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 to 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.
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 omelette. 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 to make room for some cut-up bananas, peaches, or strawberries. You can still eat a full bowl, but with fewer calories.
Smart Snacks
Most healthy eating plans allow for one or two small snacks a day. Choosing mostly fruits and vegetables will allow you to eat a snack with only 100 calories.
Instead of a high-calorie snack from a vending machine, bring some cut-up vegetables or fruit from home.
Lighten Up Your Lunch
Substitute vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, or onions for 60 (two lions matchbox size) of the cheese and 2 thin slices (60g) 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 60g of the meat (half handpalm size) or 1 cup of noodles in your favorite broth-based soup. The vegetables will help fill you up, so you won’t miss those extra calories.
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 – about half. 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 small-size 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. Remember: Substitution is the key. It’s 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. Eat fruits and vegetables instead of some other higher-calorie food.
