Muscle growth and organ health depend on protein. When ingesting red meat, use extra-lean ground beef or lean beef pieces. Before cooking, remove the chicken's skin.

Avoid fatty deli meats like salami and bologna. As a substitute, select lean roast beef or turkey.

Protein sources for vegetarians include soy, almonds, beans, and seeds. Beans, lentils, and other legumes are great providers of fiber and protein.

Consume low-fat dairy products, such as nonfat yogurt and low-fat cheeses, as a source of protein. Greek yogurt has 11 grams of protein every 150-gram serving. According to the study, 20 women who substituted high-protein yogurt for low-protein crackers, chocolate, and other snacks consumed fewer calories and felt less hungry.

Fruit helps to satisfy your sweet tooth thanks to its natural sugars, while fresh vegetables help your stomach fill up more quickly. Fruits and vegetables contain fiber to help you feel full quickly. Try some of these tips to introduce more Fruit and vegetables into your diet:

Eat what is in season and eat fruit and vegetables for snacks or, for dessert. When you eat apples in the fall, for instance, or cherries in late summer, it might as well be an indulgent dessert. Cut up celery, carrots, peppers, broccoli or cauliflower and dip them in a light salad dressing or hummus.

Use vegetables as a main dish. For example, make a stir-fry or a hearty salad and add just a few ounces of cooked chicken, salmon or almonds.

Whole wheat bread, oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, sweet potato, and brown rice are all excellent sources of energy and sources of nutrition. Combined with the right combination of proteins and vegetables, whole grains are perfect all-around nutrition.

Simple carbs are things like white bread, processed flour, and white sugar. This gives you energy quickly, but then comes with a crash. It turns into fat very quickly.

Substitute whole wheat flour or oat flour into pancakes or baked goods. You might need to add additional leavening ingredients, like baking powder or yeast. Put barley in your soup instead of rice, or try a pilaf with barley, wild rice or brown rice.

Eat only naturally-occurring carbohydrates instead of processed carbohydrates. Avoid processed foods, like white bread, semolina pasta or crackers, or processed sweets like candy bars or sugary vegetables.

If you like the idea of following a more specific diet and putting the planning into someone else's hands, try following a new diet and exercise:

Follow a paleo diet and eat grass-produced meat, fish, and seafood, fresh fruits, and vegetables, eggs, seeds, and nuts, just like paleo-humans did. Eat nothing prepackaged or processed.[3]

Try sticking to raw foods. The Raw Food Diet requires 75 percent of your dietary intake to be uncooked. Most people eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and beans.[4]

Join a commercial diet plan. If you prefer to eat whatever you want and to meet weekly with other people who are losing weight, then try WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers). If you prefer prepared meals so that you don't have to cook, try Jenny Craig or multiSystem.