The advent of highly processed foods has caused a rapid rise in obesity.

Highly processed foods may be convenient; however, they are low in nutrients, chock-full of calories, and may increase disease risk.

Real foods, on the other hand, are absolutely healthy and can help you achieve weight loss.

What are real foods?

Real foods are single-ingredient foods that are mostly unprocessed, lack chemical additives, and jam-packed with vitamins and minerals. The following are just a few examples of real foods:

• Kale
• Apples
• Berries
• Bananas
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes
• Brown rice
• Chia seeds
• Whole eggs
• Whole grains
• Sweet potatoes
• Unprocessed meat
• Salmon
• Meats
• Dairy

There are innumerable real foods on the planet, giving you numerous ways to incorporate them into your diet. Here’s why real food is your best go-to food when trying to lose weight.

1. Real foods are nutritious

Whole, unprocessed animal and plant foods are nutrient-dense, making them great for your health.

Processed foods, on the other hand, are nutrient-poor and can contribute to health problems. They can sabotage your weight loss efforts in several ways.

For example, a diet of processed foods that lacks iron can negatively affect your ability to exercise, since iron plays a key role in moving oxygen around your body. This may reduce your body’s ability to burn calories through exercise.

In addition, a nutrient-poor diet may also make you feel less full after eating, thereby preventing weight loss.

In fact, nearly 80% of study participants on a high-micronutrient diet have been shown in one study in 786 people to experience feeling fuller after meals, even though they consumed fewer calories as compared to those on a low-micronutrient diet.

Eating real foods is key to increasing your nutrient intake. Real foods contain various nutrients that a single supplement can’t provide, such as vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds.

Generally, a nutrient-dense diet helps reduce hunger and improve nutritional deficiencies, thereby causing fat loss.

2. They are rich in soluble fiber

Soluble fiber offers several health benefits, including weight loss. It has the ability to slow the movement of food through the gut, thereby reducing your appetite.

It has also been found in studies to affect the production of hormones involved in managing hunger.

Plus, soluble fiber may up the production of hormones that keep you feeling full, including peptide YY, glucagon-like peptide-1, and cholecystokinin.

Real foods are more loaded with soluble fiber compared to processed foods. Excellent sources of soluble fiber include oranges, flaxseeds, beans, and sweet potatoes.

If eating enough fiber from real foods is like an uphill battle for you, you might find a supplement helpful.

3. They are jam-packed with protein

Real foods are jam-packed with protein, which is the most important nutrient when it comes to fat loss.

This nutrient helps reduce hunger and boost metabolism. It also affects the production of hormones necessary for weight control.

Real foods are not heavily processed, and that makes them a better source of protein. Whole protein sources are better for fat loss as they are typically lower in calories and higher in protein.

For example, a 100-gram pork, which is an excellent real food option, carries 145 calories and 12 grams of protein. Meanwhile, a 100-gram bacon, a processed food, holds a whopping 458 calories and 12 grams of protein.

Protein-rich real foods include eggs, lean cuts of meat, nuts, and legumes.

4. They don’t contain refined sugars

Unlike refined sugars, natural sugars found in the healthiest fruits and vegetables provide several nutrients like vitamins, fiber, and water—all are important for a balanced diet.

Processed foods often contain refined sugars, such as high-fructose corn syrup and table sugar. Foods higher in refined sugars, such as cookies, cakes, ice cream, and candy, provide fewer health benefits and often contain higher calories.

These foods can sabotage your weight loss efforts, as eating them has been linked with obesity and type 2 diabetes. If you want to lose weight, limiting them is a great idea.

In addition, high intake of refined sugar has been shown in studies to up the production of the hunger hormone called ghrelin. It also dims your brain’s ability to make you feel full.

Real foods do not hold any refined sugars, making them a great option for weight loss.

5. They don’t contain artificial trans fats

Artificial trans fats are bad for your waistline and health. They were made to increase the shelf life of processed foods, such as cakes, doughnuts, and cookies.

Frequently eating artificial trans fats has been found in multiple studies to harm your waistline and your health.

