8 Foods to Help You Lose Weight

After a month of indulgence, it’s difficult to follow a strict diet regime. We suggest some meal and snack options that should become a part of your daily diet for at least two months. These recipes will help you lose the extra flab & make you feel much lighter.

Grape jell-o-cups, What you need: 4 cups of green and black grapes, 2 packets unflavoured gelatin, 1 1/2 cups green grapes How to make it: In a saucepan set over medium heat, pour in 3 cups of the grape juice. In a small bowl, add the juice and the gelatin mixture. Whisk until gelatin dissolves. Allow mixture to cool for about 30 minutes and then pour into clear glasses. Refrigerate for about 1-2 hours. Stir in a generous handful of grapes into each cup. Refrigerate until firm and serve.

Raw papaya and tropical fruit salad with kiwi mint, What you need: 200 gms raw peeled papaya, 1-2 tbsp lemon juice, 4 cups of shredded cabbage and carrots, 4 cups of chopped romaine lettuce, 1 cup chopped pineapple, 2 large diced guavas, 1 cup julienned red bell pepper, 2 tbsp julienned peeled fresh ginger Kiwi mint dressing: 1 mango, peeled, pitted and chopped, 1-2 chopped green onions, ¼ cup rice vinegar, 2 tsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp fresh mint, 1 tbsp lime juice, pinch of salt How to make it: Take the grated raw papaya and place it in a large bowl with romaine, pineapple, guava, red bell pepper and ginger. Drizzle with dressing and toss well to coat. To make the dressing puree, mix all the ingredients except the mint in a blender until smooth. Add mint and pulse until the mint is chopped. Toss with salad or serve alongside.

Tofu with peanut-ginger sauce, What you need: 5 tbsp water, 4 tbsp smooth peanut butter, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tsp soy sauce, 2 tsp honey, 2 tsp minced ginger, 2 clove garlic minced, 10-12 cubes of tofu, 2 tsp extra virgin oil, 4 cups baby spinach, 1 ½ cup sliced mushrooms, pinch of salt How to make it: Whisk water, peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, ginger and garlic in a small bowl. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add tofu cubes and cook in a single layer without stirring, until the pieces begin to turn golden brown on the bottom for about 5 minutes. Add spinach, mushroom, salt and the peanut sauce and cook. Stir until the vegetables are cooked.

Chicken and apricot skewers, What you need: 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, ½ tsp finely grated lemon zest, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp ground coriander, ½ tsp salt, 1 pound skinless boneless chicken legs cut into 3-4 cubes, 8-10 inch skewers, 1 ½ cups diced fresh apricot, 2 tbsp chopped fresh leaves, 1 lemon cut into wedges, 1 tsp olive oil How to make it: Whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, cumin, coriander and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Add the chicken to the marinade and toss to coat. While the chicken is marinating, soak the skewers in water. Thread the chicken cubes into the skewers over medium high heat. Sprinkle with mint leaves and serve with apricot wedges on the side.

Fig and sweet potato burger, What you need: 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 small diced onion, 1 clove minced garlic, ½ cup chopped fresh fig, 1 cup cooked sweet potato, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper How to make it: Heat olive oil in a small skillet, set over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook until tender for about 10 minutes. Add in garlic and cook for about a minute. Remove from heat and add in grated sweet potato. Mix well and cool. Add in fresh chopped figs and mix lightly. Divide the mixture into sixths and shape each portion into burgers. Freeze on parchment paper. Serve on whole wheat buns with lettuce and tomato. Heat before you serve!

Melon soup, What you need: 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 medium sized cantaloupe melon, 100 gm celery diced, 200 gm thinly sliced carrots, 30 finely minced ginger, 200 ml vegetable stock How to make it: In a large pot set over low heat, cook the celery and carrots in olive oil. Cook until tender for about 10 minutes. Stir in the ginger and cook for about a minute. Pour in vegetable stock, raise the heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes and put away from the heat. Chill the above preparation. Dice the cantaloupe melon and divide in two parts. Puree the first part and scoop the rest. Add to the preparation.

Blueberry smoothie, What you need: 3 cups fresh blueberries, 1 lemon juice, 350 ml concentrated fruit juice or 1 cup yoghurt, 1.5 cup skimmed milk, 1 cup frozen strawberries How to make it: Combine all the ingredients in a blender and mix until well mixed. Add a pinch of salt to bring out the flavour.

Celery soup, What you need: 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 garlic chopped, ½ red onion chopped, 150 gms celery chopped, 200 ml chicken/vegetable stock, 2 clices toasted ciabatta to serve How to make it: Heat oil in a saucepan and cook the garlic, onion and celery over low heat for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the stock and simmer for about 10 minutes. Transfer the soup to a blender if you want it smooth. To serve, place the soup in a bowl with the toasted ciabatta along side.