Best Vegetables for Dieting

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A common question I get asked is “What Are the Best Vegetables for Dieting?” A lot of people don’t really like to eat their veggies – so finding out which ones are the most beneficial can help minimize the sacrifice if you’re not a natural born veggie lover.

All vegetables have important vitamins and minerals that we need that promote a healthy lifestyle. Veggies are also low in fat and calories in most instances, which means if you eat them instead of something that is high in fat and calories you can reduce your daily calorie intake.

According to the federal eating guidelines set by the United States Agricultural Department, we should strive to eat 2-3 servings of vegetables per day.

However, when it comes to what vegetables are best to eat to lose weight, there is a difference between what you are choosing. Some are higher in calories, sugars, and the dreaded diet C word – carbs than others. These ones that are higher in these are known as “starchy” vegetables whereas the other types are non-starchy varieties.

Both types are good to eat, but you’ll want to try and limit yourself to only one of the starchy kind and get the rest of your servings from non-starchy varieties. (Although, obviously – it is far better to eat starchy vegetables than to go for a chocolate cake!)

Here are some of the starchy vegetables to think about: peas, potatoes, corn, squash, and yams. These are all yummy vegetables, but they do not tend to really give you the full benefits of other types.  Also, because they are considered to be starches, they are actually for some people the equivalent to a serving from the grains group. (Which is why if you’re someone prone to sugar addiction it’s likely I’ve just listed a few of your favorite vegetables – I know I’m a sucker for peas and mashed potatoes!)

Now, all of the rest of vegetables are non-starchy varieties and for the most part you don’t really need to concern yourself with them all that much – just need to eat them as part of your regular balanced meals. However, I’m always asked things like, but yeah – what’s really BEST – should I be eating broccoli or spinach?

Since I don’t recommend going for a diet based on calories only, to me knowing which veggies are lowest in calories doesn’t really apply to me. Sure, there are low calorie vegetables such as celery – but how much nutritional value does celery actually offer? Very little, since the plant seems to be made up of pretty much only water. Celery is considered a negative calorie food, which means that your burn more calories just by the act of eating it then you get from it.

So, instead of thinking in terms of low calories, I prefer to think in terms of which vegetables give you the best nutritional bang for your buck – because getting the right nutrients is far more important than how many calories you should eat.

Another important aspect of dieting and losing weight is the effect of foods on your metabolism. This in my opinion is far more important than worrying about calorie or carb counts. A good metabolism is what helps you burn those calories and fat as opposed to storing them. If you can keep your metabolism in check, most people have no problems whatsoever trying to maintain their healthy weight.

So, to consult my handy list of foods that speed your metabolism and here’s the veggies we have listed on it:

Black Beans
Green Beans
Navy Beans
Kidney Beans
Spinach

These are just a few veggies, so it helps to learn more that are good for you to eat. It’s also important to remember that when it comes to eating your vegetables the more color the better. Striving to get at least two or three different colors each day will help you get the best

Cabbage (Hey, there’s a reason why people are going crazy over the cabbage soup diet – though that’s not one I recommend)
Leafy Greens – Lettuce, Mixed Greens
Red, Yellow, and Green Peppers
Squash
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Brussels Sprouts
Bean Sprouts (try them on a sandwich – yum!)
Carrots
Zucchini
Onions
Leeks

I know there are more veggies than just these – but this list of best vegetables for dieting is a great start to help you get more vegetables in your diet! Remember: Dieting successfully means you have to actually like what you are eating!