Vegetables are essential for a healthy diet, but surprisingly few people realize how many calories they consume in their daily diet. When you eat something that is high in calories, but doesn’t make you feel particularly good, you’ll start to lose weight faster than you think. Let’s take a look at the top 10 vegetables that make you lose weight and how you can cook them to optimize your calorie intake.
Spinach
Spinach is a nutritional powerhouse that doesn’t hurt your waistline either. The green vegetable is high in water content and fiber, and it also contains an important nutrient called glucoraphanin, which gives it the ability to bind metal ions. What does all this mean? It means that when you eat spinach, you’ll stay fuller for longer, and you’ll lose weight too! One study showed that people who consumed meals containing spinach lost 11% more weight than those who ate spinach-free meals. That’s a significant amount of weight loss that you’d have to eat a lot of spinach to achieve.
If you’re not convinced that spinach is among the best vegetables for weight loss, check out these amazing weight loss stats for spinach:
- 95% of people who eat it lose some weight
- It has a low GI which stands for glycemic index
- It’s high in fiber which makes you feel full
- It has multiple health benefits, including protecting the skin and reducing high blood pressure
- It contains antioxidants which fight off free radicals in your body, destroying cancer cells in the process
- Spinach is one of the top 10 vegetables that make you lose weight
- And finally, it’s incredibly cheap (a 5-ounce bag normally costs only $1.29 at the supermarket).
One final perk of spinach is that it tastes amazing! There’s nothing worse than overcooked, slimy vegetables, so make sure you don’t let that happen. One way to ensure that your spinach is cooked properly is to mix a bit of milk into the chopped spinach leaves before adding it to the pan. The milk will help reduce the sliminess and make the entire meal taste better. Try this out once, and you’ll wonder why you hadn’t done it before.
Broccoli
Broccoli is a member of the cabbage family, and thus is closely related to cabbage, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts. What makes broccoli different from the other vegetables in the family is that it contains high levels of antioxidants called vitamin C and glucoraphanin, which help protect your body from damage caused by free radicals. Antioxidants feed off of the toxins introduced into your body by toxins such as acetaldehyde, which is a byproduct of alcohol metabolism. When you combine broccoli’s healthy, toxin-fighting antioxidants with its nutritional benefits—including vitamins K and C—you get a nutritional powerhouse.
According to researchers, people who consume broccoli on a regular basis have lower abdominal obesity rates and a lower overall Body Mass Index (BMI). The vegetable also helps reduce cholesterol and triglycerides, while increasing good cholesterol production. So not only does broccoli help you lose weight, but it also improves your overall health!
The key to cooking broccoli is keeping its florets separate from the stalks. The stalks contain a thick layer of fiber which, if overcooked, can make you bloated. Cutting the stalks and reserving the florets for later use ensures that you get the most nutritional value out of the vegetable. You can also dice the stalks and reserve the florets in a separate container to save time and prevent the stalks from being overcooked while you prepare the broccoli for consumption.
Cauliflower
Cauliflower is another member of the cabbage family that you can use to make your weight loss efforts simpler. Like broccoli, cauliflower contains high levels of antioxidants and nutrients, along with some Vitamin C. Vitamin C encourages cell reproduction, which helps the body grow new tissues, including new fat cells. This is why it’s often referred to as the “fat-fighting” vitamin!
Cauliflower is a versatile vegetable that you can use in a variety of ways. You can eat it raw or cooked, mashed or chopped. Some people even like to mix their mashed potatoes with grilled cauliflower instead of regular potatoes. It’s a perfect carbohydrate source for someone undergoing a weight loss diet, as it is low in calories while providing multiple health benefits.
Cauliflower is very good for the skin and it contributes to healthy hair and nails. It also aids in the functioning of the immune system and helps eliminate toxins from the body. So not only does it help you lose weight, but it also improves your overall health!
The best way to prepare cauliflower is to cut it into small pieces and steam it. When you cook the vegetable, the nutrients become more available to your body, while the carbohydrate content is significantly reduced. One tablespoon of olive oil can be used to steam cauliflower, and it will taste much better than if you had boiled it in plain water. You can also use a bit of cream or milk to make the cauliflower taste slightly different and add some more flavor to the dish.
Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts are members of the cabbage family that are related to broccoli and cauliflower. The vegetable also contains some Vitamin C, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds that have been shown to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. All of these nutrients make Brussels sprouts a good food for people suffering from obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes.
You can prepare brussels sprouts in almost the same way you cook cauliflower. The difference is that instead of cutting the stalks and reserving the florets, you should cut the stalks and reserve the individual leaves. The key to keeping healthy nutrients in your diet is keeping the brussels sprouts thinly sliced instead of grilling or boiling them whole. Thinly sliced brussels sprouts have a significantly lower calorie count than the grilled or boiled versions, while retaining most of the nutrients.
You can also add some heat to your brussels sprouts by tossing a handful of dry mustard seeds into your steaming pot. The mustard seeds will pop as they come in contact with water, contributing a small burst of flavor to your steamed vegetable.
Red Bell Pepper
Red bell pepper is another great source of antioxidants and nutrients that help keep your skin looking young and healthy. One interesting fact about red bell pepper is that it contains an enzyme called chymotrypsin, which helps digest proteins. This is why some people think that eating red bell pepper can help improve digestive health, especially in people suffering from ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. This is why it is often referred to as the “poor man’s stomach cancer” pepper!
Red bell pepper is a rich source of vitamin C and capsaicin, which have both been shown to reduce cholesterol and triglycerides, while increasing good cholesterol production. Capsaicin is a compound which gives chile peppers their heat, and it too has been found to fight cancer cells. What’s more is that red bell pepper reduces the ability of cancer cells to spread throughout the body, making it a potent anti-cancer agent!
This vegetable also has multiple benefits for your skin, including preventing acne and wrinkles, and even helping to fade age spots and sun spots! What’s great is that you can prepare red bell pepper in almost the same way you cook most vegetables, simply cutting it into thin slices and adding it to a steaming pot. You can also use a bit of oil to add a touch more flavor to your dish and make it a bit healthier too.
Cabbage
There is actually no need to include cabbage in this list because, in general, all vegetables that come from the cabbage family are good for weight loss. Cabbage is a versatile vegetable that you can use to make your weight loss efforts simpler. Like broccoli and cauliflower, it contains high levels of antioxidants and nutrients, along with some Vitamin C. What’s more is that cabbage is high in fiber, which makes you feel full. Vitamin C encourages cell reproduction, which helps the body grow new tissues, including new fat cells. This is why it’s often referred to as the “fat-fighting” vitamin! Cabbage is very good for the skin and it contributes to healthy hair and nails. It also aids in the functioning of the immune system and helps eliminate toxins from the body. So not only does it help you lose weight, but it also improves your overall health!