Fat Brning Fruits and Vegetables

Fat Brning Fruits and Vegetables

Vegetables for Weight Loss

A July 2014 issue of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that people who ate increased portions of vegetables as part of a low-calorie diet lost more weight and reported greater satisfaction after three months compared to people who limited their produce intake.

Listing just five vegetables that benefit fat loss is almost impossible as most are valuable to your diet. Some fresh vegetables offer more nutrients than others and are more beneficial on a weight-loss plan, though. When offered a choice, skip the iceberg lettuce and cucumbers, and go for darker green options instead. Richly colored varieties such as kale, baby spinach and broccoli usually have more fiber and phytonutrients.

Green isn't the only color that you should go for when choosing vegetables. Purple eggplant, white cauliflower and red peppers provide essential antioxidants and filling fiber. Have yellow winter squash or sweet potatoes at several meals each week too.

Fruits for Weight Loss

Fruit makes a superior snack when compared to junky options such as pastries, cereal bars, snack mixes and juice. Whole, fresh fruit makes you chew, so you feel as if you've consumed something substantial. As with vegetables, go for a variety of colors. Purple and red berries, green apples, yellow pears, citrus and stone fruits — such as plums and peaches — offer plenty of nutrients.

A study published in a September 2008 issue of Appetite showed that eating 200 calories of fruit per day as part of an energy-restricted diet helped women lose weight compared to women who ate the same energy-restricted diet but added the 200 calories from cookies.

Higher-calorie fruits, such as bananas and papayas, are more calorie-dense so make sure you account for them in your total intake. Avoid dried and canned fruit when trying to lose weight, however. Dried versions have their calories concentrated into small servings, and canned versions often contain sugar syrup.

In general, fruit has about three times the calories as non-starchy, watery vegetables though. So too many servings per day can add up and cause you to overshoot your calorie goal — and decrease your fat loss — if you aren't careful.