What Vegetables are Good for Weight Loss

Can you lose weight by eating vegetables?

The Question is can you lose weight by eating vegetables? if yes, then how to eat them to get optimum results.

The simple science is, to lose weight, you must eat fewer calories than your body uses. Some people might think about fasting or depriving themselves of eating for more than 12 hours.

Eating fewer calories doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to eat less food or completely stop eating. You need to create a substitute for your favorite dish with calories.

The high water and fiber concentration in fruits and vegetables add volume to your plate, so you eat the same plate full of food with fewer calories. this is the superpower of fruits and vegetables as they are naturally low in fats, carbs, and calories.

Nearly every dietician recommends increasing the serving of fresh fruits and vegetables, but many people don’t see results even after switching to fruits and vegetable diets. Dieticians often fail to make people understand the need to reduce the overall number of calories consumed. (source)

How to eat fruits and vegetables to lose weight

The key is substituting your daily food with fruits and vegetables. It is well-known fact that fruit and vegetables are way lower in calories than many other foods, but that doesn’t mean they are 0 calorie foods, they do contain some calories.

If you start eating fruits and vegetables in addition to your favorite dessert or replacing canned fruits with fresh fruits, this will not help you in losing weight.

You need to substitute fruits and vegetables with your regular high-calorie food.

Which are better? Cooked vegetables or raw.

Eating raw vegetables helps protect the body against oxidative stress. Raw vegetables can also guard against neurodegenerative diseases, chronic inflammatory diseases, and some forms of abnormal cellular growth.

But, the nutrients in cooked vegetables are actually easier to digest and absorb. Cooking softens the fibers of vegetables which leads to the release of vitamins E and K, and aids in better mineral absorption.

Including a wide variety of cooked vegetables and raw vegetables in your diet is vital for promoting balanced weight loss. Both raw and cooked vegetables provide you with essential nutrients including potassium, fiber, and folate (folic acid). They’re a great source of vitamins A, C, and E.

Still, you may wonder which is better for weight loss: raw vs cooked vegetables. The answer may surprise you! Whether cooked vegetables or raw vegetables are best actually depends on the type of vegetable.

Before cooking if the vegetable has an edible skin, don’t peel it. The skin protects the vegetable’s nutrients from changing their chemical structure during the cooking process. So if you cook a vegetable that has an edible skin, such as zucchini, don’t peel it. Just wash it thoroughly

How to cook vegetables to prevent nutrient loss

The golden rule of cooking is, the less time you expose a vegetable to heat, the more nutrients it keeps. Additionally, the less surface area of vegetables you expose to heat, the fewer nutrients are lost. So prepare raw vegetables by cutting them into larger pieces until they are exfoliative. Cooking vegetables in the microwave retains the highest levels of nutrients, however, I personally don’t recommend using the microwave unless you really hurry.

How cooking affects the nutrients

Minerals

Calcium, iron, potassium are common in most raw vegetables. By cooking the vegetable with heat, such minerals are more readily bio-available and get easily absorbed by our body.

Vitamins

Fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A, D, E, and K are less likely to be destroyed by the cooking process of raw vegetables.

So how to cook them? my top two favorites are:

Saute

Some people fry the vegetables in the name of sauteing, Sauteeing means cooking without letting vegetables take heat for too long. sautéeing in a healthy fat such as cold-pressed oil or (i would recommend ghee) is a good way to retain the nutrients as well as the texture of your cooked vegetables. Just be sure to make it quick and cook until they are just crisp-tender. Feel free to add seasoning for extra flavor.

Steam

This method is best for green leafy vegetables. Most cooking methods cause significant losses of chlorophyll, vitamin C, and even protein. Steaming the vegetables separates them from the direct source of heat and limits contact for optimum water & fiber retention. This is one of the most popular ways to enjoy cooked vegetables in east Asian countries, as 70 to 90 percent of nutrients and fibers can be retained.

Top 10 weight loss vegetables which are best when cooked

Potatoes

Raw potatoes (especially green ones) can contain a high concentration of the toxin solanine. On top of that, raw potatoes have anti-nutrient properties, which are substances that prevent our body from absorbing the vegetable’s key vitamins and minerals. Another solid reason to boil, roast, or bake this veggie is that the uncooked starch in raw potatoes can cause all kinds of digestive problems.

Artichokes

Steaming artichokes increases their antioxidant levels by 15 times. Boiling them, meanwhile, only boosted them by 8 times. Even popping them in the microwave can greatly enhance their antioxidant content.

Brussels Sprouts

Cooking this particular vegetable causes the glucosinolates, to break down into compounds that are known for having cancer-fighting capabilities. Apart from this some of the compounds found in raw Brussels sprouts can prove difficult to digest, so cooking this veggie may help you to avoid bloating and gas.

Eggplant

Steaming eggplant allows its components to bind together with bile acids, allowing the liver to more easily break down cholesterol and reduce its presence in the bloodstream. When grilled, this veg retained higher amounts of chlorogenic acid, which slows down the release of glucose into the bloodstream (thus potentially lowering your blood sugar and risk of diabetes).

Kale

Cooking this veggie deactivates the enzymes that trigger that potentially harmful effect. Kale has hearty leaves that can withstand all types of cooking styles: boiling, braising, steaming, microwaving, and stir-frying. Kale can also be served raw but the texture may be difficult to chew.

Green Beans

Green beans have higher levels of antioxidants when they are baked, microwaved, griddled, or even shallow fried—(but make sure to use health fats) not when they are boiled or pressure cooked. Who knew frying a veggie could actually be healthier than boiling it?

Carrots

A study conducted in 2000, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry demonstrated that cooking this vegetable boosts its beta-carotene levels.

Celery

Celery becomes healthier when it’s cooked. Note, however, studies show that its antioxidant capacity only increased via certain cooking methods, including microwaving, pressure-cooking, griddling, frying, and baking. When boiled, this veggie actually lost 14 percent of its antioxidant activity.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms (which are technically fungi) are brimming packed with antioxidants, and a 2006 study published in the journal Food Chemistry discovered that exposing this veggie to heat drastically enhanced its overall antioxidant activities.

Asparagus

Asparagus is rich in fat-soluble vitamins A & E. Note that because vitamins A and E are both fat-soluble, meaning they become easier for your body to absorb when they’re paired with a fat source, cook your asparagus in olive oil, or serve it with some toasted seeds.