Kermit the Frog laments that it's not easy being green. Eating green, however, is another matter. Green foods culled from various food groups make tasty and nutritious weight-loss options. Taken together, green foods provide protein, complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber --- and they're low on calories in the bargain. So eat green, lose weight, and look and feel better; consult your doctor before beginning any new diet.
Green Salads
Salads that start on a foundation of greens provide loads of flavor, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin K, calcium and potassium, yet deliver few calories. Greens such as spinach, cabbage, chard, escarole, mesclun, arugula, red orach, romaine, Boston, endive, leaf and watercress deliver varied flavors, textures and nutrients. The calorie count on greens is ridiculously low. You can eat 2 cups of shredded romaine for the meager cost of 20 calories. Mix in a cup of iron-rich spinach for 7 calories, and a ½-cup of vitamin C-packed cabbage for 11 calories.
Adorn your salad with additional raw vegetables to diversify the flavors, textures and nutritional profile. Celery, cucumber, green pepper, green onion and broccoli add phytonutrients, vitamin C, vitamin A, lycopene and other nutrients. Accent your salad with other colored veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds to further diversify the flavors and nutrients. Add carrots, red peppers, tomatoes, grapes, raisins, apple, mandarin orange, pineapple, pumpkin seeds or dried cranberries. Top your salad with low-fat, low-calorie dressing and dig in. Make salads a routine at your dinner table. Your edible creations will fill you with low-calorie nutrition and help you drop pounds.
Vegetables
Learn to love veggies, and you will find it easier to shed weight. Green vegetables are nutritious, low-calorie, fat- and guilt-free. Green veggies such as broccoli, zucchini, peppers, celery, peas, green beans, asparagus and Brussels sprouts contain fiber that cleans your digestive tract, slows digestion, stabilizes blood sugar and blunts your appetite. Mix these vegetables together, along with the good-even-though-they're-not-green likes of onion, cauliflower, carrots and tomatoes, and promote them to be major players in your menu plans. Incorporate them into main dishes of chili, curries, stews, soups, stir-fries and casseroles.
Some greens, such as turnip, mustard, spinach, kale, kohlrabi, bok choy, chard, broccoli raab, beet greens, collard and kale have become staples as side dishes in cuisines from around the world. Rich in iron and calcium, cooked greens have secured a special place in the hearts of soul-food aficionados. They're great sides, but don't relegate greens to the edge of your plate. Incorporate low-calorie cooking greens into main dishes to spike the nutrition and substitute for high-calorie alternatives. For example, replace the fatty sausage in lasagna with spinach or feature the tasty, aromatic Indian dish, spinach biryani.
Green Legumes
Fiber-full, fat-free and relatively meager in calories, legumes provide protein, folate, B vitamins, iron, phosphorus, manganese, magnesium potassium and many phytonutrients, the "Self" magazine nutrition database and the SuperFoodsRx website agree. They slow digestion, stabilize blood sugar and satisfy your appetite. Use them as sides, or in stews, soups, chili, salads, stir fries and casseroles. Green legumes include split peas, green beans, lima beans, lentils, edamame, mungo, flageolet and fava beans.
Green Tea
Green tea can help you lose weight, according to research noted by the National Institutes of Health. Contributing no fat or calories to your diet, it elevates your metabolism and decreases your appetite. Green tea may also reduce your tendencies toward emotional eating. Theanine, an amino acid in green tea, may calm your mood, the Life Extension website reports.
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