When trying to lose weight, some of the best additions to our diet should be green vegetables. Why are they so important and helpful with weight loss? Here are a few good reasons.
Green vegetables are filling
It is important to feel full and satiated rather than hungry when we are dieting. When we lower our calorie consumption considerably, our metabolism slows down, which will make it even harder to lose weight.
Eating enough green vegetables will keep you feeling full and satiated all day, but as they are low in calories, you will not increase your calorie intake excessively. Your metabolism will stay elevated and your body will continue burning calories.
Green vegetables are high in fiber
Fiber is useful to our body in many ways and it is also helpful with weight loss too. Firstly, fiber helps in slowing down the rate at which sugars are absorbed into the bloodstream, which reduces the impact on blood glucose levels.
While our blood sugar levels remain stable, we avoid fluctuations that contribute to cravings and ultimately weight gain. Fiber also helps our whole digestive system function more efficiently, removing waste and keeping it healthy.
Green vegetables have an alkalizing effect on our body
Green vegetables help promote alkalinity in our body, which is extremely important for our general health and well-being as well as weight loss. If our body becomes too acidic we will begin to retain water and gain weight as well as possibly developing other types of health problems.
Many of the typical modern diets today are composed of acid forming foods such as meat, grains, flour, sugar, coffee and dairy products. Our body requires some acid forming foods, but we cannot eat a diet of totally acid forming foods without experiencing problems of some kind.
Green vegetables, due to their alkalizing affect, reduce the level of acidity in our body. The result of this lower acidity is improved health and well-being, as well as successful weight loss. Other vegetables such as tomatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli , asparagus and cucumber also have an alkalizing effect on our body.
Green Vegetables Are Rich In Vitamins
Green vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals and no matter how we look at it, they are beneficial to our body whether we are trying to lose weight or not.
If we find it difficult to eat sufficient quantities of vegetables, or we do not particularly like the taste, we should try adding them to other dishes to enhance their flavor and make them more palatable. Perhaps we could make vegetable soup or stir fry chicken and vegetables for a tasty lunch, make coleslaw with low calorie mayonnaise or include them in casseroles and stews.
However if we choose to introduce more green vegetables into our diet, it will be well worth the effort. We will reap the rewards of a healthy body, increased energy levels and improve our chances of reaching our weight loss goals.
