Achieving a healthy body doesn’t necessarily mean focusing on abs or having a perfect figure. Instead, you can be bulky or lean by choosing a cutting diet.
Searching for the best foods for cutting could be tedious and confusing. As a result, to help you, this article tries to put forward in detail the meaning of a cutting diet, its benefit, and the best foods you can add to your diet for cutting.
On the other hand, you might want to note that each person’s body might react differently to different foods. Hence, you might want to get the professional help you are looking to move in the right direction.
10 Best Foods For Cutting
If you are aiming for a cutting diet, then here’s a glance at the 10 best foods which you could add to your diet.
Whole Eggs
Being high in fat and protein, whole eggs are the ideal food item that you could add to your cutting diet. And if you didn’t already know, then a large whole egg may contain approximately 7 grams of protein.
So, if you are on a cutting diet, then eating whole eggs could provide[1] you with all the protein your body needs.
However, you need to be careful here, because though whole eggs are a rich source of protein, the yolk of the egg may contain a great amount of fat.
So if you are focusing on truncating your fat levels, then you may avoid the yolk and instead focus on the egg whites.
Generally, if your main aim is to lose fat, then you may not consume more than two to three whole eggs in a single day. However, if you are focusing just on the egg whites, then you could eat 4 to 6 ounces in a single day.
What’s great about eating whole eggs is that they could be prepared in a plethora of varieties and hence, may satiate your cravings.
Chicken Breast And Lean Beef
If you are a non-vegetarian, then the right item to include in your cutting diet could be lean beef and chicken breast. Since the beef and chicken breasts are high in protein, they are a good source of food to facilitate weight loss.
Eating a high protein diet may help you to stay full for a longer duration, and it could significantly truncate[2] your fat to promote your weight loss journey.
So if you are focusing on a moderate to high carb diet then you may focus on lean meats. But if you are focusing on a low-carb diet then you could even opt for fatty meats[3].
You could find approximately 21 grams of protein and three grams of fat in 100 grams of chicken breast. Since this food item has a greater protein-to-fat ratio, it could be a healthy alternative for your cutting diet.
Sweet Potato
Packed with approximately 400% of your daily requirements of vitamin A, sweet potatoes make up for one of the excellent items for your cutting diet.
This food item will help you to feel full[4] for a longer time and hence may help you in your weight loss journey.
If you eat one medium sweet potato, then it could provide you with approximately 2 grams of protein and four grams of fiber. So what are you waiting for?
Take a sweet potato, mash it up and flavor it with some oregano and chili flakes.
Salmon
Being a good source of protein and very low in saturated fats, salmon is another great option to add to your cutting diet.
Besides this, salmon also has a great amount of vitamin B12 and other nutrients like iron and vitamin D in it. But the health benefits of Salomon do not halt here.
You could find it loaded with omega-3 fatty acids which in turn may have a plethora[5] of health benefits like truncating the inflammation of the body or helping the body to fight off certain diseases.
So get ready to search for the different salmon recipes and add them to your diet so that you are not bored with the same recipe again and again.
Nuts
If you are occupied pretty much 24 by 7 and are looking for a food item that doesn’t need to be cooked, then your search ends here.
Being one of the best sources[6] of plant-based proteins, nuts are easily accessible and may not be cooked. All you have to do is carry them with you and eat them whenever you need to satisfy your hunger.
Not only this, but nuts even have myriad health benefits. According to a study conducted in 2017, they could help you in truncating the risk factors for different diseases like chronic or inflammation diseases.
Some of the nuts which may have a high quantity of protein content in them include, walnuts, pistachios, cashews, almonds and last but not the least peanuts.
Peanuts for weight loss has been used by one and all.Mushrooms
With innumerable health benefits, a mushroom is another item on our list that you may include in your cutting diet.
Being a member of the Fungi family, the fungal properties of mushrooms could provide you with some of the best nutritional benefits[7].
They are natural antibiotics and could be incorporated into your healthy eating plan.
Besides this, mushrooms are a good source of antioxidants, fiber, and protein and hence may prove to be beneficial for your weight loss journey.
And yes, these little packets of protein could even help to amplify the vitamin D levels in your body.
With all such nutrients present, the mushrooms could burn the fat in your body by regulating the glucose levels of the blood.
Due to this, these food items may help you to be energized for a longer duration so that you can work out for longer periods.
So get ready to learn different recipes you could try out with this mouthwatering item.
Leafy Green Vegetables
Some of the leafy green vegetables like spinach or kale may not be mouth watering or an exciting item for most of you, they could surely help you in your weight loss journey.
The major element of these vegetables that support a cutting diet is that they are low in carbs and calories, but high in fiber[8].
Due to this, you could easily enhance the volume of your meal and satisfy your hunger without even increasing the calories by adding these items to your cutting diet.
Moreover, they are even a good source of minerals, antioxidants, and vitamins that could facilitate the fat-burning process in your body.
Beans
Beans are a great food item that you could add to your meals during both the bulking phase and the cutting phase.
The major reason behind adding this food item to your diet during your cutting phase is that it could help[9] to maintain your big muscles by blocking starch.
Additionally, beans like the black beans are a good source of fiber and hence they could help you to feel full and satisfied for a longer time by slowing down your digestion process.
Chia Seeds
The last item on our list of the 10 best foods for cutting is chia seeds. Packed[10] with a plethora of nutrients and omega-3 fatty acids, these little seeds could offer great magic to your cutting diet.
