Everyone experiences those nights when you have no energy left to follow a dinner recipe or cook something new, so you instead decide to just combine whatever you have left in the fridge.
If you’re throwing together a last-minute dinner, it’s helpful to know which food combinations can be helpful for following your health goals if one of those goals is weight loss.
To learn about the best dinner combination to try when you’re trying to lose weight, we talked with dietitian Courtney D’Angelo, MS, RD, author at Go Wellness.
According to D’Angelo, “you’ll really want to build your plate around three major food groups: protein, green veggies, and carbs, with the centerpiece of your plate being the protein.”
The best dinner combination for weight loss features lean protein, green veggies, and healthy carbs.
Protein
For a protein, something lean like chicken, turkey, or fish will work well for your weight loss goals.
“Lean protein should be the main portion of your plate, and ideally you should be trying to shoot for 25-30 grams of protein for your dinner,” says D’Angelo, “mainly because Protein can help with building lean muscle, losing fat, and keeping you full for longer periods of time.
Green vegetables
According to D’Angelo, another crucial component of a healthy weight loss dinner is plenty of green vegetables.
“My recommendations are broccoli or spinach because both of these green veggies provide fiber, minerals, and nutrients your body needs, and fiber (just like protein) will help keep you feeling full longer.”
Healthy carbs
And lastly, despite some fears many people have around eating carbs and losing weight, it’s actually beneficial to incorporate a healthy carb into your dinner recipe.
“I usually recommend a moderate portion of a healthy carb like sweet potatoes or rice, but there are others as well if you don’t like these,” says D’Angelo, “because healthy carbs like these provide energy, which is important for staying physically active, and they can also help keep you full longer, just like protein and green veggies.”
The takeaway
A combination of lean protein, green vegetables, and a healthy carbohydrate is one of the best dinner combinations you can throw together on those nights when you don’t want to follow a recipe but still want to cook at home.
If you’d like more ideas on how to cook this dinner combination in a creative way, you can look through these ideas. And for more healthy weight loss tips, you can check out 15 Underrated Weight Loss Tips That Actually Work.
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