Many people believe that if they want to lose weight, they simply need to replace most of the foods in their diet with vegetables. After all, they are low in calories, full of nutrition and generally good for you. Although there is a lot of truth to the fact that there are no “bad” fruits and vegetables, there are a couple of things to be aware of.
If you do want to lose weight, you should always try to keep the amount of starchy vegetables to a minimum.
Potatoes are more calorie-dense than other varieties of vegetables and have a notably high GI ranking. As a rule, it’s best to limit starchy vegetables, as these contain more calories and carbohydrates than other vegetables.
The second element to be aware of is that fruits are naturally high in sugars, which is why you do need to watch which ones you eat. Being aware of the best and worst fruits, therefore, is also very important.
Since dried fruit and fruit juice contain a higher-concentrated sugar content, whole fresh fruit is generally a better option. Many people today consume an excess of sugar, which can cause inflammation, weight gain and a host of other problems.
The fruits with the highest sugar content are cherries, tangerines, pomegranates, grapes, figs, mangoes and bananas. Dried fruits all contain high levels of sugar, so you should avoid those if you can. At the same time, however, this doesn’t mean that you should avoid these fruits. Mango, for instance, is a super food with many health benefits. Pomegranate also assists a range of bodily functions and tangerines are filled with vitamin C.
Choosing and Cooking Your Fruits and Vegetables
The most important thing to remember is firstly that you should only eat fruits and vegetables that are certified organic, if you can. This guarantees that they contain the highest levels of nutrition (GMO products may be bigger, but they contain far less nutritional value) and that they haven’t been treated with various harmful chemicals like pesticides and herbicides.
What is also very important is how you prepare your fruits and vegetables. Many children will only eat fruits, for instance, if sugar is added. You need to try and avoid this as much as possible or, if your children really won’t eat them without added sugar, choose a natural type of sugar such as stevia.
A herb native to South American, stevia is 300 times sweeter than sugar. Stevia has no calories and no glycemic impact making it suitable for diabetics as well as weight watchers and eco warriors. It is fundamental to choose stevia in its natural form, as the process product may affect your blood sugar level.
In terms of your vegetables, you need to learn how to cook them properly. Making vegetables crispy by deep frying them, for instance, is a terrible idea. Oven roasting them in a lot of oil should also be avoided. Stir frying is possible, so long as you use a healthy oil to “fry” your vegetables in. Boiling is always a good idea, although you need to make sure that you only boil your vegetables for a short period of time, so that you don’t destroy the nutritional value. Additionally, try to use the water in which you boiled your vegetables for other elements of your cooking. The very best way to cook your vegetables, however, is to steam them. This guarantees they stay fresh and retain all their nutritional value.
Fruits and vegetables are fantastic natural products that are filled with nutrition, vitamins, minerals and everything else our body needs. However, you do need to know how to make sure you actually get the most out of this. Get it right, and you should also notice weight loss.