I can think of fewer topics that have had so much written about them, that have so much emotional baggage tied to them, and can be so challenging for so many people. 

Knowing that many people have weight loss as their primary motivation for choosing to eat plant-based or any other way has made weight-loss something I’ve wanted to write an article about for quite some time.

But it’s also a topic that I want to discuss in a way that is strengthening and inspiring, not one that leaves my readers feeling discouraged or not enough in any way. 

I have read many accounts of individuals who have struggled tremendously with eating disorders and it is sobering. I know I take for granted the fact that some struggle with this more than I can imagine. 

Or the many more dear ones who have tried and tried and tried and tried with little to no lasting success losing the weight and or keeping it off? 

The majority of the population struggles with weight, and many of them have hormones, medications and other factors making it even more complicated. 

Some statistics show that nearly 1 out of 3 people is actively trying to lose weight at any time, which explains why so much marketing, products, and diets promise dramatic weight loss, AND why we get so many mixed messages. 

One day butter is good, the next day butter is bad. One day potatoes are good, the next day potatoes are bad. Carbs, flour, fruit, argh!!! Why even try when no one seems to know what will really work? 

But the reality is that when you dig into the science, clear patterns emerge and actually we know a lot more about weight loss than anyone watching the nightly news might think. The media loves to create confusion–it creates much more interesting stories and big businesses love that confusion to keep fueling their businesses. 

You may have heard that Dr. Michael Greger, food and health research expert, recently released “How Not to Diet: The Groundbreaking Science of Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss”. 

Finally we have a solid collection of peer-reviewed research to show us much more about what really works and what doesn’t. I am going to share some highlights here, but with a book that’s more than 500 pages long and has roughly 5000 references to actual studies, you might want to grab your own copy.

We also have a great opportunity to catch Dr. Greger and a full lineup of trusted experts [Dean Ornish, Neal Barnard, Joel Fuhrman, Walter Willett, Dean Sherzai] speak during the free, online summit The Truth About Weight Loss beginning February 8th.

But First, What is Your Why?

To me, the very most important thing we can do when it comes to eating choices, is to choose wisely for the right reasons. Are we eating for long-term health? Are we eating to be our best selves? Are we taking care of ourselves so we are better equipped to take care of others? 

My overarching goal for 2020 is to become my best self so I’m better equipped to help others, which includes my family, those in my community or those I might be able to help through my online presence. 

Numbers on the scale, pant sizes, and other’s opinions of us are not motivators that will fuel positive and lasting change.

I truly believe that when we seek to really take care of ourselves so that we can better care for others, it makes the journey so much more worth it. 

I love the way the Kite sisters of Beauty Redefined say “Your body is an instrument, not an ornament.” Taking excellent care of our instruments allows them to function so much better.

The great news? Even if we are not quite there yet with the purest motivations, the same way of eating that fuels weight-loss also fuels excellent health, while preventing cancer and a host of other diseases. 

And on that note, here are Dr. Greger’s 17 key ingredients–dietary attributes that could be used to create the most effective eating plan for losing weight.

Keep in mind that you don’t necessarily have to do everything perfectly! Chances are good a few things will stand out to you–just pick a few to improve on at a time. I am still not perfect at any of these, but trying to do most of them most of the time not only eliminated extra pounds but much more importantly made a huge improvement in my health and the way I feel, even mentally. 

1. Eat an Anti-Inflammatory Diet:

We’re hearing more and more about inflammation, and how chronic inflammation throughout the body can be a cause of a host of diseases, obesity being one of them. Dr. Greger has a fascinating discussion on how inflammation stalls the hypothalmus in the brain and leads to weight gain.

Bottom line: saturated fat and trans fat are some of the most inflammatory foods, and the top 5 sources in the U.S are cheese, desserts like cake and ice cream, chicken, pork and then burgers. Plant-based oils, such as palm oil (found in some more nondairy cheeses, vegan spreads and other processed junk) are also highly inflammatory and worth avoiding. 

