream cheese.

Lunch

• Boca Burger. A soy-based alternative to other high-fat lunches. Burgers contain hints of zucchini, red-bell pepper, garlic, onion, and even cheeses. Add lettuce, tomato, ketchup or other healthy toppings.

Save up to 180 calories and 19 grams of fat compared with grilled 3-ounce beef burger.

• Alvarado Street sprouted wheat tortilla. With this tasty, organic, whole-wheat tortilla, combine a handful of greens, shredded carrots, tomato, peppers, grilled chicken, lean meat, turkey or a bean-based filler.

Save at least 50 calories and 5 grams of fat compared to commercial wraps doused in mayo and oily toppings.

• Subway 6-inch roast beef sub sandwich. Save nearly 100 calories and 12 grams of fat compared with a tuna salad sub, and 20+ fat grams with a meatball sub.

• Health Valley fat-free chili. Save 200 calories and 22 grams of fat compared with other prepared and restaurant chilis.

• Tossed salad with croutons instead of salad dressing. Instead of using high-fat dressings, decorate with croutons, beans or fruit.

Save 100 calories and 28 grams of fat by adding 1 ounce of croutons and 1/2 cup of beans, peas and raisins to your salad in place of 1 ounce of an oil-based dressing.

Snacks

• Frozen grapes, blueberries or bananas. Save 80 calories when you compare a whole 12-ounce bag of frozen blueberries to a small serving of TCBY frozen yogurt, and 200 calories and 14 grams of fat when you compare a frozen banana with a 1/2 cup of Ben and Jerry's.

• Dried papaya, mango, and/or dates. For a sweet taste that mimics a piece of candy, try a dried-fruit snack. Raisins are the most popular, but these papayas, mangos and dates will provide your daily dose of vitamin C, plus some vitamin A and iron.

Save 100 to 150 calories for 4 to 6 pieces when compared with a handful of raisins or other dense, sugary foods and candies.

• Glenny's Apple Cinnamon Low-Fat Soy Crisps. Available in two-serving bags, the crunchy cinnamon treats will set you back just 150 calories for 28 crisps. Also available in lightly salted and onion flavor, each bag contains 10 grams of soy protein.

The American Heat Association recommends 25 to 50 grams of soy protein each day for heart health.

Save 150 calories and 15 grams of fat compared with graham-cracker snack treats.

Dinner

• Spaghetti squash. Rich in fluids, carbohydrates, fiber, potassium, Vitamin C, and pantothenic acid (a B vitamin) - and looks just like regular spaghetti.

Save 200 calories compared with 2 cups of wheat spaghetti.

• Papadini, hi-protein, pure-lentil, gluten-free bean pasta. When you prepare Papadini pasta as a vegetable primavera, tossed with peas, beans carrots, tomatoes and corn, you get as much protein as a chicken or steak dinner without the excess fat, cholesterol and calories.

Save 20 calories per 2-ounce serving compared with traditional wheat pastas.

• Idaho Supreme, wheat- and gluten-free potato pasta. The Idaho Supreme pasta is made from organic potatoes to help preserve the Vitamin C, calcium and iron.

Save 20 calories per 2-ounce serving compared with traditional pastas.

• Advantage\10 pizza. This alternative, which features grilled vegetables, was designed by low-fat health guru Dean Ornish.

Save 250 calories and more than 20 grams of fat compared with most restaurant or supermarket pizzas.

• Barbara's Mashed Potatoes. An easy-to-prepare, high-carb, low-fat "comfort" dish. Prepare with nonfat milk, water, a little salt, and nonfat margarine.

Save 50 calories and 6 grams of fat compared with a 1-cup serving of traditional mashed potatoes.

Dessert

• Haagen-Dazs chocolate sorbet. A Haagen-Dazs product in a health article? But this chocolate frozen creation manages to taste creamy without containing fat. Sure, it's sugary, but at least you're getting some protein and fiber.

Save 100 calories and 15 grams of fat per serving compared with HD's chocolate fudge ice cream.

• Chocolate Dreams cookies. A meringue-type version of the traditional chocolate chip cookie, this one lets you gobble down 5 cookies for under 30 calories and no fat.

Save at least 150 calories and 9 grams of fat compared with just 3 regular chocolate chip cookies.

Cheers

Eve :-)