Which Foods Are Best For Fat Loss?

Sorry to break it to you but, despite its popularity, "which foods are best for fat loss?" is not the right question to be asking.

Probably some of the most Googled phrases are "is [insert food here] good for fat loss?".

People are obsessed with specific foods, and whether they are 'good' or 'bad' for them, and their fat loss goals.

I don't blame them, either. It's confusing if you don't know who to pay attention to.

No single food is categorically good or bad for fat loss.

The clean eating Insta-gurus would have you believe that you must only eat 'good' or 'clean' foods, and you must banish 'bad' or 'dirty' foods from your life if you want to see any weight loss. This is not true.

On the other hand, some respectable, evidence-based coaches would tell you that a calorie deficit is by far more important than specific food choices for fat loss. And this is one hundred percent true.

It is a fact that creating, and sticking to, a calorie deficit is infinitely more important for fat loss than the specific foods you eat.

However, just like telling people to "move more, eat less", telling someone to "create a calorie deficit" on its own isn't particularly helpful, especially for people who are relatively early on in their nutrition journey.

The question I believe you should be asking is this...

"How conducive is this food to creating a calorie deficit?"

Now, the answer to this is unlikely to be as simple as yes or no, so try to put the food on a continuum.

At one end, foods that will make it easier to stick to a calorie deficit.

At the other, foods that will make it harder to stick to a calorie deficit.

Here's a basic example of what this continuum could look like.

Nutrient-dense, minimally processed foods will make it easier to stick to a calorie deficit.

That's because these foods generally provide more volume for less calories, as well as more fibre a lot of the time. This means they are more satiating, AKA they fill you up better. Not to mention they contain an abundance of micronutrients which are essential for our health.

This includes foods like fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, lean meats, beans and legumes.

No surprises there, these are the foods you should be eating most of the time!

On the other hand, calorie-dense, highly processed foods will probably make it harder to stick to a calorie deficit.

That's because these foods tend to contain a lot of calories, but very little volume. Also, they are often hyper-palatable, which is essentially a fancy way of saying they're tasty. This means it's easy to over-consume them.

How many times have you demolished a whole sharer bag of crisps to yourself, or a family-sized chocolate bar? Probably a few times, right?

I'd bet that this is rarely the case for foods at the other end of the continuum, when was the last time you had an uncontrollable urge to eat six apples in a row? Probably never.

Foods at this end of the spectrum also rarely contain significant amounts of fibre or micronutrients, and sometimes contains trans fats. Meaning they are not benefiting our overall health.

This includes foods like pizza, deep-fried foods, processed meats like bacon and high-fat sausages, crisps, fizzy drinks, burgers, donuts, cookies, cakes, and sadly, Biscoff.

You can include foods from all along the spectrum, but try to include mostly foods from the nutrient-dense, minimally processed side.

An 80:20 ratio is typically given as an acceptable balance between the two sides of the continuum.

It's important to still include foods you enjoy. Which, being realistic, are probably more likely to be towards the calorie-dense, processed end of the spectrum.

After all, if including a controlled amount of these highly-palatable foods means you don't feel the need to binge or go off track - then they are conducive to sustaining your calorie deficit!

TAKE HOME POINTS

• There are no specific 'fat loss foods'.

• Eat mostly nutrient-dense, unprocessed foods. They're good for you and keep you full.

• Eat a smaller amount of calorie-dense, highly processed foods, if you enjoy them. It's important to enjoy things.

• Stay away from people who refer to foods as ‘clean’ or ‘dirty’.

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