Today’s Usage Tip: Fruits and Veggies in Weight Management (Weight loss)

Research says eating grapefruit in the morning will helps to lose an average of 3.6 pounds. It also protect from diabetes.

 

High levels of fruits, vegetables, greens and beans help you lose weight because they are low in calories, high in volume and high in critically important nutrients. On a very practical level they fill you up, without loading you up with fat and calories. And when your stomach is filled up with high volume, low calorie food, there is less room for other bad stuff.

There is also a growing body of evidence that shows that plant-based foods help to control food cravings and overeating. They are nutrient dense, which simply means they are packed with all sorts of good things for you, which is something most of us know.

But what is new is the idea that a diet very high (much more than the recommended 5 servings a day) can help turn off our cravings for processed foods. They can short circut the food addiction cycle, and help provide a jolt to your weight loss efforts.

Your Diet May Be Balanced- But Are You?

The average diet is roughly 8% fruits, vegetables and beans. We are told to eat 5 or more portions a day, but to get real impact on your weight or health, you need to radically and dramatically increase daily intake, and put a special focus on green vegetables like spinach, broccoli and salad. Often what keeps us from doing this is that we are told to pursue a "balanced diet" and to "eat sensibly". But what if your body is out of balance and overweight? In order to attain balance, might we need to pursue an "unbalanced diet" where we simply invert the ratios of fruits and vegetables in relation to everything else?

The key thing we have discovered, is that many "health" plans are hard to follow, and can be unforgiving, especially for newcomers. Traditional diet plans are generally very "status quo" oriented, because that is where the money is. 

Why Fruits and Vegetables Fight Food Cravings

Our body is really smart, and often sends us signals. Hunger is a big signal. It is your own body telling you to eat. If you have ever been pregnant (or known someone who has!) you are familiar with peculiar food cravings. It is the same thing with your body and nutrients. Your body is looking for specific nutrients and is not getting them in nutrient poor processed foods, and anything marked low fat or low carb. So you eat and you eat and you eat but the body still hasn't gotten what it needs. It's still looking for the nutrients available in fruits and vegetables.

 

Vegetables Can Rapidly Lower Elevated Cholesterol Levels

Your blood cholesterol level has a lot to do with your chances of getting heart disease. High blood cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for heart disease. A risk factor is a condition that increases your chance of getting a disease. In fact, the higher your blood cholesterol level, the greater your risk for developing heart disease or having a heart attack. Heart disease is the number one killer of women and men in the world. Each year, more than a million people have heart attacks, and about a half million people die from heart disease.

Scientists and researchers are just starting to understand how green vegetables like Kale can quickly and measurably bring down blood cholesterol levels. When you consume Kale for some reason your "bile acids" are used in the process of digesting it. The "bile acids" are then excreted.

 When bile acids are excreted, the body needs to make more. One of the main uses of cholesterol in the body is in the production (or "synthesis") of new bile acid! So, high daily consumption of leafy greens can speed up the process of bile excretion and production, which can help to directly lower cholesterol levels.

Pectin-Containing Fruits Like Apples and Pears Function The Same Way...

You have heard the old saying that "An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away." That is literally true. "Pectin" is a fiber that binds to bile acids in the digestive system. So when you eat an apple, or a pear or a pile of green vegetables, you are triggering a process that can literally suck elevated levels of bad cholesterol out of your system.

I Don't Like Fruits and Vegetables!

What if you don't like fruits and vegetables? Take out a pen and list all the vegetables you've heard of and we'll bet there are a few you like. Artichokes? Corn? Cucumber? On this list, circle all the vegetables you like, and tape the list to your refrigerator. You don't have to eat a different one a day. Find a few you like, and start to incorporate them in your diet. Start by incorporating just one vegetable a day in each meal and one fruit. Maybe you are getting older and would be motivated by the fact that certain fruits help to preserve your eyesight, lower your cholesterol and help reduce the risk of colon cancer. Just being told that "something is good for you" often does nothing. But if you have a specific reason, for example mapping pears and fruit to better eyesight, it will help in your day to day decision making.

You'll find, as time goes on and you get suggestions of ways to prepare them from others, you'll start to try different ones. Just get the habit formed with ones you like and your body will start to build up its nutrient reserves. Getting in the habit of eating a huge salad or two each day is a great way to make the bulk of your diet healthy and nutrient dense. If you make enough of a change in your diet, your body will start to respond very quickly. If you replace meat and dairy with healthy foods, you will lose weight quickly.

What Vegetables and Fruits Speed Up Weight Loss

There is a growing body of evidence that shows that not all fruits and vegetables are created equally. Certain fruits and vegetables contain more nutrients per calorie than others, and these nutrients help your body do what it needs and wants to. When your body is getting what it needs, you are going to feel better physically. And you just may feel better emotionally. The absolute best vegetables to help speed up weight loss are green vegetables- Collard Greens, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Cabbage. If you are in a Chinese restaurant, pay very close attention to the vegetables they serve. And get in the habit of eating them. If you want to lose weight quickly, you need to eat a ton of these vegetables every day and start to get a sense of your portion sizes. Other things that will help you lose weight quickly are Romaine Lettuce, Vegetable Juice, Boston Lettuce, Carrot Juice, Tomato Sauce and Red and Green Peppers. If it grows, eat a LOT of it!

Just like vegetables, not all fruit is created equally. You hear that certain fruits are "anti-oxidant superfoods." These fruits also will help you lose weight more quickly. Strawberries, Raspberries and Blueberries are at the top of the list when it comes to helping speed up weight loss. You might be worried about the calories in strawberries but you need to realize there are only 74 per cup and those are the calories you want. There are even fewer calories in raspberries. They will give you energy, make you feel great and help burn off fat very quickly. They also help to fight cancer.