Who needs a nutrition guide? We all do!
Nutrition plays a crucial role in weight loss as it directly impacts our body’s metabolism and energy levels. However, with so much information available on the internet, it can be overwhelming and confusing to determine which foods are best for weight loss.
This nutrition guide aims to provide evidence-based advice and practical tips to help you make informed decisions about your diet and achieve your weight loss goals.
Nutrition Guide for Maintaining A Calorie Deficit
To achieve sustainable weight loss, it is very important to be in a calorie deficit. This means you consume fewer calories than your body burns. Maintaining this balance over time eventually leads to weight loss as the body starts to use stored energy (such as fat) to make up for the deficit.
A required first step is to determine your calorie needs using this calorie calculator and then make use of the calorie information that accompanies every meal on our menu to guide your selection.
Top Meal Recommendations From Eden’s Menu This Week!
Our Nutritionists curated a variety of nutritious meals from our menu that can support you in your weight loss journey. If you’re subscribed to, or purchasing meals from Eden this week, here’s a quick meal recommendation for your meal order; These dishes are rich in nutrients, high in fibre, and lower in calories and saturated fat.
All recommended meals in this nutrition guide are less than 1000 kcal.
Plain White Rice with Fresh Tilapia Pepper Soup & Fresh Cucumbers
This simple yet flavorful dish is low in calories yet provides adequate amounts of energy and fiber, making it ideal for weight loss. Tilapia is a great source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, while cucumbers are packed with water and fiber to help keep you hydrated and full.
Nigerian Coconut Rice with Salt & Pepper Fish & Stewed Ugu
Coconut rice is a delicious and nutritious alternative to traditional rice, providing a healthy dose of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) to help boost your metabolism. Paired with salt and pepper fish and stewed ugu, this dish is high in protein and fiber to support your weight loss goals.
Vegetable Singapore Noodles with Salt & Pepper Fish
Craving something spicy and savory? Look no further than this delicious dish featuring vegetable Singapore noodles and salt and pepper fish. The vegetables in the noodles provide fiber and essential vitamins & minerals, while the fish is a great source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids.
Boiled Irish Potatoes with Grilled Beef Stew
Looking for a hearty and filling meal that won’t derail your weight loss goals? Boiled Irish potatoes paired with grilled beef stew is a great option. Irish potatoes are low in calories and high in fiber, while beef provides essential protein and iron to support your overall health.
Mixed Potato Porridge with Grilled Hake Fish Sauce & Brined Apples
This unique dish features a mix of sweet and savory flavors to keep your taste buds satisfied. Mixed potato porridge is high in fiber and carbohydrates, while grilled hake fish sauce provides essential omega-3 fatty acids. Top it off with brined apples for a refreshing and fiber-rich snack.
Meaty Stuffed Plantain with Stewed Ugu
Looking for a twist on traditional plantains? Try this delicious and nutrient-packed dish featuring meaty stuffed plantains and stewed ugu. Plantains provide a healthy dose of fiber and carbohydrates, while the meat stuffing provides essential protein to keep you feeling full and satisfied.
Eba with Efo Elegusi Soup & Grilled Beef
Eba is a low-glycemic source of carbohydrates that is high in fiber provides long-lasting energy and supports healthy digestion. Efo Elegusi soup is packed with essential vitamins and minerals, while the grilled beef provides essential protein and iron to keep you feeling full and satisfied. It is advised to adopt portion control here depending on your calorie requirements
Eve’s Thai Beef Salad with Vegetable Singapore Noodles & Eve’s Thai Dressing
This dish features an interesting mix of spicy and sweet flavors, with tender slices of beef paired with fresh and crunchy vegetables. The vegetable Singapore noodles provide essential vitamins and minerals, while the beef is a great source of protein and iron to support your overall health.
Additional Weight Loss Tips
To further support you in hitting your weight loss goals, these are some tips to help optimize your meal choices even if you are not an Eden subscriber [Subscribe to get an Eden Meal Plan]
- Choose meals that are grilled, baked, or steamed instead of fried. These meals are lower in fat, calories, and higher in nutrients.
- Meals made with vegetables, beans, and whole grains are typically more nutritious, lower in calories, and higher in fiber. They keep you satisfied and fuller for longer periods.
- Try to eat vegetables at every meal. This will help you get the recommended daily amount of vegetables and will also help you feel full, which can help with weight loss.
- Eat more protein-rich foods. It will help increase calories burned during digestion and increase satiety – meaning you are less likely to overeat.
- Prioritize whole foods over processed foods.
You should also:
- Practice portion control. Try smaller meals at intervals than larger servings at once.
- You can divide your meals into 2 portions and even go ahead to add veggies, fruits or nuts as a side to one of the portions.
- Drink water or unsweetened beverages like fresh juices instead of sugary drinks. This can help you save calories and stay hydrated. You can try some of the juices and smoothies on our menu.
- Engage more in physical activity. Start a new activity you enjoy – It will help increase calories burned and keep you fit.
Nutrition Guide for Mindful Eating
Here are some mindful eating tips that will help improve your relationship with food.
- Pay attention to hunger and fullness cues: Eat when you’re hungry and stop eating when you’re full. Listen to your body’s signals and avoid eating for emotional reasons or out of habit.
- Portion control: Use smaller plates and bowls to help you control your portion sizes. When eating out, consider sharing a meal or taking half of it home for later.
It’s also important to remember that weight loss is not just about what you eat, but also how much you eat and how much physical activity you get. To achieve sustainable weight loss, it’s important to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise and stress management, in addition to a balanced and varied diet.
At Eden Life, we’re committed to helping you eat and live better. This nutrition guide is meant to help you be more intentional about picking your meals and building a healthy relationship with food. We will be releasing new guides for subsequent menus and we hope you find them useful.
Share your feedback here and help us curate a better experience for your weight loss journey.
Frequently Asked Questions About Weight Loss Nutrition Guides
- Do I need to cut out carbs to lose weight? The answer is NO. It would surprise you that you NEED carbs for weight loss because they are your body and brain’s primary source of fuel. Also, carbs do not make you fat. What makes you add weight is consuming your calories in surplus with little to no exercise.
- Which is better, exercise or diet? Both are. If you want to lose or maintain your weight, both exercise and good nutrition (diet) will help you achieve that. Indeed, you cannot ”outrun” your fork but these two work hand in hand. Diet improves your body’s composition while exercise enhances it.
- Do I need to skip my meals? You do NOT need to. This approach is a bit counterproductive as you would likely consume all your calories in one go. Additionally, going on an extended period during the day without eating could make you irritable and unproductive because of course, you are hungry. It also increases your chances of binge eating.
- Is there any specific diet for weight loss? Unfortunately, there isn’t any. Most of these diets, including intermittent fasting are not quite healthy for you. You might see some changes within a short time but in the long run, they become extremely ineffective and unsustainable. Your focus should be on having and maintaining a good nutrition and lifestyle.
- Do I need to count my calories? Not necessarily. Knowing and understanding the purpose of calories is important. It can be important for weight loss at the start of the journey so you are conversant with it but as time goes on, your focus should not be on calories alone but also how nourishing the food is. A meal can be high in calories and still be healthy and vice versa. Remember, moderation is key.