Why vegetables for weight loss?
When it comes to weight loss, calories are the most important factor to consider. Plant-based foods work best than anything for calorie control. I am going to make a complete list of vegetables for weight loss in India.
Low calories high volume
Almost all veggies are considered to be low cal high volume food. This means it can be consumed in volume without worrying much about calories going into your body.
And, this is why I gave so much importance to veggies during my weight loss journey. And believe me, it has worked like charm in my weight loss.
Low calories traits of veggies made me consume it more, making me feel full and at the same time work best at controlling my daily calorie intake.
Tip: Always, try to put 50% space for veggies based dishes in your diet plate. And, it will work best on your calorie control and hunger
Read about my weight loss journey with veggies here
Once you have known the important role of vegetables in weight loss. Let’s now get started with a list of weight loss vegetables.
Some vegetables are very popular in India and some are popular outside India that you can get with little extra effort in searching.
10 best vegetables for weight loss to add to your diet (Indian)
1. Spinach
Leafy greens weight loss vegetables:
Leafy greens veggies consist of spinach, Lettuce, Cabbage, kale, collards, etc. They are a good source of vitamins, fiber, antioxidants, and minerals. Low in calories and carbs, good for your fat loss.
It is not just helpful in weight loss but has other health benefits like obesity, heart disease, etc.
Spinach comes first on the list of green veggies. It contains all the important nutrients for a healthy body and is low in calories.
The best thing about spinach is that you can play around with it preparing varieties of recipes. You can make soup, mix veg curries, palak paneer, salad, and many more dishes.
It’s also rich in folate and is very useful in red blood cell production.
Benefits of spinach:
- Rich in protein and vitamins.
- Great source of iron and magnesium.
- Reduce hypertension and manages blood pressure.
- Good for your bones.
- Helpful for the digestive system.
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2. Lettuce
Lettuce is rich in nutrients (vitamins and minerals ) and low in calories. This means it is again a friendly member of the weight loss veggies list.
If you want to know the macronutrient values in 85 grams of lettuce then have a look below
- Protein: 1 gram
- Fat: 0.2 grams
- Fiber: 1 gram
Total Calories: 11
Not only this, lettuce is high in water content which helps in maintaining your hydration and makes you feel full. So, it is an added benefit.
It is also a great source of antioxidants which helps you reduce the risk of heart disease.
Benefits of lettuce:
- Rich in Vitamin A
- Rich in Vitamin K
- Helps to keep your heart healthy
- Good as a diet food
- May help lower blood pressure
- Helpful in weight loss
Tip: You can use lettuce in your salad for the best use of it
3. Cabbage
Cabbage is another weight loss friendly food and really contains low calories and can be eaten in volume. A cup of cooked cabbage contains around 32 calories.
It is rich in fiber, especially the red variety of cabbage is rich in Vitamin C thus helpful in diabetes according to some experts.
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Benefits of cabbage:
- It has anti-cancer properties due to sulphoraphane content in it.
- Rich in Vitamin C
- can be turned into sauerkraut, helpful for the immune system and digestion
Tip: You can use cabbage in soup, salad or curry for the best benefit
4. Cauliflower
Cauliflower is a significant source of nutrients and a low calories vegetable to be added as the best diet food.
You can include it in your diet in a variety of ways and this tastes awesome.
It is a great source of vitamins and minerals. One cup of cauliflower contains 3 grams of fiber.
128gm of raw cauliflower contains 25 calories which means it can be eaten in volume in a variety of ways.
Benefits of cauliflower:
- High in fiber
- Helpful in digestive conditions like constipation.
- Lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
- Good source of antioxidant
- Good source of Vitamin C
- Promotes weight loss.
- Rich in Choline, helpful in brain development, etc
- High in Sulforaphane, lower risk of cancer
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Tip: You can play around with cauliflower with varieties of curries, with rice dishes like biryani, soup, and salad.
5. Broccoli
Broccoli belongs to the cruciferous group and is a really low calories veggie loaded with nutrients.
This is another low-calorie veggie and contains around 34 calories in 1oo grams. Thus, making it a perfect choice for a weight loss diet.
It is rich in fiber and makes you feel full as fiber-rich food takes time to digest. Thus, can help in controlling your hunger in the long run with low calories in it.
Benefits of Broccoli:
- Brocolli has a good amount of water in it that helps in hydration
- Rich source of Vitamin C
- Helpful in boosting your immune system
- Low cal, high fiber veggie
- A bowl of Cooked Broccoli has around 60 calories
- Rich source of vitamin K
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Tip: You can make a variety of recipes with Broccoli. You can enjoy it in salad, curries or soups.
