It would be fair to say that we’ve been overloaded with dieting advice over the decades. In fact, there have been so many contradictions over this period that it’s difficult to know what to believe anymore.

One year the experts might tell us to avoid fats completely, while another they may say that actually, they’re not always that bad.

It’s all about understanding foods and there’s no doubt that today, after millions of studies and scientific research, there’s some pretty solid advice out there regarding what to eat and what to avoid.

Of course, not everyone knows it. It’s one of the reasons companies like Stop Obesity For Life have become so hot in demand – procedure such as lap band surgery and other bariatric treatments have become increasingly common. In other words, obesity is a big problem in the country.

To help stop you fall into the above category, we’ve put together a guide on what to eat while dieting. By following this, and obviously sticking to rigid portion sizes, there’s no reason why you can’t drop the pounds.

Not all fats are bad

Let’s start with a point we made earlier in the article; not all fats are bad. Once upon a time this might have been documented, but now they have become more understood and must be incorporated into your diet – at least in moderation.

Of course, the type of fat is crucial here. Turning to fatty fast foods is a recipe for disaster. Instead, you need fats of the healthy variety – the saturated type to be precise. These are the likes of avocado, coconut oil and olive oil. Studies have shown these don’t increase your risk of heart disease; they’re completely safe.

Protein is the cornerstone of any diet

There’s a reason most people with that “beach body appearance” turn to protein, it’s pretty much a magic food type. When we talk about protein we’re referring to various meats, fish, seafood and eggs.

This is something which has been found to increase your metabolism, which has the knock-on effect of helping you burn more calories through the day.

Also, there have been other studies which have shown that consuming protein helps stop you turn to binge eating.

Vegetables have a huge part to play as well

This is one piece of advice that has never changed; in fact, we barely need to speak about it. Unsurprisingly, any decent diet needs to incorporate plenty of vegetables. They are low in calories, yet surprisingly filling. A win-win.

Avoid sugars and starches like the plague

Finally, in an era where sugar seems to be taking over the world, let’s make a blunt point. You need to avoid sugar as much as possible.

There have been some really interesting case studies over recent times showing the effects of completely cutting sugar out of a diet. We’re talking about everything from improved moods; to (you guessed it) weight loss.

Sugar causes insulin to be released in the body and as this is classed as the fat storage hormone, it stands to reason that this isn’t good news.

By lowering your intake, you can shed significant weight in a short period of time.