Whole, plant foods are the best way to fight inflammation in the body, but cheese can be one of the hardest animal foods to set aside.  Try our favorite cheese sauce as a delicious anti-inflammatory option to cheese.

2. Eat Clean:

The thought that toxins in our food and environment could have an impact on weight loss was once considered a crazy idea. But more and more scientific studies are finding among the unintended consequences of pesticides and plastics are higher obesity levels.

We’re living in a day and age when nothing is toxin free, but choosing organic whenever possible, glass over plastic, and avoiding meat (because the longer-life span of animals causes them to absorb more chemicals–even some organic meat is shown to have inexplicably high levels of pesticides) can give our bodies a leg up when it comes to weight-loss. 

We’re far from perfect in this area, but I try to choose organic and glass when I can. Plants can aid your body in the process–cilantro is known to help the rid the body of toxins. If a cilantro smoothie isn’t your thing, try it in this favorite salsa: Better than Costco Mango Salsa.

3. High Fiber:

Fascinatingly, studies found that fat was carried out as waste over twice as much when eaten with a high fiber diet than on a low-fiber diet. Individuals eating a lot of fiber tend to eat fewer calories, but even when they were controlled to eat the same number of calories, the high fiber group lost more weight than the low fiber one. Those with more fiber in their system burn more calories in their sleep. Turns out that digesting all of that fiber is a workout for the gut, which can be exercising while you sleep!

The fiber superstars? Whole grains and legumes. One of our very favorite ways to cook up whole grains and legumes is in this plant-based version of Costa Vida/Cafe Rio Salad

4. Lots of Water-Rich Foods:

Water-rich foods tend to be more satiating than dried ones, so aim for fresh fruits and vegetables over dried ones.

If you feed people a casserole for lunch, they will eat the same amount whether or not they have a glass of water with it. But if you take that glass of water and blend it with the casserole to turn it into a soup, they will only eat around 300 calories. This is due to a process called sieving, and basically it means that when water is separated out through the food it takes longer for the body to empty the stomach.

So plant-based soups are not only one the easiest foods to make, they are also a great way to aid weight-loss.

5. Low Glycemic Load:

The glycemic load, or ability of foods to spike blood sugar also impacts weight gain. More highly processed foods have a higher glycemic load, so bread has a higher glycemic load than pasta, which has a higher glycemic load than eating a whole kernel or wheat or whatever your grain of choice.

Lower-glycemic foods can also cause you to burn more fat. When people eating the same number of calories in either a low-glycemic meal (Dr. Greger’s example is All-Bran cereal and fruit) vs a high-glycemic meal (such as Corn Flakes and white bread), individuals eating the low-glycemic meal burn more fat both exercising OR doing nothing.

Some of the best low-glycemic foods are beans. We love to put this homemade barbecue sauce over cooked beans or lentils for a super simple meal.

6. Make sure your fat is unsaturated:

In one study, participants ate a diet containing 38% fat, but those who switched to getting much of the fat from sources like avocados and nuts instead of meat and dairy lost weight. Researchers also compared subjects eating muffins baked with saturated or unsaturated plant oils and guess what?

The saturated (palm oil) muffins created significantly more liver and total body fat, including the especially harmful visceral fat that wraps around internal organs. Coconut oil is a saturated fat that is found to increase heart disease risk. Unsaturated fats are more quickly and easily burned by the body, so anytime you can dress your foods in guacamole or nut-based dressing made from whole, unsaturated fats, you do your internal organs a big favor.

7. Low in Added Sugar:

It should come as no surprise that added sugars, including the proclaimed zero calorie alternative sweeteners are associated with weight gain. The worst part? The more you eat the more you want!

Dr. Greger suggests that for the many of us who have a sweet tooth, completing a no-sugar challenge, even for only two weeks, adjusted their palate and up to 95 percent found sugary foods to be too sweet.

I found that to be the case with my own no-sugar challenge, and try to make our desserts from whole foods as much as possible.

