The ultimate diet foods list

It's that time of year again! With bathing suit season around the corner, it's time to get rid of excess weight that keeps you from reaching your weight-loss goals. In order to lose weight and keep it off for good, you must... eat.

To lose weight in a sensible way, focus on eating and drinking quality calories and balancing your hormones. Hormonal balance is a dietary approach that regulates blood sugar by avoiding foods that make your body over-secrete the hormone insulin (excess insulin = excess fat storage). Eating for hormonal balance involves choosing from the following three food groups:

1. Low glycemic index carbohydrates such as whole grains, vegetables (excluding white or mashed potatoes) and most fruits. Avoid white refined flours, sugars, cereals, cookies, muffins and cakes.

2. Lean proteins -- Proteins trigger the secretion of glucagon, insulin's "enemy." Glucagon is a hormone that breaks down fat. Optimal lean protein sources include egg whites, fish, chicken, turkey, low-fat dairy products (i.e. yogurt, cottage cheese), occasional lean beef and soy.

Include one lean protein source at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Women need approximately four to six ounces of protein per meal, while men require slightly more (five to seven ounces). Remember, a deck of cards is equivalent to three ounces of protein.

3. "Good fats" -- You must eat fat in order to lose fat. Research clearly indicates that eating high-quality monounsaturated fats (olive oil, avocados) and essential fats (cold-water fish, nuts, seeds) helps with weight loss. For weight loss and overall health, avoid inflammatory fats such as saturated fat (full-fat cheeses, red meat) and trans fatty acids.

Now that you know some basic food guidelines for weight loss, here's a handy list of the top 10 tasty and diet-friendly foods to enjoy. Click to get a printer-friendly PDF version of the ultimate diet foods list here.

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1. Berries -- Berries are full of anti-oxidants and rank low on the glycemic index. Top your yogurt or cereal with strawberries, raspberries and blueberries and you'll avoid sugar cravings.

2. Whole grain breads -- You don't have to give up bread in order to lose weight. But you do have to give up the wrong types of bread such as white bread or whole wheat bread made from refined flours. Stick to breads that contain whole grains or are made from 100% whole-wheat grains. Look for sprouted grain bread options, too. The process of sprouting a grain pre-digests some of the starch content and lowers its glycemic index rating.

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