Want To Lose Weight? Try These Water Rich Foods

I admit that anytime I hear about somebody losing weight my ears prick up and I am instantly intrigued. I want to know all the details (I pretty much like to know all the details about anybody whose willing to spill the beans on just about anything), the who, the what, how much-you name it. So, when a friend of mine recently told me about how she focused on eating water rich foods along with her exercising to lose weight , I needed to know more (of course).

I have always heard that a successful and healthy diet includes drinking lots of water and that water fills you up so that you don't feel hungry. What I never realized is that eating water rich foods will make you feel even more full. Apparently, we do not feel full from calories but from the weight of what we put in our bodies. For example, if you had one pound of raspberries and one pound of chocolate (my two favorite foods) both would make you feel full because of the weight, but the raspberries would have far fewer calories than the chocolate (I kind of wish it was the other way around). Another important factor is that water does not only have weight, it helps food stick around longer. When water is bound to food, it slows down the absorption and gives a longer lasting feeling of fullness in your belly. If you like to eat bigger portions then you definitely want to focus on water rich foods (yogurt, fruit, vegetables, soup) and not dense foods (crackers, pretzels, bread, cheese) so that you can get that content full filling without all the calories.

Great Water Based Food Choices

**Fruits
**Vegetables
**Yogurt
**Oatmeal
**Broth Based Soup

A Few Of My Faves With Some Healthy Benefits

**Broccoli-Approximately 92% water and is known to help prevent cataracts and assists in fighting birth defects.
**Tomato –Approximately 93% water and helps prevent prostate cancer and promotes bone health.
**Cucumber –Approximately 95% water and is known to soothe skin irritations and reduces skin swelling.Also has been known to help lower blood pressure.
**Watermelon –Approximately 92% water. Reduces the risk of heart disease and helps alleviate the symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
**Grapefruit – Approximately 88% water, grapefruit is known to boost liver enzymes and helps repair DNA.

Next time you go to grab the pretzels maybe you could grab some strawberries instead. You get more health benefits and you can feel just as full as the pretzels without all the calories. Salads are great too because of all the water in lettuce. Throw some cucumbers and tomatoes on top and you will really be giving yourself a healthy boost, working towards weight loss, feel full and be very proud of yourself for being so good.