Weight Loss: Vegetables For Losing Weight And Weight Loss Diet Plan

Have you measured your waist recently? Take a minute to get an honest observation, and absolutely no sucking your tummy in. Doctors suggest that women should come in at about 35 inches, while men can have about 40 inches around their waist. Anything above this indicates an excess amount of belly fat that must be reduced. 

But why? Before we get into a lengthy list of vegetables for weight loss, let us first understand why stored fat in the abdomen is dangerous for our overall health and wellness. 

What are the disadvantages of belly fat?

While subcutaneous fat (or what we like calling "love handles") are not health hazards, fat lying deep within your abdomen is very dangerous. 

Some of the complications associated with belly fat are:

• Heart ailments or cardiovascular diseases
• Type 2 diabetes
• Higher risk of certain cancers like colorectal cancer
• Sleeping disorders 
• High blood pressure

How do vegetables aid weight loss?

Getting rid of belly fat requires you to follow a disciplined routine of diet and exercise. There are certain foods that can aid you in this effort due to their ability to burn calories at a much higher rate.

There is a reason vegan and vegetarian diets rank highly in weight-loss programs. Here's how vegetables aid weight loss:  

• Vegetables are naturally low in calories and can keep you full longer, thus providing the ideal setup for your diet plan. 
• Indian vegetable curries are prepared with higher water content, which means that while the volume of what you eat remains the same, the calories taken in are lower. 
• Their high fibre content automatically improves your body's metabolism, thus making vegetables ideal for weight loss.

Of course, no two of nature's creations are the same. So, let us look at a list of vegetables for weight loss ranking veggies on their capacity to burn through calories faster! 

Leafy Greens like Spinach

All leafy green vegetables like spinach, cabbage, lettuce and kale are ideal vegetables for a diet plan. This is because they are low in calories and carbohydrates while having high fibre content. Additionally, they are high in vitamins, antioxidants and minerals like iron and calcium, making their health benefits patently obvious. 

Suggested diet:   
•    Add chopped or blanched spinach to your soups or pasta a few moments before you finish cooking them. This can also be part of a boiled vegetables diet for weight loss.
•    Add cooked leaves into your favourite fruit smoothie or lookup a recipe for a green smoothie containing ingredients of your choice.  

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Mushrooms

These are a surprising addition to the list of vegetables for weight loss, but they are proven to be highly effective. Mushrooms are low in calories and rich in protein, they speed up your metabolism to aid in weight loss. Additionally, they are known to regulate glucose levels in your blood. 

Suggested diet:   

• Stir fry or saute mushrooms with little oil and other vegetables to go along with them. 
• Alternatively, sprinkle olive oil on them and roast them in the oven until they are brown. 

Broccoli and/or Cauliflower

What's not to like about broccoli? This superfood is among the most ideal vegetables for weight loss as it has high fibre content and many healthy vitamins and minerals like iron. It fills you up quicker at a much lower calorie count than almost any other vegetable. For those who cannot stand the taste of broccoli, cauliflower is a slightly less nutritious, but still a powerful alternative. 

Suggested diet:   

• Steam or stir fry broccoli with some vinegar and olive oil.
• Cauliflower works best with other vegetables, as a broth or in a soup.

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Chillies and Peppers

These spicy vegetables are a recent addition to the list of vegetables for weight loss. It is said that the heat produced due to their spiciness helps us burn calories much faster (ever noticed how you sweat when you bite into one?) and works quickly through any fat deposits. Obviously, we cannot chew them round the clock, so it's best to have them as a part of vegetables for diet plan. 

Suggested diet:

• Simply saute in raw chillies (red or green) in your curries instead of using powdered spices. 

• Capsicum recipes are easily found on the internet. Remember, never to overcook capsicum as it would reduce its nutritional value.  

Pumpkin

Rich in Vitamin A and antioxidants, pumpkins are always a healthy addition to your diet. Their low calorie count and high fibre density also makes them one of the ideal vegetables for weight loss. 

Suggested diet:
•    Blanch them and add them to your salads or curries. If you are using it as part of boiled vegetables diet for weight loss, do not throw away the water it is cooked in! 
•    Blend in cooked pumpkin or pumpkin powder into your fruit/vegetable smoothies.

Cucumbers

An obvious addition that is also a favourite for many! High in water content and very low in calories, cucumbers are part of every detoxifying diet. With many important vitamins and minerals, cucumbers help in balancing blood sugar levels too! 

Suggested diet: 

• Raw cucumbers are the ideal mid-meal snack to satisfy your hunger cravings and keep you felling full for longer without adding any calories. 
• Add them to your favourite vegetable juices, salads or soups. Because they do not have a distinct taste profile, they do not alter the flavour of your favourite dishes one bit. 

So whether you are on a boiled vegetables diet for weight loss or a vegan diet, remember that vegetables work best to burn that stubborn belly fat you seem unable to get rid of. Therefore, get started on the path to good health today! 

Note: Please consult your dietitian before starting.

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