For example, monkeys who consumed more artificial trans fat have been found in one study to have an average of 7.2% increase in weight, compared to those who consumed a diet that involves monounsaturated fats.

What’s more, the weight they gained went straight to their belly area, thereby increasing the risk of health conditions, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Fortunately, real foods contain natural trans fats, which have been found in many studies to be harmless. Some sources include lamb, veal, and beef.

6. They contain polyphenols

Polyphenols are micronutrients found in plant foods. They have antioxidant properties that may promote weight loss and help protect against disease.

These micronutrients can be divided into multiple categories, including flavonoids, lignans, and stilbenoids.

For example, epigallocatechin gallate is the main flavonoid found in green tea that has been linked with weight loss. It also provides several health benefits.

In fact, drinking green tea has been shown in many studies to help you burn more calories.

7. They may reduce sugar cravings

Resisting sugar cravings can be the biggest challenge you’ll encounter in losing weight, especially if you’re the type of person who eats a lot of sweets.

Fruits like stone fruit and berries can help reduce your sugar intake by satisfying your sweet cravings. They can give a healthier sweet fix.

Fortunately, your taste preferences will change as you change your diet; they don’t last forever. Eating more real foods can reduce or eliminate your sugar cravings over time.

8. They may help you eat more slowly

Real foods have a firmer, more fibrous texture that needs chewing, helping you slow down your eating.

Eating slowly can help you feel full with a smaller amount of food, as it gives your brain more time to process your intake of food—this can lead to weight loss.

For example, those who chewed every bite 40 times have been found in a study in 30 men to eat about 12% less food and had more of the fullness hormones cholecystokinin and glucagon-like peptide-1 and less of the hunger hormone ghrelin in their blood after eating, compared to those who chewed 15 times.

In other words, real foods can leave you satisfied with less food.

9. They help reduce your intake of extremely processed foods

Eating extremely processed foods may just be one of the reasons for the rapid rise in obesity, which is now a worldwide health problem.

For instance, one study examining the trends in obesity and highly processed food consumption in Sweden between 1960 and 2010 has found a 315% increase in soda consumption, a 142% increase in highly processed food consumption, and a 367% increase in highly processed snack consumption.  At the same time, they also observed more than doubled obesity rates, from 5%–11% in 1980–2010, respectively.

Eating more real foods may also decrease your consumption of nutrient-poor, extremely processed foods that are loaded with empty calories and increase disease risk.

10. You can eat more food and still achieve weight loss

Real foods harbor a good portion of water and air, which are both calorie-free. This is why you can eat more real foods and still achieve weight loss.

They basically provide fewer calories than processed foods. For example, half a pound of cooked pumpkin holds only about 45 calories, while a single slice of bread contains 66 calories.

Foods with more volume and fewer calories can fill your stomach more than those with less volume and more calories.

Foods that are low in calories but high in volume include berries, cucumbers, pumpkins, and air-popped popcorn.

11. They help you make a lifestyle change

Although a crash diet may result in quick weight loss, it is absolutely difficult to follow and sustain in the long term. They help you achieve weight loss by drastically reducing calorie intake or restricting certain food groups.

Following a diet that encourages eating real foods can help you achieve your weight loss goals and maintain those benefits in the long run.  It also encourages you to eat foods that are better for your weight and overall health.

Though weight loss may take longer in this way of eating, you are more likely to continually lose weight since you’ve had a lifestyle change.

Conclusion

You might ask yourself, “Why am I not losing weight when I exercise and diet?” Well, maybe the diet and exercise you’re adhering to do not meet your personal preference and healthy needs.

A diet that involves encouraging eating real foods is beneficial for your weight loss journey and overall health.

Compared to most processed foods, real foods contain fewer calories, more nutrient-dense, and more filling.

Instead of eating processed foods, choose to fill your plate with more real foods. This can slowly lead you to living a healthier lifestyle.

What’s more, eating real foods—instead of adhering to any restrictive, short-term diet—is healthier for your physical and mental well-being.