Healthy dinners for weight loss
Fill about half your plate with veg. Add some protein and a little wholegrain starch. But healthy food can still add up to too much. One extra scoop of rice can double its calories.
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What makes a healthy meal for weight loss?
One that fills you up for fewer calories. The NHS starts with about half your plate as veg.
| Part | How much | Easy picks |
|---|---|---|
| Veg | About half your plate, 2 or more portions | Broccoli, peas, peppers, spinach, tinned tomatoes |
| Protein | Some at each meal | Beans, lentils, fish, eggs, chicken without the skin |
| Starch | Wholegrain when you can. No more than a third of what you eat each day. | Brown rice, wholemeal pasta, potatoes in their skins |
| Oil | Small amounts, measured with a teaspoon | Olive, sunflower or rapeseed oil |
Sources: NHS Better Health; NHS 5 A Day
Veg is mostly low in calories and high in fibre, so it can help you feel fuller for longer. Protein can do the same.
How big a change? The NHS suggests eating around 600 calories a day less than now. About 200 of that can come from dinner.
Tonight, put the veg on your plate first. Then add the rest.
Easy healthy dinners for weight loss
The NHS has over 90 free dinner recipes. Each portion is under 600 calories. These eight follow the plate rule and use everyday food.
| Dinner | What’s in it | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Tuna and bean jacket | Baked potato, tuna in water, beans, pepper, tomatoes | 281 |
| Turkey stir-fry | Turkey, egg noodles, pepper, carrot, celery, mushrooms | 301 |
| Quick chicken couscous | Chicken breast, couscous, sweetcorn, tomato, cucumber | 322 |
| Roast chicken with peppers | Chicken breast, peppers, baked potato, broccoli | 384 |
| Shakshuka | Eggs, chickpeas, peppers, aubergine, spinach, tomatoes | 417 |
| Kidney bean curry (rajma) | Kidney beans, tomatoes, basmati rice, cucumber, yoghurt | 446 |
| Salmon and broccoli pasta | Salmon, wholemeal pasta, broccoli, peas | 465 |
| Chilli con carne | Extra-lean mince, kidney beans, pepper, mushrooms, rice | 488 |
Source: NHS Healthier Families
Want chicken? Start with the chicken couscous or the roast chicken with peppers. Turkey works the same way in the stir-fry.
Pick two to cook this week. For a full week of meals, see the 7-day meal plan for weight loss.
Can you gain weight on healthy meals?
Yes. If you often eat more calories than your body needs, even from healthy foods, you can gain weight.
Source: NHS Better Health
That’s the rice scoop from the top of the page. The NHS uses this exact example. Weigh rice and pasta before you cook them, because they swell.
You don’t have to weigh forever. Do it until you know what your usual scoop weighs.
Oil adds up too, so measure it with a teaspoon. Serve yourself once.
Turn off the TV while you eat. The NHS says this can help you notice when you’re full.
Is salad good for weight loss?
It can be, if it’s light. In one study, 42 women ate a set salad before a pasta lunch. Then they ate as much pasta as they wanted.
| Salad eaten first | Small bowl | Large bowl |
|---|---|---|
| Light: little dressing or cheese | 7% fewer calories | 12% fewer calories |
| Rich: more dressing and cheese | 8% more calories | 17% more calories |
Source: Rolls 2004
Those were single lunches in a lab, not a weight-loss trial.
A year-long trial of fruit and veg, not salad alone, points the same way. Women with obesity who cut fat and ate more fruit and veg lost 7.9 kg against 6.4 kg for cutting fat alone. They also said they felt less hungry.
So start dinner with a big plain salad. Add a squeeze of lemon, and keep the cheese and creamy dressing for the odd night.
Healthy meals on a budget to lose weight
Frozen and tinned veg count the same as fresh. 80g is one portion of your 5 A Day.
Six habits for cheaper, lighter dinners
- Keep frozen veg in the freezer and fill half your plate with it.
- Buy tinned veg in water, with no added sugar or salt.
- Use tinned beans or lentils to stretch mince, or in place of it.
- Weigh rice and pasta before you cook them.
- Measure oil with a teaspoon.
- Cook from scratch instead of ready meals and takeaways.
Sources: NHS 5 A Day; NHS Better Health; NHS
The tuna and bean jacket, kidney bean curry and bean and tomato soup (155 calories) are all built on tins.
Full before your plate is empty? Save the rest for tomorrow’s lunch. For more filling foods, see high-fibre foods and a high-protein diet for weight loss.
When to speak to a GP
The NHS says to see a GP if your BMI (a weight-for-height score) is overweight or obese and:
- You want help to lose weight.
- Your waist is more than half your height. See waist-to-height ratio.
- You have pre-diabetes, diabetes, high blood pressure, joint pain, high cholesterol, sleep apnoea (when your breathing stops and starts while you sleep) or heart and circulation disease.
- Obesity runs in your family.
- You have, or think you may have, an eating disorder, such as binge eating.
Have a medical condition, a special diet for your health, or an eating disorder now or in the past? First talk to a GP or health professional before you change how you eat.
Comparing diets? See the best diet to lose weight.