8. Low in Addictive Foods:

Our bodies were created to reward meals with a boost of dopamine– without it we won’t survive very long. But the food industry has figured this out and done extensive research to create the bliss point, or make food as craveable and addictive as possible. This includes sugar, salt, fat and caffeine.

The good news is that that the more healthy food we eat, the better it begins to taste. Subjects who ate a low-salt diet gradually came to like the taste of salt-free soup more and more and the taste of salty soup less and less. Our taste buds are reborn every few weeks, so we have the chance to reset them rather than assault them with highly processed foods.

Cutting back on highly processed foods is one of the best ways to lower our salt-intake. This Carmelized Pineapple Tabasco Dip has a much lower salt profile than most traditional party dips would have, but is full of flavor and heart-healthy ingredients.

9. Low Calorie Density:

Fast food and processed food in America has grown increasingly dense in calories. In one study, researchers cut caloric intake nearly in half, without cutting portions, just by substituting less calorie-dense foods.

By replacing meats and sugary foods with lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans, research subjects reported equal satiety and enjoyment. Another study in Hawaii showed that research subjects could eat more food, but by focusing on plant foods the study subjects lost an average of seventeen pounds in just 21 days.

One of my favorite meals that allows me to eat and eat is this Super Food Kale Salad. My kids all love it, and I can happily eat 2-3 platefuls. It’s low-calorie and packed with nutrition and an amazing way to lose weight without portion control or calorie counting.

10. Low in Meat:

On average, vegetarians are about 25 pounds lighter than meat-eaters. Even more interestingly, vegetarian kids tend to be not just leaner, but also about an inch taller than their omnivorous classmates.

A research team looked at more than a thousand studies published in the last 20 years to find which foods were most determinant of long-term weight change. While it wasn’t surprising that they found white bread, sweets and desserts linked to weight gain, their main finding was that evidence was strongest for meat intake adding pounds.

I’ve served this fast and easy jackfruit taco filling to company multiple times, and no one knew it wasn’t chicken until a family member spilled my secret.

11. Low in Refined Grains:

In the Framingham Heart Study, after thousands of individuals underwent CT scans to determine how much fat they carried in their abdomens, those who had at least three servings of whole grains per day had about 20 cubic inches less fat around their organs AND 20 cubic inches less extra belly fat.

The benefits seemed to vanish though for those eating four or more daily servings of refined grains, so cutting the junk is important too.

Swapping out refined breakfast cereal and eating steel cut oats for breakfast has been such a great way to fill everyone up before they go to school and work AND cut down on the refined grains we are eating.

12. Low in Salt:

While numerous studies have found a correlation with salt intake and obesity, the cause and effect is less clear. Individuals eating more salt tend to be eating more processed foods on the whole, and salt also has the tendency to make you want to eat more.

I’ll confess I haven’t worked super hard to cut salt out of the food I make at home, and sounds like for the time being focusing on other foods may be enough: Dr. Greger says that the number one source of sodium intake for adults over fifty is bread. For younger adults it’s not the salty snacks you might guess but rather chicken, as it’s injected with a saline solution to improve the texture.

13. Low Insulin Index:

Insulin resistance may offer one excellent explanation as to why some people can eat all they want and never gain a pound, and others seem to do everything right and still struggle with their weight. Some are born with higher-than-normal insulin sensitivity, which can in turn lead to weight gain which then increases the insulin resistance being experienced.

The good news? It’s possible to improve insulin sensitivity through weight-loss, exercise and reducing intake of saturated fat. Do you know what’s really fascinating? Meat protein causes almost exactly as much insulin resistance as pure sugar (for those finding this hard to believe, it’s on page 219). Those eating plant-based diets average significantly lower insulin levels and have less insulin resistance.

Isolated soy protein causes an insulin surge, as do fish, egg whites and other animal proteins. Adding tofu, however, does not. This crispy baked tofu is an easy favorite at our house.

