Understanding Obesity: Exploring Causes, Risks, and Paths to Better Health

6 Easy Recipes for Managing Obesity

Medically reviewed by Johna Burdeos, RD

Written by Marianne Moser, PT, DPT, FAAOMPT, CSCS

Posted on January 29, 2025

About 40 percent of adults in the U.S. have obesity, which is similarly common among men and women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Obesity, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) score of 30 or higher, increases the risk of serious health issues, including diabetes, heart disease, and sleep apnea. Although a variety of factors, such as genetics and medications, can contribute to obesity, making thoughtful meal choices is one accessible way to support health and manage weight.

If your goal is to lose weight or eat more healthfully, meals that focus on vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains are a great starting point. For example, plant-based recipes — like those featuring quinoa, sweet potatoes, black beans, and fresh veggies — can be both satisfying and nutritious.

This article provides practical information about balanced nutrition and offers six flavorful recipes that make healthy eating more approachable and enjoyable.

Eating Habits and Health

Losing weight isn’t just about cutting calories — it’s about adopting a sustainable and balanced approach to eating. Changing your diet is a key part of creating a healthier lifestyle, and as your eating habits change, your body adapts too. A nutritious diet may also help boost your mental health and influence how you experience food. Research shows that diets high in sugar or fat can impair taste and smell over time, potentially affecting food choices and contributing to overeating.

One member of MyObesityTeam asked, “Does anyone have information on plant-based diets?” Learning more about plant-based diets can be a great way to discover nutrient-rich meals that are satisfying and flavorful. For example, recipes featuring quinoa, sweet potatoes, and vegetables provide essential nutrients while being delicious and easy to prepare. Mediterranean-inspired dishes or high-protein, low-calorie meals can also offer variety and help make weight loss feel less overwhelming.

Healthy Meal Guidelines

It’s important to remember that what works for one person may not work for another. Experimenting with different foods and approaches can help you discover what feels best for your body and your goals. Adjusting your eating habits can also help address some invisible symptoms of obesity, such as fatigue and joint pain, and may even improve life expectancy.

Reducing overall calorie intake is a cornerstone of weight loss, but it’s not just about eating less — it’s also about making smart, satisfying food choices. Certain foods can help you feel fuller without adding a lot of calories, making it easier to stay on track. Consider these general characteristics of a healthy diet:

Low fat — Fats are calorie-dense, meaning they pack more calories per gram than carbohydrates or proteins do. Some diets focus on decreasing fat intake to promote weight loss.
Low carb — Carbohydrates influence levels of insulin (a hormone that helps your body use sugar for energy), which is particularly important for people managing diabetes or excess weight. Reducing carbs helps the body burn fat for energy through a process called lipolysis. Consider replacing carb-heavy side dishes with options such as zucchini noodles, cauliflower rice, or bell peppers to support blood sugar control.
High fiber — Fiber is a complex carbohydrate. Your body breaks fiber down more slowly, which leaves you feeling fuller longer. Plentiful in foods like black beans, sweet potatoes, and green beans, fiber also supports gut and heart health.
Less sugar — Added sugars can increase calorie intake without providing much satisfaction, often leading to overeating. Replace sugary snacks with naturally sweet options like fruit, and enhance flavor with lime juice and spices instead of high-sugar sauces.
Adequate protein — Protein is crucial for preserving muscle mass, especially as you age. This nutrient helps manage hunger by both boosting levels of appetite-reducing hormones and lowering hunger-promoting hormones. Include lean proteins like beans, fish, skinless chicken, or lean beef in your meals.

Getting started with a healthier eating pattern can feel overwhelming, but there are countless delicious and nutrient-rich recipes to explore. To help you begin, here are six simple recipes tailored to different dietary approaches.

1. Chicken Soup With an Italian Flair

This Atkins recipe for Italian chicken soup is low in carbohydrates, making it a great option for low-carb or ketogenic eating plans. If you’re avoiding gluten, check labels to make sure your chicken and any seasonings, marinades, or sauces are gluten-free, because gluten can sometimes be hidden in these ingredients. For a dairy-free version, simply skip the cheese.

Easy Italian Rotisserie Chicken Soup

Servings: 5 | Start to finish: 40 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped celery
1½ medium carrots, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups chopped fresh kale
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
4 cups chicken broth
2½ cups diced rotisserie chicken
1⅔ cups canned diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
5 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
5 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Coat the bottom of a large pot with the oil and place over medium heat. When warm, add the onion, celery, and carrots. Cook for about 8 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
Add kale and mushrooms, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes.
Add the broth, chicken, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the veggies are tender and the chicken is heated, about 10 minutes.
To serve, ladle about 1½ cups of soup into a bowl. Top with 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese and 1 teaspoon of parsley.

2. Spring Rolls as Salad To Go

Spring rolls provide a convenient, portable way to enjoy a salad with added protein. This recipe for spring rolls from Allrecipes is naturally low in fat and can easily be made gluten-free by ensuring the rice-based ingredients are gluten-free. Feel free to customize — swap the shrimp for another cooked protein like chicken, pork, or tofu. Pair these rolls with a low-fat dipping sauce, if you’d like.

Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls

Servings: 8 | Start to finish: 50 minutes

Ingredients

2 ounces rice vermicelli
8 (8.5-inch-diameter) rice wrappers
8 large cooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut in half
2 chopped lettuce leaves
3 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1⅓ tablespoons chopped Thai basil

Instructions

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
Stir in the vermicelli and return to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender yet firm, 3 to 5 minutes.
Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip the wrappers, one at a time, into the water for 1 second to soften.
Lay 1 wrapper flat. Place 2 shrimp halves in a row across the center, then add some of the vermicelli, lettuce, mint, cilantro, and basil, leaving about 2 inches on each side. Fold the sides inward, then tightly roll the wrapper. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

3. Protein-Rich One-Pan Meal

This high-protein, low-carb recipe from Recipe Runner checks several boxes for nutritional needs. Featuring ground turkey but also loaded with vegetables, this skillet meal offers a good amount of fiber to support digestion. The recipe is naturally gluten-free and can easily be made dairy-free by skipping the cheese.

Turkey and Vegetable Skillet

Servings: 4 | Start to finish: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound lean ground turkey
½ cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes
1½ cups diced zucchini or summer squash
1 cup fresh green beans (ends trimmed), cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces
½ cup shredded smoked or regular mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to broil.
In a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high, heat the oil. Add the turkey and, using a wooden spoon, separate the meat.
When the turkey is almost cooked through, stir in the onion, garlic, oregano, basil, and salt. Season with pepper, and cook for 1 minute more.
Add the tomatoes, zucchini or squash, and green beans. Cook until the vegetables are softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with the cheese, and place the skillet under the broiler until the cheese is melted and golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Fiber-Rich Mediterranean Mix

Mediterranean-inspired recipes, like this colorful salad from Two Peas & Their Pod, showcase plant-based ingredients that are rich in fiber. This type of diet has been shown to improve heart health and support weight loss. This dish stars quinoa, but high-protein whole grains such as farro, millet, and sorghum also work well.

Mediterranean Three-Bean Quinoa Salad

Servings: 8 | Start to finish: 35 minutes

Salad Ingredients

2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
½ pound green beans (trimmed), snapped into 2-inch pieces
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can white beans, rinsed and drained
1 red bell pepper (seeds removed), chopped
1 yellow bell pepper (seeds removed), chopped
1 cup chopped seedless cucumbers
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
⅓ cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half
¼ cup diced red onion
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Dressing Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, pressed
¼ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

In a medium saucepan over high, add the water and quinoa. Bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat, let stand for 5 minutes, and then uncover. Fluff the quinoa with a fork, and then spoon it into a large bowl.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Add the green beans to the pot, and cook until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain, place in a bowl of ice water, drain again, and pat dry.
Add the green beans, garbanzo beans, white beans, red and yellow peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, onion, feta, and basil to the bowl with the quinoa.
Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, garlic, basil, oregano, and salt and black pepper to taste.
Pour the dressing over the quinoa mixture, and gently stir to coat the salad. Season with additional salt and pepper.

5. Simple Sweet Potato

It doesn’t get much simpler than this recipe from Love and Lemons — just one main ingredient, plus toppings of your choosing, for a meal that’s loaded with fiber and low in calories. The recipe below calls for a single sweet potato, but make as many as you need to feed your family or friends or to freeze for a fast meal later.

Baked Sweet Potato

Servings: 1 | Start to finish: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 sweet potato
Toppings as desired, such as butter or vegan butter, sea salt, chives, Greek yogurt, tzatziki, or guacamole

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Place a piece of foil on a baking sheet.
Using a fork, poke holes in the sweet potato. Place the potato on the baking sheet, and bake until soft when pierced with a fork, 40 to 50 minutes.
Serve with desired toppings.

6. Easy Vegan Tacos

This recipe from The Simple Veganista supplies plenty of fiber, provides a good amount of plant-based protein, and is low fat. With beans as the primary protein source, these tacos are a perfect fit for vegan and vegetarian diets.

Black Bean Tacos

Servings: 5 (2 tacos each) | Start to finish: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 small jalapeno (seeds removed), diced (optional)
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of salt
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
¼ to ½ cup water or vegetable broth
Corn or flour tortillas, warmed (see note)
Optional toppings: Shredded romaine or lettuce, pico de gallo or salsa, sliced avocado, chopped cilantro, lime wedges, vegan cheese

Instructions

In a medium pot over medium, heat the oil.
Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
Add the jalapeno (if desired), cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and salt. Cook until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds.
Add the beans and ¼ cup water or broth, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes more.
Remove the pot from the heat. Using the back of a fork or slotted spoon, mash at least half of the beans.
Add the remaining water or broth as needed for desired consistency. Taste and add more salt as needed
Place 1 tortilla on a flat surface, top with ¼ cup of the beans, and add desired toppings. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Note

Tortillas can be warmed on the stovetop in a pan over medium-low. Flip them often until they’re warm and lightly charred around the edges.

Work With Your Doctor

Changing your eating habits can be challenging, but finding what works best for you and supports your health goals is worth the effort. It may take some time and experimentation. Talking with your doctor is a great place to start. They can offer guidance and connect you with resources tailored to your health goals.

Talk With Others Who Understand

On MyObesityTeam, the social network for people with obesity and their loved ones, more than 56,000 members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with obesity.

Have you made dietary changes to help reach your health goals? Do you have any favorite recipes? Share your thoughts in the comments below, or start a conversation by posting on your Activities page.

References