How do vegetables help you lose weight? To answer this, we should consider what cooking methods you choose. Obviously, deep-fried, fried, or stir-fried methods will definitely make vegetables taste better, but at the same time adding more oil and calories to the vegetables. The best cooking options for a weight loss diet would be steaming and boiling. Only then can you reap greater weight loss benefits out of cooking.
Let's see how these 11 super vegetables help you lose weight and improve your health.
Kelp
How does kelp help you lose weight? Besides being low in cholesterol, kelp is also a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, pantothenic acid, calcium and minerals such as iodine.
Iodine in kelp helps your thyroid to function properly. It stimulates a hormone produced by the thyroid gland that's responsible for boosting metabolism, so you'll burn more calories. If your weight gain is related to thyroid disorder, kelp can help you lose weight. It has also been shown to lower the blood cholesterol levels. However, seek your doctor's advice before loading on kelp as too much iodine can have a negative effect on your thyroid. Moderate consumption is the key to losing weight with kelp.
Celery
An 8-inch stalk of celery contains approximately 6 calories. But the mere act of digesting this stalk burns more than 6 calories, resulting in a negative calorie count. In other words, you'll use up more calories from your energy reserve (fat storage and glycogen) to break down celery, achieving fat loss. Not only that, celery provides a good source of vitamin C and fiber (as in Kelp), and fiber is one key ingredients to help you detox and lose weight more effectively. It contains a unique oil that helps to relax your muscles, which improves blood flow and regulates blood pressure. It's especially good for you if you're having hypertension.
Chinese Chives
This vegetable is rich in calcium, iron, phosphorus, glucose, protein, vitamin A & C, carotene and fiber. It stimulates the digestive tract and prevents constipation by moving along unwanted nutrients, including fats to be passed out of the body.
Spinach
Spinach carries lots of of fiber which helps you stay full longer and reduce the overall number of calories that you consume each day. You can also benefit from its rich content of vitamin K and calcium which help to prevent or treat osteoporosis and the loss of bone density.
Mushroom
Mushrooms can also reduce high levels of blood fats (or "triglyceride") and bad cholesterol, while increasing the good cholesterol or HDLs.
Winter Melon
Winter melon has the ability to break down and flush out excess fat and water (your weight gain may be caused by water retention sometimes) from your body. It's also a wonderful constipation inhibitor. Frequent consumption of it will help to detoxify your system and trim up your shape.
Cucumber
Cucumber contains sterols which have the ability to lower cholesterol and prevent carbohydrates from converting to fats. Filling yet low in calories, they're a great choice in salads. They aid in digestion and have a cleansing effect on your bowel.
Radish
As radish is rich in vitamin C but low in calories, fats and stimulates metabolism, it's popular as a snack. However, eating too much radish is very "cooling" for the body, especially if you already have a "cool" constitution, defined in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) terms. This means that your immune system to cold and cough could be affected, especially during winter. Thus, eat them in moderation.
Bean Sprouts
These refer to sprouting from mung beans, alfalfa, lentils, chickpeas and soya beans. Sprouting actually helps to turn the starches, oils and other nutrients in beans to vitamins, enzymes and other forms of proteins, minerals and sugars. A single helping of fresh sprouted mung beans contains about three quarters of the daily requirement of vitamin C. Sprouting increases the vitamin B present in beans, including thiamin, folate, B6 and biotin and produces less intestinal wind when consumed. Being low in calories and packed with vitamins, they're also affordable at cheap prices.
Pulses
Dried peas, beans and lentils all contain protein though they do not contain the ideal amounts of amino acids necessary for growth and maintaining healthy muscle tissue and organs. Soya beans are the exception as they contain a wholesome balance of amino acids. They also carry unsaturated fat that metabolizes your cholesterol and body fat, preventing fat buildup. Since soybeans are made into several soy products such as tofu, tempeh, soymilk, miso, you have more choices.
Broccoli
Most vegetables carry lots of fiber that helps you feel full and satisfied easily and sustain your activity over longer period of time, but I highly recommend broccoli here due to its high nutritional value - rich in vitamin C and carotenoids and also contains protein, all-important B vitamins, phosphorus, potassium, chromium and calcium etc. You'll lose weight with broccoli when it stops you from eating more food, but you'll also gain health with its anti-oxidant qualities and anti-carcinogenic powers. Hence, it is a must-add ingredient in your weight loss diet.
No doubt these 11 vegetables can help you lose weight effectively, you should also include other varieties of plant-based foods to achieve a balance between weight loss and health.
