(via Zahrada on Reddit)

Here’s a list of things that should be in your kitchen - especially if you’re attempting to lose some body fat and/or be as healthy as humanly possible. I have absolutely no qualifications - just an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Of course, everyone should be eating more chicken, broccoli, and spinach, but here’s some more variety:

Berries. All of them – even if you’re doing keto. They’re super low calorie, taste amazing in everything (add some chopped berries to cottage cheese/plain yogurt and peanut butter), curb the sweet tooth, flavonoids up the wazoo, and are nutrient-dense to the brim. They’re both nature’s dessert and nutrient delivery system. Ten strawberries (120 grams) have 38 calories, 7 grams of net carbohydrates, and well over 100% of your vitamin C for the day.

Fish oil. Omega-3s: the source of a bajillion health benefits. Everyone should be supplementing with this on a daily basis. Also great for fat loss in controlled studies. (Thorsdottir I, Tomasson H, Gunnarsdottir I, Gisladottir E, Kiely M, Parra MD, et al. Randomized trial of weight-loss-diets for young adults varying in fish and fish oil content. Int J Obes 2007.) As a general guideline: liquid is better than pills; fish oil should not have a fishy taste.

Wild Salmon. Almost a second-parter to the previous entry: wild salmon is getting a healthy omega-3 intake in taste and style (you’ll find a much higher omega-3 content in wild fish, so spend the extra couple bucks and upgrade to the [better tasting] wild salmon). They have a good amount of protein and animal fats. Wild salmon is also the most damn delicious thing when grilled on a barbecue with salt, pepper, and thyme, finished with a squeeze of lemon. You won’t be hungry after a salmon steak and a side of leafy greens.

Whey Protein. Besides the obvious convenience of having a complete, super-bioavailable protein source on hand at any time and the numerous health benefits (immune response, brain function, tissue repair, etc.), replacing carbohydrate/fat calories with pure protein will have you coming to your next meal less hungry (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17964616), provide a thermic effect (which translates to less calories), preserve muscle mass when cutting (with a proper exercise program, it’ll lead to an improved body composition/support current basal metabolic rate), and possibly even slow absorption of sugars into the bloodstream (I’m not too sure about the science of carb-crashing - it seems to be more anecdotal than research-backed). Plus, they can be pretty damn tasty if blended with some ice and milk/water (my French vanilla protein tastes like ice cream when blended). I treat whey like a daily dessert. Note: many manufacturers use artificial sweeteners in their whey protein shakes so do your research on possible health issues.

Coffee/Yerba Mate/Green Tea/Black Tea/Oolong Tea. All of these drinks are zero calories on their own. Caffeine aids in fat loss as a thermogenic (even better when added with ephedrine – but make sure that you dose correctly if you take this route - I can provide links if necessary) and an ergogenic (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/481158). Drinking a morning green tea suppresses my hunger until lunchtime. Yerbe mate has about the same amount of caffeine as an espresso, so it’s a fine substitute for tea drinkers trying to get in some extra caffeine. When you’re first drinking coffee/yerbe, it may act as a diuretic, but your body will quickly adjust to this. Green teas have less caffeine, but they also have special polyphenols/catechins (epicatechin, epicatechin-3-gallate, epigallocatechin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate) which boost norepinephrine production, aiding in prolonging thermogenesis. EGCG supplements may help if you want this effect without drinking lots of tea – however, I recommend drinking the tea as I’m not sure how well they work on their own.

Extra Virgin Coconut oil. Coconut oils are satiating, delicious, and energy-boosting for a large amount of people. Medium-chain triglycerides don’t need to go through the lymphatic system and be digested by bile salts, so they’re digested very quickly and are used very similarly to carbohydrates. Although it can be expensive (a small tub runs me about $30), coconut oil is a necessary saturated fat to have in your diet. A randomized double-blind clinical trial with 40 women exhibiting obesity found that supplementation with coconut oil promoted a reduction in obesity without causing dyslipidemia. Add it to stir fry, fried eggs, desserts, and/or anything/everything. The thing is magic - especially if you’re a fan of the coconut flavor.

Kale. Go to your grocery store. Go to the fresh produce section. Step away from the lettuce (if you do anything, at least grab the spinach). STEP AWAY. Pick up that leafy monster. Never tried kale? Roast it with some olive oil in the oven (until it turns dark and brittle) for a crispy and super-healthy popcorn alternative. You can also add it to stir fry, boil it, steam it, and/or generally cook the hell out of it. Use it as filler with a piece of meat and some healthy fats (nuts, animal fat, olive/almond/macadamia nut/sesame oils) to stay satisfied longer. Kale is a flavonoid, vitamin, and an isothiocyanate (anti-cancer) delivery system. It’s the complete micro-supplement.

Omega-3 eggs. The whole egg. None of this “whites only” bullcrap. The omega-3 eggs have documented omega-3 fat content that’s mutiple times higher than the alternative (three-six times the amount in most cases) by having the hens eat a diet that’s more flax-rich. However, eggs are better than no eggs, so get whatever you can on your budget. I ate a dozen whole eggs a couple days ago (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). 85 calories, 6 grams of fat, 6 grams of protein, incredible nutrient density, a million ways to make them, relatively cheap protein source, they’ll keep you full for a lot longer than a bowl of cereal, and the cholesterol won’t do anything significant to your blood cholesterol in almost everyone. Eat them up.

Almond butter. Usually considered a bulking food, nut butters in moderation are fantastic at keeping hunger at bay and introducing good monounsaturated fats into your diet. Don’t, for heaven’s sake, buy anything that isn’t an oily mess when you open it (solid means hydrogenated oils – one of the most terrible things you can put in your body). There should be a layer of greasy goodness. Pro-tip: store it upside down for a couple days and mix it well. Don’t be pouring that goodness down the drain. There should be (at most) two ingredients: the almond and maybe salt. If you’re one of those people that finds it difficult to control intake of peanut butter, almond might suit you a lot better. Try putting a spoon in the middle of cottage cheese or yogurt to add some texture. Almonds, of course, have excellent health benefits and micro nutrient profiles.

Your favorite food. Sure, you might stick with healthy foods for a majority of your diet, but diets are by-large a mental game that develops your final physical state. It’s hard to remember to let yourself enjoy the stuff that makes you happy, whether it be cinnamon buns, Lindor chocolates, or a massive rack of sauced-up baby back ribs. In the long run, as long as it’s not an everyday type of thing and you keep your intake within reasonable amounts, it won’t make a measurable difference. Have a meal every week or two where you indulge in your favorite food(s) as part of your diet. It’ll keep you sane, prevent binges (once you add your favorite foods to your scheduled diet, you won’t be romanticizing the memory of them), and (most importantly) keep your favorites just a stone’s throw away. Eventually, if you’re anything like me, cheat meals will usually turn into oatmeal and whey protein (not to say that I don’t enjoy a good pizza or Chinese when I feel like I need it).