Eating vegetables is a smart step for weight control. These are healthy foods because they contain a lot of fiber. Vegetables give a person a feeling of satiety. Helps maintain and cultivate an adequate microflora in the intestines.
However, when a person plans for weight loss, it means giving up all bad eating habits and adopting a healthy lifestyle. Only changing diet plans and eating more vegetables will not do much good. You need to get rid of sugar, withdrawal from drugs and other harmful substances, also include more physical exercises that will support you in weight loss.
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How Do Vegetables Help In Weight Loss?
The adequate fiber intake of an average person is from 18 to 25 g per day, but for weight loss, it should be up to 40 g. However, we do not get enough of it and most people do not eat even 10 g. And this is where vegetables come to the rescue.
Many of the vegetables are low in calories. But due to their high fiber content, they give a feeling of fullness. Moreover, they contain vitamins and minerals. Of course, with the help of vegetables alone, we will not cover the body’s need for vitamins. But one way or another, their benefits should not be underestimated.
Are All Vegetables Beneficial For Health?
However, not all vegetables have similar composition and contribute to weight loss. Nutritionists conditionally divide them into root crops and aboveground ones.
Aerial: These are zucchini, bell peppers, cabbage of various varieties, cucumbers, eggplants, etc. They are mostly always beneficial. But you should not get carried away with root crops. Potatoes, carrots, gastric sleeve cost beets are good only in reasonable quantities. Foods also differ in their glycemic index (GI).
What Does Food’s Gi Mean?
GI is a measure of the effect of carbohydrates on blood glucose (sugar) levels, measured in units. The GI of pure glucose is taken as 100 units. In vegetables, the GI value ranges from 10 to 95 and depends both on the type of vegetable and on the method of its preparation. It is clear that the higher the GI, the more harmful the vegetable is for our figure.
Vegetables with a low (10–20 units) GI
Eggplants, broccoli, peppers, tomatoes (which is why they are so useful for diabetes mellitus), Brussels sprouts and white cabbage, zucchini, onions, radishes, turnips, asparagus, cucumbers, and seaweed.
The GI of processed vegetables is almost always higher than raw vegetables. However, for example, in stewed cabbage or squash caviar, it increases slightly. The glycemic index of, say, raw carrots are 35 units and boiled – already 85.
High GI vegetables
Potatoes, beets, pumpkin, and other vegetables are high in sugars and starch. By increasing the level of glucose in the blood, these vegetables can give a burst of energy. But if we do not spend this energy, then the deposition of fat in unwanted places is inevitable.
Which Vegetables Hinder Weight Loss?
You need to exclude or at least limit the following vegetables, so as not to interfere with losing weight:
1- Potatoes
It is not for nothing that it has long been called the second bread for its satiety and nutritional value! Potatoes, alas, are the main enemy of weight loss, their calorie content is 2-3 times higher than any other vegetables (fried – 192 kcal, boiled – 82).
The GI of boiled potatoes is 65 units, and of fried and baked potatoes – 95! At the same time, potatoes (and especially baked ones) contain a lot of potassium (568 mg per 100 g of raw weight), phosphorus (50 mg), magnesium, iron, calcium, a whole complex of vitamins, and acids.
2- Leguminous Vegetables
These include peas, chickpeas, beans, and lentils. They have a caloric content of 110-120 kcal. And if you use a plate of bean soup with bread, this, of course, will not contribute to a decrease in the figure on the scales. However, these vegetables contain a large number of amino acids, potassium, zinc, and iron.
3- Jerusalem Artichoke
It has a chemical composition similar to potatoes; caloric content – 61 kcal and GI 21 units. Overweight people shouldn’t consume it. However, in diabetes mellitus, it is very useful to eat Jerusalem artichoke, since it contains the most valuable substance for such patient’s inulin. Jerusalem artichoke syrup has a GI of only 13.
4- Corn
Calorie content – 110 boiled, 120 canned. GI 70 units and rich in nutrients, but carbohydrates make up about 60% of the total. Besides, it is replete with mono- and disaccharides, dextrose, sucrose, which makes it, to put it mildly, not a very dietary product.
5- Beetroot
It contains a lot of folic acids, useful trace elements, and vitamins. The calorie content is not so high – 49 kcal. But there are as many as 11% carbohydrates, which makes beets unsuitable for a dietary table.
6- Kohlrabi
Mediterranean cabbage contains so much vitamin C that it is called a type of lemon. Also, it is famous for the abundance of vitamin B and potassium salts. Despite the fact that its caloric content is only 42 kcal, any heat treatment greatly increases the nutritional value.
7- Celery
Yes, the benefits of celery for losing weight are still controversial among nutritionists. An absolute contraindication for its use in any form is stomach problems.
It is also not advised for varicose veins and thrombophlebitis. The abundance of essential oils makes celery dangerous for allergy sufferers. And finally, on critical days for women, it can provoke an increase in bleeding.
Conclusion
There is no doubt about the benefits of vegetables for the body. However, some vegetables are not a good choice, if you are trying to lose weight. But their consumption in little quantity will not do any harm. So, when losing weight, you should know which vegetables to eat and which ones to avoid.