Vegetables for Weight Loss

Vegetables are an essential part of any healthy diet due to their high concentration of vitamins, minerals and fibre. Vegetables help you maintain a healthy weight and also help with weight loss if you are overweight. They can help you eliminate excess fat and fluids from the body, while improving the quality of your skin and detoxifying your organs. Read on to find out more about the best vegetables for weight loss.

Lettuce

Lettuce is a salad vegetable that is excellent for health. Lettuce has a high water content so it hydrates the skin and cells of the body. This food is also high in vitamins and minerals, especially magnesium, along with fibre which helps you feel full for longer. Lettuce contains mood-boosting chemicals, which help the body relax and combat anxiety. This common salad vegetable is ideal to use in all kinds of salads and can be eaten alongside many other foods so it’s very versatile.

Onion

Another excellent vegetable for health and weight loss is the onion. This miracle veggie has many benefits, including helping the body eliminate excess fluids, controlling glucose in the blood and reducing constipation. Onions can be eaten raw or cooked and they are often used as a garnish for salads and other meals. Onion can be eaten cooked in soup, which is an excellent preparation method for cleansing the kidneys.

Cucumber

Cucumbers are good for weight loss due to their high fibre, low calorie properties. This salad vegetable can be eaten in salads and makes a delicious starter or filling for sandwiches. Cucumber is also good for the skin and slices of cucumber placed over the eyes can help to eliminate dark circles and puffiness. The Greeks like to eat cucumbers and a traditional recipe involves cucumber, yoghurt, garlic and herbs. This makes a delicious sauce and dipping the cucumber into it is a tasty alternative to eating it in a fresh salad. Cucumber can also be used in the Spanish gazpacho recipe to create a green gazpacho, which also involves a blend of parsley, basil, garlic, lemon and olive oil.

Broccoli

Green leafy vegetables are always excellent for health and broccoli is particularly beneficial for those looking to lose weight. This veggie is low in calories and sodium while being high in fibre, which makes it ideal for weight loss. This is also a health booster and fights against carcinogens in the body, protecting it from cancer. It is always best to under-cook rather than over-cook vegetables to retain more of their beneficial properties, so broccoli is best eaten when it is still slightly crunchy.

Garlic

Garlic is one of the most potent vegetables for health and is ideal to eat every day for its amazing benefits. Garlic can help you lose weight due to its blood cleansing and fat burning powers. It can also help to eliminate fatty deposits from the body and increase metabolism. The best way to eat garlic is raw in order to absorb all the nutrients, however, many people find this too intense so an alternative is to buy garlic tablets or capsules from a health food shop.

How to cook vegetables

There are many ways to cook vegetables, including boiling, frying, grilling, roasting, baking and steaming. The best way to cook veggies if you are trying to lose weight is by steaming. Steaming cooks the food quickly and easily, retains all the nutrients and does not add any fats or oils. This method of cooking also tends to retain the flavours of the food. Boiling is a popular method of cooking veggies and this is also healthy because it adds no oils or fats, but much of the goodness of the food can be lost into the water. If you like to boil, choose organic vegetables and then drink the water you boil them in. This way you will get more hydration and still ingest all the nutrients from the vegetables.

It is always best to avoid adding any salt to vegetables as you cook them. If you want to add more flavour, try using herbs, such as rosemary and oregano, or use spices such as cumin, anise and cayenne pepper. Studies have shown that adding these spices can boost the metabolism, further increasing the weight loss properties of the vegetables.