Eat Vegetables to Lose Weight
Vegetables
According to the recently released food plate the average daily dietary allowance one requires atleast 3 portions of seasonal vegetables to meet the daily dietary intake. Most of us find it difficult to successfully meet this dietary requirement resulting in poor health, weight gain and nutritional deficiencies. Besides eating vegetables can actually help you lose weight.
There are many excuses for missing the most natural foods in their diet, some of which are eating greens is a task and we purposely skip them, they are tasteless, while some people assure you that they have vegetables in their diet and when asked to review their meals that’s the only thing that’s missing from the diet. Before we get started with the tips let us just give you a quick reminder on why vegetables are good for us:
- The most natural and easily available food that contains different vitamins, minerals and thousands of other plant chemicals.
- Vegetables are low in fat and calories,
- Good source of dietary fiber and provide us with extra energy. Fiber keeps us fuller for long preventing us from overeating and frequently eating.
- Vegetables provide more energy to the body in return helping us be active and burn more calories.
Vegetables are not tasteless and infact can have better flavor & texture than most meats if prepared well. Besides we know the health benefits of seasonal vegetables. If you are not use to eating them we can suggest easy ways of slowly introducing them to your diet them and finally develop a taste for them. Once you have them as part of your diet trust us you will wonder what kept you away from them for so long! Read more
Say Hello to Food Plate and Bye to the Pyramid
Food plate replaced food pyramid. Instead of stacking food groups in a pyramid (in the order of consumption), food groups are now being laid out on a plate. Instead of pyramid suggesting portions of various food groups striped in rainbow color there will be a new circular chart depicting recommended meals.
Food Plate
More interesting than the design change are the category modifications but missing few items. Let’s compare pyramid with plate and how implementing it will help make our diet healthy.
- Fruits and vegetables have taken a centre stage, comprising largely half of the plate. Suggesting half of your meal should be vegetables-cooked plus raw (salad) and fruit. Both these food groups contribute to provide essential vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants guarding our body from any infection. Vegetables are organized into 5 subgroups- dark green leafy, red& orange vegetables, beans & peas,starchy and other vegetables, based on their nutrient content.
- Former “Meats and Beans” group from pyramid is now simply “Proteins,” The plate further states that at least 50% of the proteins should be lean proteins- pulses, chicken, egg white or lean fish as against meat, ham or organ meat. With an increase in cardiovascular problems and obesity, these guidelines extend a helping hand for consumers to diligently select what they are consuming.
- One more food group from food pyramid “Milk” is also changed now to “Dairy.” The new guidelines indicate a switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk from full cream milk.
- Grains which were earlier given a major bottom slab at the bottom now form 65% of a main meal. The new icon nutrition plate states that at least half of the grains consumed should be whole grain ensuring that you get enough fibre in your diet.
- Close attention to the new MyPlate image shows that there is no representation and guidance for Fats/Oils. Fats/Oil are often linked to many health issues, including risk of heart disease.
Besides some specific advice on food groups, new plate recommends:
- Enjoy your food, but eat less
- Avoid oversized portions
- Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals ― and choose the foods with lower numbers
- Drink water instead of sugary drinks
The real aim for new plate undoubtedly is too make healthy eating more easier to understand and implement. Since we use plates at our meals, it’s easy to translate what a well-rounded, nutritional healthy meal should look like.
