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Obesity & Weight Loss with Vegetable & Fruits - Green Diet
Although many find their waistlines expanding with each year, a few manage to stay slender and trim throughout their lives. These are the ones who capture attention and never seem to look their ages. How they do it was the subject of a recent Consumer Reports investigation that sought to determine if these people were genetically gifted, or whether they were in possession of a magic secret resembling the fountain of youth. The study found that getting a large part of nutrition from fruits and vegetables played a big part in keeping these people trim and youthful - a green diet. This proves obesity and weight loss can be managed easily with only vegetables and fruits.
If you go into any health food store or look online, you'll find hundreds of weight loss supplements, many of them claiming to have remarkable benefits. Although it's tempting to try new supplements, the possible side effects and safety concerns aren't always listed. And while some of them may be promising, others can do more harm than good. Here's information about some of the more popular weight loss supplements
Consumer Reports National Research Center asked subscribers to their magazine about their lifetime weight history and their eating, dieting, and exercising habits. A total of 21,632 readers completed the survey which identified three key groups: people who were never overweight during their lives, people who were once overweight but have kept themselves at least ten percent lighter for the last three years, and people who were overweight and would like to lose but are still close to their heaviest weight. The always thin people made up 16% of the sample, and the successful losers were 15% of the sample. Failed dieters made up 42%, with the rest not fitting into any category.
The group that had always been thin included a tiny 3% who said they never exercised and ate whatever they wanted. The rest of the always thin group was a lot like those in the successful losers group. This statistic belies the notion that people who have always been thin have some sort of hereditary advantage.
An analysis of the data revealed six key behaviors shared by the always thin and successful losers groups. These behaviors were defined by Consumer Reports as correlating highly with a healthy body mass index (BMI). Leading the list was the eating of fruits and vegetables. 49% of the always thin and successful losers groups said they ate five or more servings a day of fruits and vegetables for at least five days out of a week.
What about fruits and vegetables that allow people to achieve a healthy BMI? Fruits and vegetables are low in calories, high in volume, and high in critically important nutrients. They provide the feeling of satiety that goes with fullness. When the stomach is filled with high volume foods that are not high in calories, there is less room to pack in more calorie dense foods.
Vegetables are a good natural weight loss supplements. Consuming vegetables for weight loss becomes easier as vegetables are already a part of your daily diet. All that you have to do to gain weight loss from vegetables is to identify the right vegetables and prepare a diet plan to follow.
Vegetables are a good supplement for weight loss and reducing obesity because:
Processed food contain sodium that causes the body to hold water. Where as vegetables are low in sodium and so they help in reducing water gains.
Fiber has the quality of filling you stomach faster. It helps in giving you a feeling that you are full. This leads to reduced food intake. It helps in controlling the craving to eat food at frequent intervals or say when you are sitting quietly on a sofa and watching Television.
How you eat the vegetables matters a lot. Studies reveal that cooked and mashed vegetables can offer better health benefits. Your body can absorb more of the required essential health elements from cooked vegetables than eating them raw.
Now what is the conclusion?
There are many off the counter products that provide you with the required supplements. But in the long run it is a balanced diet that is going to give you good results without any side effect. Eat more fruits and vegetables to reach and maintain ideal weight.
Eat five or more servings a day of fruits and vegetables for at least five days out of a week. Vegetables preferably cooked and mashed.
Include more of beans and lentils in your diet. Substituting beans and lentils for meat is a great way to lower the energy density of a meal. The calories are about the same, but beans and lentils are high in fiber. Beans and lentils are more filling than meat because a quarter pound of beans has a greater volume than a quarter pound of meat
Choose fruits and vegetables by their color.
To gain full spectrum nutrition, eat a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables at every meal. Here are the superstars of nutrition in each color group:
Super greens: These vegetables should make up the foundation of your daily vegetable intake. Dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, chard, turnip greens, mustard and collard greens, and deep green lettuces.
Super reds: Red fruits and vegetables are chocked full of lycopene, the carotenoid that offers high levels of protection against prostate cancer.
Super oranges: Orange fruits and vegetables are high in beta carotene, notable for its ability to prevent cancers of the lung, esophagus and stomach.
Super purples: Grapes, blueberries, prunes, and eggplant are the main representatives of the purples. They are known cancer fighters.
Super whites: Potatoes, white beans, cauliflower, mushrooms, bananas, onions and garlic are each unique in what they have to offer. Potatoes offer more potassium than just about any other food. Bananas provide energy boosting natural sugars along with Vitamins B6 and C. White beans offer lots of fiber and high quality protein along with a broad spectrum of minerals. Mushrooms are good vegetable source of Vitamin D. Onions and garlic are legendary for their ability to fight cancer, heart disease, and increase the overall antioxidant level of the body.
Super browns: This category is all about beans and lentils. These are foods with some of the highest levels of protein in the vegetable kingdom. Add some rice or corn and this protein is perfect for humans. Pintos and lentils are great sources of manganese, copper, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, potassium, and Vitamin B1. Their high fiber content keeps cholesterol levels right where they should be.
Upping the amount of fruits and vegetables in the diet is easy
Look at the list of super fruits and vegetables and pick out the ones you really like. Phase in your favorites at first and slowly phase out the processed foods and meat. You don't have to give them up entirely, because your goal is simply to make fruits and vegetables a greater part of your diet.
Once you begin eating more of them, you will find that you no longer have cravings. Even the craving for sugar and other sweets will go away by the delicious sweet taste of the fruits you choose.
Make a salad for lunch or dinner and fill your plate with a multitude of colors. As you add more and more fruits and vegetables in your diet you will build up your nutrient reserves and start to feel really great. The extra energy you get may even increase your interest in exercise. Replacing many meat and dairy products with fruits and vegetables will help you quickly lose any unwanted pounds. After awhile it will be you who looks young and captures attention.
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