Karl from Vitruvian Health shares his top 11 veggies for weight loss.
Wait what? There are 11 different types of veggies?!
And… 11 different types of veggies that can help with weight loss?!
Yes indeed!
Vegetables tend to be weight loss friendly because they are generally low in calories and high in fibre.
These two things are key when you are losing weight because they:
- help you feel fuller for longer, which means you are less likely to snack;
- improve your digestion;
- are packed full of nutrients;
So when you’re thinking about what to eat, make sure your plate has a couple of overflowing handfuls of veggies on it to keep you feeling full and energised!
Here’s the top 11 organised into types of veggies with little tips of how you can enjoy eating them:
Leafy greens
Leafy greens are a great category of veggies to start with. These veggies are great because they’re high in minerals, nutrients and antioxidants. Below are the top 3 leafy greens we recommend plus some tips on how best to eat them:
- Iceberg lettuce – best eaten ice cold from the fridge either sliced up in strips or fill the leaves with some cooked mince or stir fry veggies, san choi bao style;
- Kale – chop the kale up into small pieces, spray with coconut oil, sprinkle with salt and cook in the oven;
- Spinach – eat fresh, lightly blanch or pan fry in some butter;
Roast veggies
One thing you definitely can’t go past, especially during winter, are roasted veggies! This selection of veggies go extremely nicely when cooked in the oven after having been coated in coconut oil and sprinkled with some salt and pepper. If you want to be a little daring, sprinkle the sweet potato with some cinnamon for some sweet savory goodness.
- Potato (white or sweet potato);
- Pumpkin;
- Squash;
- Zucchini;
- Carrots;
Aside from being delicious, potato (white and sweet potato) are excellent low GI carb sources that will absolutely help keep the hunger gremlins away. Even better, one serve of carbohydrates inpotatoes is 330g which is a decent helping if you are feeling famished.
On the flip side, pumpkin is super low cal and extremely low in carbohydrates. So if you are finding it challenging to ‘feel full’, you can opt for veggies that are low in carbohydrate, like pumpkin, which means you get to eat more of it in one sitting, but still maintain the low calorie content. This is known as ‘volume eating’.
One serve of carbohydrates of pumpkin is approximately 750 grams of raw pumpkin.
Salad veggies
Summer is an excellent time for lighter foods, particularly on hot days when the body can feel quite lethargic from being in the heat. These last 3 veggies are great options for a salad that can be combined with the leafy greens. Each of these are low in calories, low FODMAP and high in fibre. Capsicum and green beans are also versatile options that can be pan fried or roasted to make a warm salad.
- Cucumber;
- Capsicum;
- Green beans.
So when you are looking at what is on your plate, count how many veggies you have and see if they support your health and wellbeing goals!
This article was provided by Vitruvian Health.