A single tablespoon of this stage could provide you with approximately 5.5 grams of fiber and 69 calories.
Moreover, they are easy to eat and you could simply add them to your puddings or smoothies.
What Is A Cutting Diet?
As the name itself suggests, a cutting diet, also referred to as shredding, is a diet that could help to truncate the calorie consumption of a person to facilitate her or his loss of body fat.
However, the major aspect of a cutting diet is to make sure that the person maintains muscle mass.
Generally, different fitness enthusiasts or bodybuilders may use a cutting diet as a short-term program[11] before any competition or event.
Since the major aim of a cutting diet is to help you lose your fat while maintaining your muscle mass, you may use the benefit of weight lifting along with the cutting diet.
This may also help you to maintain your muscle mass with ease while you cut on calories.
Choosing A Cutting Diet
Generally, the fitness aficionados or the bodybuilders may choose their cutting diet for a particular duration, like two to four months.
This duration depends upon the requirements of the individual body, but the cutting diet is not followed for the long term.
Right before the cutting guide, you may focus[12] on the bulking phase that could require you to consume a protein-rich and high-calorie diet along with weight lifting.
The major aim of the bulking diet may be to help you amplify your muscle mass and consume more calories as required by your body. Later on, you can use these excess calories to build up new muscle.
This cutting phase after the bulking phase might aim at cutting down or shredding the extra fat that you must have gained during the bulking phase.
Wrapping It Up!
The type of cutting diet you choose will depend upon your personalized body requirements. You should focus on a cutting guide that may be tailored according to your macronutrient requirements[13].
This simply means that a 5-foot height woman may not require the same fat or protein intake as compared to a woman with a 6-foot height.
So you can add the above-mentioned food items to your cutting diet according to your body requirements and create a customized meal plan for yourself.
References/Sources
Working4Health prefers using primary and verified references. We have strict sourcing guidelines and our primary references include peer-reviewed research, academic, and medical institution studies.
- J S Vander Wal, A Gupta, P Khosla, et al. Egg breakfast enhances weight loss Int J Obes (Lond). 2008 Oct;32(10):1545-51. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2008.130. Epub 2008 Aug 5. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18679412/
- Franca Marangoni, Giovanni Corsello, Claudio Cricelli, et al. Role of poultry meat in a balanced diet aimed at maintaining health and wellbeing: an Italian consensus document Food Nutr Res. 2015; 59: 10.3402/fnr.v59.27606. Published online 2015 Jun 9. doi: 10.3402/fnr.v59.27606
- Michael A Roussell, Alison M Hill, Trent L Gaugler, et al. Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet study: effects on lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Jan; 95(1): 9–16. Published online 2011 Dec 14. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.111.016261
- TH Olubobokun, EO Aluko, EE Iyare, et al. Aqueous Extract of Ipomoea batatas Reduces Food Intake in Male Wistar Rats: A Pilot Study Ann Med Health Sci Res. 2014 Jul-Aug; 4(4): 647–649. doi: 10.4103/2141-9248.139362
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids Updated: June 2, 2022 Available from: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-HealthProfessional/
- Rávila Graziany Machado de Souza, Raquel Machado Schincaglia, Gustavo Duarte Pimentel, et al. Nuts and Human Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review Nutrients. 2017 Dec; 9(12): 1311. Published online 2017 Dec 2. doi: 10.3390/nu9121311
- María Elena Valverde, Talía Hernández-Pérez, and Octavio Paredes-López. Edible Mushrooms: Improving Human Health and Promoting Quality Life Int J Microbiol. 2015; 2015: 376387. Published online 2015 Jan 20. doi: 10.1155/2015/376387
- Elske M. Brouwer-Brolsma, Beate Brandl, Marion E. C. Buso, et al. Food intake biomarkers for green leafy vegetables, bulb vegetables, and stem vegetables: a review Genes Nutr. 2020; 15: 7. Published online 2020 Apr 9. doi: 10.1186/s12263-020-00667-z
- Rani Polak, Edward M. Phillips, and Amy Campbell Legumes: Health Benefits and Culinary Approaches to Increase Intake Clin Diabetes. 2015 Oct; 33(4): 198–205. doi: 10.2337/diaclin.33.4.198
- Katarzyna Marcinek, Zbigniew Krejpcio Chia seeds (Salvia hispanica): health promoting properties and therapeutic applications – a review Rocz Panstw Zakl Hig. 2017;68(2):123-129. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28646829/
- Eric R Helms, Alan A Aragon, and Peter J Fitschen. Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2014; 11: 20. Published online 2014 May 12. doi: 10.1186/1550-2783-11-20
- Juma Iraki, Peter Fitschen, Sergio Espinar, et al. Nutrition Recommendations for Bodybuilders in the Off-Season: A Narrative Review Sports (Basel). 2019 Jul; 7(7): 154. Published online 2019 Jun 26. doi: 10.3390/sports7070154
- Charles P Lambert, Laura L Frank, William J Evans Macronutrient considerations for the sport of bodybuilding Sports Med. 2004;34(5):317-27. doi: 10.2165/00007256-200434050-00004. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15107010/
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
Otella has an experience of around eight years of writing about health and nutrition-related topics. She is a full-time mother and a housewife, and the time she has left after doing her mother and household duties is spent writing for Working for Health as a full-time writer. Her life goal is to raise both her boys into a gentleman, and at the same time, she wants to educate people on how to keep themselves fit by tweaking their daily diet.