Try adding these five natural foods into your day and reap the rewards.
Nuts and olives
They may be small, but nuts and olives (plus pure nut butters and olive oil) are also loaded with healthy fats (technically known as monounsaturated fatty acids, or MUFAs). Include black olives in your next salad for a fast flavour kick or eat a handful of walnuts or almonds as a quick satisfying 3pm snack. Just a handful will keep hunger pangs at bay (Measure a handful onto a dish so you're not tempted to eat the whole pack.)
Seeds
Sprinkle on your morning muesli, sneak some into pasta sauces or use them to decorate a smoothie. Seeds are a fantastic source of belly-blasting MUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acids). Think sunflower, pumpkin, sesame or chia.
Berries
A recent animal study found that berries may help turn white fat into kilojoule-burning ‘beige’ fat. The research is in its early stages, but we’ll take any reason to enjoy these delicious fruits - in autumn and winter, grab them frozen from the freezer aisle and add them to smoothies, or to top your morning cereal or porridge!
Broccolini
Loading your plate with leafy greens like broccolini or kale can trim the number of kilojoules you eat by 10%. Added bonus? Filling up on fibre-rich vegies keeps you satisfied and short circuits hunger.
Oranges
Along with helping stave of pesky colds (bless you!) thanks to their high vitamin C levels, oranges are also associated with weight control. They’re low in kilojoules but chockers with nutrients, including antioxidants, folate, fibre and potassium.