14. Microbiome Friendly:

The health of our microbiome is getting a lot more attention these days, and for good reason. The foods we eat feed the millions of bacteria in our microbiome, and one study found 8 species of bacteria that appeared protective against weight gain. All 8 species of protective bacteria ate fiber, which is only found in plant foods.

Scientists have even found that they can transplant microbiomes from one person to the next using fecal transplants (and they have been found to be 85% effective for Clostridum difficile infection!) One interesting side effect was noted however, when one thirty-two-year old woman experienced sudden and dramatic weight gain after receiving a transplant from a healthy but overweight donor. Similar results happened in mice. The good news? You can skip the fecal transplant and simply begin eating better–the microbiome begins to shift within 24 hours of consuming mostly plant foods.

One excellent and easy way to give your microbiome a boost of healthy bacteria is by making your own sauerkraut and makes for one of my favorite sandwiches.

15. Rich in Fruits and Vegetables:

One study found that those who ate more than 3 servings of vegetables a day lost as much weight as those who walked four or more hours a week. Another study found that adding three apples or pears a day contributed to weight loss, although other fruits seemed to improve other factors but not have a positive or negative effect on weight-loss.

Make sure you’re enjoying whole fruit though, as the refined and fiber-free juice is associated with weight gain. Even just ¼ tsp of daily garlic powder consumption was found to aid in weight loss in one study. Garlic also has blood-thinning effects, so should Dr. Greger recommends stopping it a week before elective surgery.

We LOVE eating apples with this decadent chocolate dip or this chocolate hummus. Make your dessert work FOR your weight loss goals instead of against it!

16. Rich in Legumes:

Have you heard of the Hispanic Paradox? That even though the Hispanic community tends to have higher poverty and less access to health care and education, they tend to live longer than the rest of the population? Many people believe this is due to increased consumption of beans.

One study found the most weight loss associated with soy food products. Lentils were shown to cause an extraordinarily low blood sugar response, not only for the meal at which they were eaten, but continued to benefit metabolism even 11 hours later. Beans have been shown to be the cornerstone of all of the longest living communities, so advice to worry about lectins is unfounded and profit-driven.

We have found that plain beans actually make a great snack! They are far more satisfying and less-expensive than many pre-packaged and processed snacks and I’ve been eating some while I write this article. This Oil-Free Black Bean, Avocado and Corn Salsa is also a favorite for lunches or snacks.

17. Satiating:

We often think of protein as the most satiating macronutrient. But fiber plays an important role because it helps to suppress hunger up to ten hours after it’s eaten. Fiber works to transport food all the way to the end of our digestive tracts and leave us feeling fully satiated.

Any of us can lose weight drinking only water, but is it sustainable? Eventually our survival instinct will kick in and we’ll be anxious to eat just as we would if we tried to hold our breath. So any variety of starvation diet is not going to last long enough to maintain weight loss.

This 10 minute broccoli soup is very satiating because of the quinoa, unsaturated fat, loads of vegetables and the fact that it’s a pureed soup!

While 17 things may seem like a lot to remember, eating for healthy weight-loss can be summed up as whole foods that are plant-based. With all the research highlighting whole plant-foods as powerful against heart disease, diabetes, cancer and now obesity, I love focusing on a whole-food, plant-strong diet to provide the best possible health for myself and my family.

For the majority of the population, a whole-foods, plant-based diet will yield significant and healthy weight-loss. But every approach has a bell-curve, and will undoubtedly have a few outliers that don’t experience the same results as the majority. Dr. Greger addresses this with his 21 tweaks designed to accelerate weight-loss, stay tuned for these highlights in the next installment of this series!

In the meantime, don’t miss the opportunity to hear Dr. Greger and many other experts, including Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Walter Willett (dean of nutrition at Harvard) during the free, online summit The Truth About Weight Loss beginning February 8th.

And although we all know that knowing what to eat is just one piece of actually doing it consistently, let’s work together to stop the misleading data from costing our loved ones to waste time, money and most importantly health on diets that don’t work.

It is high time we obliterate the confusion and get solid information into the hands of those who need it most, so please share and help spread the word!