Vegetable Diet to Lose Weight: What Everybody Needs to Know About the Benefits and What is Involved
An all-vegetable diet to lose weight is effective in the short term, so get out that veggie steamer and salad bowl. Choose from an alphabetical list of vegetables, or cruise the produce aisles of the grocery store. Stick with bright colors like yellows, reds, and vibrant greens.
Benefits of a Vegetable Diet
Vegetables have more bulk for their weight than other foods and don’t have as much sugar as fruits. A 1/2 cup serving of string beans, has 30 calories and no fat while a three ounce serving of chicken has 140 calories and 3 grams of fat. In other words, you could eat 2 1/2 cups of string beans for the same amount of calories as the chicken portion.
Vegetables are also low in sodium and fat. The average American eats two to three times the recommended amount of sodium. What this means is that by switching to fresh vegetables, you’ll cut the salt and fats substantially. That’s healthier, and it means you’ll see a weight loss.
A vegetable diet keeps you away from fast food and processed foods, both of which are high in calories, fat, and salt. Stick with the veggies and the weight will start sliding off.
Risks of a Vegetable Diet
An all vegetable diet is low in protein and fats. On a long term basis, this results in vitamin deficiencies, because some vitamins like A and D are only fat soluble. In essence, if you don’t have enough fat in your diet, you cannot absorb those vitamins.
Protein is a necessary requirement for health. Calculate how much protein you require by multiplying your weight by .33 and .5. The lower range is for a sedentary person. The higher range is for a very active person. For example: A person weighing 150 pounds would require between 50 to 75 grams of protein daily. The protein must include the nine essential amino acids as well, although they can come from different sources. Add nuts, seeds, and tofu to your vegetable diet for protein. Use olive oil in your diet as a source of good fat.
Flush Your System
Boost your weight loss program by starting with three days of eating vegetables and vegetable juices. Keep in mind, French fries are not a vegetable. On the fourth day, add a lean protein source of fish, skinless chicken, turkey, or lean pork. Keep the serving size to 3 ounces, or about the size of a deck of playing cards. Broil, bake, or steam the protein without additional fats.
Preparation
Losing weight on a vegetable diet does involves some preparation like cleaning, chopping, and in some cases, cooking the vegetables. Do all the next day’s prep work the night before while you’re preparing supper. Wrap each meals’ and snacks’ veggies in zip locking bags so you can grab and go. If you’re short on time, take advantage of the cleaned and washed vegetables available in the produce section of the grocery store.
Tips for a Vegetable Diet to Lose Weight
Serve salads with a dressing made of one part olive oil to two parts vinegar, lemon, or other citrus juices. Add lots of chopped fresh herbs for flavor so you won’t miss the salt.
Combine different vegetables so you don’t get bored. Slice eggplant, tomatoes, onions, and garlic. Put in a casserole dish. Add a can of no or low-sodium garbanzo beans. Drizzle with a tablespoon of olive. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes.
Marinate zucchini, red sweet pepper, mushrooms, and corn on the cob in lime juice, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Grill until the corn is done but not brown.
Wrap sliced potatoes, scallions, chopped garlic, and freshly ground pepper in aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil. Grill or place in the oven.
Now that you understand the basics of dieting with fresh vegetables, why not try some tonight?
Reference Sources
Salt: the Forgotten Killer, https://www.umm.edu/features/salt_Q&A.html
Calories in Food, https://www.calorieking.com/
Harvard School of Public Health: Fruits and Vegetables, https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/vegetables-and-fruits/index.html
How Much Protein,https://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/questions/how-much-protein-do-i-need-to-eat.htm
