Use Fruits and Vegetables to Manage Weight
Fruits and vegetables are part of a well balanced and healthy eating plan.
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There are many different ways to lose or maintain a healthy weight. Using more fruits and vegetables along with whole grains and lean meats, nuts, and beans is a safe and healthy one. Helping control your weight is not the only benefit of eating more fruits and vegetables. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of cancer and other chronic diseases. Fruits and vegetables also provide essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and other substances that are important for good health. |
To lose weight, you must eat fewer calories than your body
This doesn't necessarily mean that you have to eat less food.You can create lowercalorie versions of some of your favorite dishes by substituting lowcalorie fruits and vegetables in place of highercalorie ingredients. The water and fiber in fruits and vegetables will add volume to your dishes, so you can eat the same amount of food with fewer calories. Most fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories and are filling. As people become less active, their bodies need fewer calories. Even if you do not need to lose weight, you may still need to reduce calories simply to maintain your current weight. Here are some simple ways to cut calories and eat fruits and vegetables throughout your day:
- Breakfast: Start the Day Right. Substitute some spinach, onions, or mushrooms for one of the eggs or half of the cheese in your morning omelet. The vegetables will add volume and flavor to the dish with fewer calories than the egg or cheese.
- Cut back on the amount of cereal in your bowl and make room for some cut-up bananas, peaches, or strawberries. You can still eata full bowl, but with fewer calories.
- Lighten Up Your Lunch Substitute vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, or onions for 2 ounces of the cheese and 2 ounces of the meat in your sandwich, wrap, or burrito. The new version will fill you up with fewer calories than the original.
- Add a cup of chopped vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, beans or red peppers, in place of 2 ounces of the meat or 1 cup of the noodles in your favorite broth-based soup. The vegetables will help fill you up so you won't miss those extra calories.
- Lighten and Brighten Up Dinner Add in 1 cup of chopped vegetables such as broccoli, tomatoes, squash, onions, or peppers, while removing 1 cup of the rice or pasta in your favorite dish. The dish with the vegetables will be just as satisfying but have fewer calories than the same amount of the original version.
- Take a good look at your dinner plate. Vegetables, fruit, and whole grains should take up the largest portion of your plate. If they do not, replace some of the meat, cheese, white pasta, or rice with legumes, steamed broccoli, asparagus, greens, or another favorite vegetable. This will reduce the total calories in your meal without reducing the amount of food you eat. BUT remember to use a normal or smallsize plate— not a platter.The total number of calories that you eat counts, even if a good proportion of them come from fruits and vegetables.
Smart Snacks
Most healthy eating plans allow for one or two small snacks a day. Choosing most fruits and vegetables will allow you to eat a snack with only 100 calories.
Instead of a highcalorie snack from a vending machine, bring some cutup vegetables or fruit from home. One snack sized bag of corn chips (1 ounce) has the same number of calories as a small apple, 1 cup of whole strawberries, AND 1 cup of carrots with 1/4 cup of lowcalorie dip.
Substitute one or two of these options for the chips, and you will have a satisfying snack with fewer calories.
About 100 Calories or Less
The following fruits and vegetables all have about 100 or fewer calories:
- A medium-size apple (72 calories)
- A medium-size banana (105 calories)
- 1 cup steamed green beans (44 calories)
- 1 cup blueberries (83 calories)
- 1 cup grapes (100 calories)
- 1 cup carrots (45 calories), broccoli (30 calories), or bell peppers (30 calories) with 2 tablespoons hummus (46 calories)
Remember: Substitution is the key.
It is true that fruits and vegetables are lower in calories than many other foods, but they do contain some calories. If you start eating fruits and vegetables in addition to what you usually eat, you are adding calories and may gain weight. The key is substitution. Eat fruits and vegetables instead of some other highercalorie food.
