Weight loss: Including these vegetables in your diet will keep you in shape

Including these in your diet may help you not just in your weight loss journey, but also to live a long and healthy life.

Team Newsable

Bengaluru, First Published Sep 22, 2020, 4:34 PM IST | Last Updated Sep 22, 2020, 4:34 PM IST

It will come as no surprise that, when you’re after weight loss, researchers have found that eating more non-starchy vegetables (like cucumber, mushrooms, or salad leaves) will give you an edge.

Using vegetables to help lose weight is a smart idea – they are low in kilojoules/calories, contain vitamins and minerals, and fill you up with their fibre and water. They have what nutritionists call a low kilojoule density. In other words, there’s a lot to eat on your plate but they have fewer kilojoules in each bite.

Vegetables and fruits have a lot of fibre and are full of nutrition like essential minerals and vitamins that may help your body improve metabolism and subsequently burn belly fat.

Here are some of the best vegetables that you can include in your diet to lose belly fat quickly.

Mushrooms: Mushrooms are delicious and loved by vegetarians and non-vegetarians, alike. They have even started making appearance as an ingredient in coffees to increase their nutritional value. Mushrooms have been known to promote weight loss and fat burn by regulating the levels of glucose in the blood. Added bonus? They're rich in protein and can help you increase your metabolism, resulting in fat loss.

Cauliflower and Broccoli: Apart from high-quality fibre and a host of health boosting minerals and vitamins, broccoli contains phytochemicals that help enhance fat loss in the body. The same goes for cauliflower. Apart from being filling, cauliflower helps fight bloating and contains phytonutrient sulforaphane, as well as good amounts of folate and vitamin C.

Spinach and leafy greens: Spinach and other leafy green vegetables like kale, lettuce, etc. are great for burning belly fat and are very nutritious as well. There have been some studies done on the subject of the fat burning capabilities of spinach and the very healthy veggie has come out a winner in this category. Add a little cooked or blanched spinach to your breakfast or lunch to set your body on track for some major fat burn.

Cucumbers: Cucumbers are good for detoxifying your system and due to the presence of water and fibre, they fill you up as well, eliminating the need for you to eat more often. They are regularly used in making fat burning juices, as they are very low in calories and, hence, can be consumed as a healthy mid-meal snack too.

Carrots: Carrots are one of the best low-calorie vegetables to include in your weight loss diet. Carrots are rich in both soluble and insoluble fibre and, hence, fit the bill perfectly when it comes to healthy weight loss. Blend it with other fruits or vegetables to make a healthy, nutrient-rich fat burn juice, or stir-fry it along with your meat dishes to make this veggie work its magic on you.

Asparagus: Asparagus isn't as popular a veggie as others on this list, but it's a wonder food when it comes to burning fat and slimming down. Asparagus contains the chemical asparagine, which is an alkaloid that acts directly on cells and breaks down fat. You can roast asparagus and directly consume it with dips or stir-fry them along with other mains.

Beans: Beans are one of the healthiest foods you can consume, but they are specifically great for belly fat loss as they are rich in soluble fibre, which fights inflammation that causes belly fat accumulation. Some studies have linked consumption of beans to a reduced risk of obesity.