10 Foods to Add to Your Maintenance Bariatric Diet

1.  Greek Yogurt:  Packed with protein, low in fat and very tasty! This provides a great source of calcium.

One study looked at a group of obese adults who ate three, 6-ounce servings of fat-free yogurt a day as part of a diet reduced by 500 calories from their normal intake. The study found that this group lost 22% more weight and 61% more body fat than another group of participants who ate the reduced-calorie diet without emphasizing calcium-rich foods. Even more impressive: the yogurt eaters also lost 81% more stomach fat.
Try swapping your low fat yogurt with Greek.

2. Black Beans:  Each ½ cup has around 7 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber!

Try adding beans to salads, soups, or any dish.

3. Avacado:  Avacados are rich in monounsaturated fat which is heart healthy.  Your body also needs a certain amount of fat each day.  This is a good one to add!  Be aware..  avacados are high in calories, so use sparingly. 

Add to salads, wraps,  etc.

4. Sweet Potatoes:  Much better than regular potatoes.  They are a good source of fiber, potassium, vitamin C and Vitamin A.   These are still a carbohydrate based food, but sweet potatoes are much more nutrient dense.

5. Soy Products:  Boca Bugers, Morning Star Farms, etc.  These products are high in protein, low in fat, low in calories and high in antioxidents.

Try substituting a Boca Burger for your hamburger next time you serve burgers at home.   Did you know, you could eat four Boca Burgers for the same amount of calories of one hamburger!

6. Salmon:  This is high in monounsaturated fat (the good kind) and high in Omega 3s, which can reduce your risk of heart disease! An Australian study showed overweight people who eat fish daily improve their insulin/glucose response.
Try for two 4 oz servings per week.  Wild salmon will contain more omega threes than farm raised.

7. Spinach:  Swap this instead of iceberg in salads.  Full of folate, potassium, magnesium, and iron.
Try adding it in salads, soups, and casseroles a little at a time.

8. Berries (Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries) :  1 cup is 80 calories, 4 grams of fiber, Vitamin C, and Antioxidants.

Try adding small amounts in moderation to your bariatric diet.

9. Grapefruit:  A compound in grapefruit can lower insulin.  Good source of vitamin C

A study found that grapefruit may help encourage weight loss and reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Study participants who ate a grapefruit at each meal for 12 weeks lost an average of 3.6 pounds (some in the group lost as much as 10 pounds), while a comparison group that didn't eat grapefruit lost 1/2 pound, according to a recent pilot study by Scripps Clinic in San Diego. The researchers noticed that after the meals, the grapefruit eaters also had reduced levels of insulin and blood sugar.

10. Green Tea:  Full of antioxidents, low calorie and better than soda! In a recent study, volunteers who drank a bottle of tea (fortified with green tea extract) every day for three months lost more body fat than another group who drank a bottle of regular oolong tea. Except for the different teas, their overall diets were similar. Researchers suspect that the catechins (helpful phytochemicals) in green tea may trigger weight loss by stimulating the body to burn calories and mildly decrease body fat.

Try substituting one of your waters for green tea or sip on a cup of hot green tea one afternoon.

11.  Edamame: If you're looking for a great source of protein but don't want to get it from an animal product, soybeans (edamame) are the way to go! A half-cup of edamame has about the same amount of protein as four ounces of chicken. Further, studies have shown that soybeans may help to reduce LDL cholesterol,  as well as decrease your overall risk of breast cancer.