How to choose healthy foods for weight loss?

Weight loss diets can be difficult to stick with because they often involve eating a lot of foods we don't like.  Also, many diet foods become repetitive when there are few choices to pick from.  The key to a successful weight loss diet is to have enough variety of healthy choices to pick from to sustain you.  You need to learn how to choose healthy foods that you can continue to eat even after your initial weight loss diet is over.

Portion control is one of the keys to successful weight loss.  Eating less at each meal allows you to have more freedom of choice yet still provides you with fewer calories.  Counting calories will help you learn which foods contain more calories so you can avoid them. 

When choosing healthy diet foods remember that the healthiest choices are usually those that are less processed.  Fresh fruits and vegetables top the list when it comes to the healthiest choices.  These usually contain fewer calories naturally yet provide a powerhouse of nutrients and vitamins that help to sustain a healthy body. 

When choosing processed or packaged foods it helps to read the labels.  The label will tell you not only the vitamin and nutrient content of the food but also the unfavorable ingredients.  Look for foods with less sodium and preservatives.  You'll also want to choose foods that offer fewer calories.  Not all packaged foods are alike so be sure to check the label before putting the item into your cart.

Make comparisons when choosing the foods you eat.  Substitute foods with fewer calories, fat and salt whenever possible.  For example choose a low fat version of the same food.  This will satisfy your desire for the food while still helping you maintain your diet.

Don't limit yourself strictly to foods that are made for dieters.  While these foods are packaged to help you take in fewer calories there are often similar choices that are not considered diet foods.  These may actually taste better and yet may still have the same number of calories. 

Become smart about your food choices.  When a food is fried it will have more calories and fat than foods that are prepared by baking.  Cream sauce contains fat and more calories than clear sauces.  When you have a choice request no sauce or place the sauce on the side so you can more easily determine portion size.  Choose salad dressings that are oil based rather than cream based and again ask for them on the side so you can control your own portion. 

Look for excess fat and sugar in the processed foods you eat.  Read the package nutrition label to find out how many calories are in a serving and what percentage of calories comes from fat or sugar.  Check to see how much is in a portion.  Sometimes this can be deceiving.  In order to make the calories appear lower the portion size has been adjusted to include a much smaller amount of food than you would think.