6. Mushroom
It is another low-calorie and low-carb veggie and perfect for your weight-loss diet.
They are loaded with minerals and vitamins and are powerful healthy veggies.
Benefits of mushrooms:
1 cup button mushroom contains around 30 calories
- Rich in fiber
- Rich in potassium
- Good source of Vitamin B
- Great source of iron
- Rich in phosphorus
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Tip: When it comes to having mushroom recipes, you can toss it in soups, curries, and salad.
7. Cucumber
Cucumber is another low-calorie veggie good for your weight loss diet. According to one recent post on healthline.com, cucumber promises to help you lose weight around 7kgs in 7 to 14 days.
Many prefer to eat cucumber when they feel hungry as it is low in calories and high in water content making you feel full easily.
You should not just rely on cumber for your protein requirement as it has low protein content. And, is recommended to eat it with some other protein-rich food like cotton cheese(Paneer)
Tip: You can use cucumber in a salad with shredded panner in it.
Cucumber is best when eaten with other veggies or food rich in nutrients.
300 grams of cucumber contains around 45 calories with fat content zero in it.
Have a look at nutrients value in 300 grams of cucumber
- Carbs: 11 Grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Protein: 2grams
- Fat: ZERO
About 96% of cucumber is water which helps you keep hydrated and feel full in the long run.
Benefits of cucumber:
- Helps in weight loss
- Keeps you hydrated
- May lower blood pressure
- Can be easily added to your diet
- Contains antioxidants
- Good nutrients content
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8. Bell Peppers
They are packed with good nutrients and low in calories.
Capsaicin found in peppers helps in metabolism and helps in controlling your hunger. It also helps in burning your calories.
You can enjoy peppers in a variety of dishes like in your Indian curries, Poha, Salad, and sandwiches.
A medium-size red pepper contains around 37 calories which makes it a perfect weight loss diet that can be eaten in volume.
Have a look at the nutrients value of medium size red peppers.
- Carbs: 7 grams
- Protein: 1 gram
- Sugar: 5 grams
Benefits of peppers:
- Good source of Vitamins.
- Contains low calorie.
- Promotes weight loss.
- Reduced risk of cancer and heart disease.
- Beneficial for your eyes.
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Tip: Enjoy roasted peppers in your salad and saute it to enjoy in varieties of curries & soups.
9. Green Beans
Green beans are rich in fiber and low in fat. You can add it to your diet if you want to control your calories and work effectively on your weight loss.
1oo grams of raw green beans contains around 26 calories which makes it a good choice for calorie control.
Let’s have a look at the nutrients value found in 100 grams of green beans
- Protein: 1.7 Grams
- Carbs: 4.5 grams
- Fats: 0.1 Grams
- Fiber: 2.5 grams
Benefits of green beans:
- Rich source of Vitamin C and A
- Works best as a diet food for weight loss
- Reduced risk of diabetes and cancer
- Improves Bone health
- Reduced depression
Tip: Green beans can be eaten in salad, soups, and goes perfect with other veggies. Paneer Bhurji with beans is a perfect diet and ensure protein intake.
10. Bottle gourd(Lauki)
Bottle Gourd is lower on the calorie side and contains only 12 calories in 100 grams of raw lauki. So, it makes sense to add it to your diet plate.
Lauki comes from a cucumber family and has a good amount of water content in it which means it works best-controlling hunger for a little longer time.
It is rich in minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients.
Let’s have a look at the nutrients value of 100 grams of raw Bottle Gourd.
- Protein: 0.2 Grams
- Carbs: 2.5 grams
- Fats: 0.1 Grams
- Fiber: 2.0 grams
Benefits of Bottle Gourd:
- It contains major Vitamins like A, B, C, and K.
- It also has iron, magnesium, and potassium in it.
- Good as weight loss diet
- the diuretic effect of lauki helps you lose weight by making you lose water.
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Tip: Lauki can be eaten as curry or juice. But over-consumption may cause some health issues. So, eat in the recommended quantity.
Conclusion – vegetables for weight loss
These were some vegetables for weight loss. Veggies are recommended by many dieticians because most of them are low calories and can be consumed in volume. So, it makes sense to add more veggies to your diet for successful weight loss.
I keep sharing my tips, diet plan, and lots of motivations for successful weight loss through my Instagram account. Check here and never lose your motivation for your mission to fitness.
Note: Views expressed in this article should not be considered as final diet or medical advice. Consult your dietician or medical experts for further details.
Thank you so much anubhav
@Asha Always welcome, happy to help. I wish you achieve your fitness goal soon and wish you a very happy and healthy life 🙂