An estimated 50 million Americans go on diets to lose weight each year and only 5 percent maintain their new weight. Finding an effective dietary plan that promotes long-term weight loss is challenging because dietary habits take a long time to develop and change. Slowly introducing several low-energy, nutrient-dense vegetables to your diet is one technique for achieving long-term weight loss benefits.
Fiber-Rich Vegetables
The fiber in vegetables helps provide the sensation fullness, preventing you from overeating and between-meal snacking that cause weight gain. Including high-fiber foods in the diet also supports the digestive system; healthy nutrient absorption and elimination is essential during a diet. Vegetables with high concentrations of fiber include artichoke, pumpkin, spinach and sweet potato.
Low-Calorie Vegetables
Replacing high-calorie foods with low-calorie, nutrient-dense foods will reduce calorie consumption while providing nutrients that support metabolic processes necessary for weight loss. Some vegetables also contain minerals that support metabolism. Low-calorie vegetables that are rich in minerals include spinach, radishes, broccoli, kelp, asparagus and cabbage.
Low-Glycemic Vegetables
Adding low-glycemic vegetables to the diet may improve your body's glucose utilization and contribute to a healthy metabolism. After you eat low-glycemic vegetables, the glucose levels in your blood do not rise significantly because the foods' glycemic index score is low. Foods that have a high glycemic score quickly increase blood glucose levels and the pancreas secretes insulin to store the excess glucose in the muscles and liver for later use. Often this process makes you feel hungry again because the blood levels no longer contain glucose. This process creates a cycle of overeating and can lead to obesity and diabetes, if left unchecked. Low-glycemic vegetables include corn, carrots, yams and greens.
Chromium-Rich Vegetables
Including vegetables in your diet that contain chromium, a micromineral that may improve fat and carbohydrate metabolism, may help you improve your rate of weight loss. Chromium may reduce body fat levels and improve lean muscle mass, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Vegetables that contain chromium include broccoli, green beans and potatoes.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Can Eating Fruits and Vegetables Help People to Manage Their Weight?
- Colorado State University Extension; Weight Loss Products and Programs; J. Anderson, et al; December 2008
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; International Table of Glycemic Index: 2002; Jul. 1, 2002
- USDA: Nutrient Data Laboratory: Fiber
- USDA: Nutrient Data Laboratory: Calories
- USDA: Nutrient Data Laboratory: Asparagus, Cabbage, Broccoli, Seaweed, Spinach and Radishes
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