Green Goodness
Like most of us, you probably hated broccoli as a kid. But if you haven’t yet discovered its nutritional potential (as well as how delicious it can be!) as an adult, then you’re in for a real treat. We’re confident that you’ll love adding mouthwatering broccoli to your meals. Or, at least, you will when you discover that it’s a fantastic food for weight loss.
In this article, you’ll learn the weight loss benefits of broccoli, discover our recommended broccoli diet plan and find out about other healthy vegetables. Let’s dive in.
The Weight Loss Benefits of Broccoli
Broccoli is a superfood with many health benefits including reducing certain cancer risks, boosting blood sugar control and securing a healthier heart. It’s also a great vegetable for reducing weight. Let’s discover broccoli’s nutrition facts and why this overlooked vegetable is so successful at aiding weight loss.
Bioactive Compounds
Broccoli is brimming with bioactive compounds that are great for weight loss. These compounds are scientifically proven to reduce inflammation, which can be effective in reducing weight gain and allowing for weight reduction. The kaempferol found in broccoli is a specifically great anti-inflammatory compound.
Carbohydrate Content
Due to its low carbohydrate content, broccoli is perfect for reducing weight - making it a fantastic diet loss tool. When it comes to nutritious value and weight loss potential, it’s certainly one of the healthiest vegetables you can add to your diet.
Vitamins C and K
Broccoli contains ample amounts of vitamin C, which has been proven to aid the fat-burning process. It’s ideal for those looking to lose weight and provides the bonus of healthier skin too. Those who eat broccoli also note its immunity-boosting features.
Vitamin K is also present in broccoli and improves fat metabolism in the body. This burns fat throughout your body, but especially in the belly.
Fiber
Being a great source of fiber, broccoli can help you to lose weight quickly and safely. Fiber absorbs water, leaving a larger proportion of food in your stomach. This helps you to feel full for longer, which reduces food consumption and leads to weight loss.
Calorie Content
One cup of raw broccoli clocks in at around 30 calories. This makes the vegetable non-calorie dense, meaning that you can eat a lot of it. In comparison, a single cup of chocolate chips can contain as many as 1,000 calories.
The Chicken Broccoli Diet
The Chicken Broccoli Diet is a popular weight loss plan because of its effectiveness. The diet relies on two staples - chicken and broccoli. The chicken is rich in protein, which helps to keep you full while the broccoli provides important ingredients that are useful for weight loss including vitamins C and K alongside fiber and bioactive compounds.
Other Healthy Vegetables For Dieting
All types of vegetables are good for your body and mind. Below we’ve listed some of our favorites. Putting them together into a tasty salad is the best practice for those wanting a varied and healthy diet that’ll help them lose weight.
Cauliflower
Much like broccoli in shape, cauliflower is a great tool for weight loss. It’s incredibly versatile and sits perfectly within many dishes. A single cup is between 20 and 30 calories, making it a very low-calorie food that’s nevertheless filling.
Cabbage
Cabbage is high in fiber, which is great for those seeking to reduce their weight. It also includes anti-inflammatory ingredients. Each cup of cabbage contains just 5g of carbohydrates - ideal for weight loss as foods high in carbs cause you to gain body fat.
Kale
This salad item sits perfectly alongside broccoli in a salad. That’s great news for weight loss seekers. A cup of kale is less than 10 calories, meaning that an entire bowl will be less than 50 calories.
Kale has a different texture to broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage which makes it harder to eat. This can slow you down during meals, helping you to feel more full and eat less food.
Carrots
Fiber has amazing weight loss properties, so including more of it in your diet is good practice. Carrots are one of the most fiber-dense vegetables you can consume, with as much as 4g of fiber per cup. In contrast, spinach has less than 1g of fiber per cup.
Peppers
Peppers, whether red, orange, yellow or green, are brilliant sources of fiber and vitamin C, both of which reduce body fat. And that’s not all. Bell peppers are low in calories, too.
Dipping strips of pepper into a tub of low-fat hummus makes for a great snack because you’ll also be eating beans - another great food item when it comes to keeping a healthy body and mind.
Broccoli and Weight Management
So, is broccoli useful for weight loss? In short, yes! As well as being low in calories, the fiber in broccoli helps it to fill you up, while the vitamin content and bioactive compounds are great for overall health. So the next time you’re looking to shift a few pounds, reach for the broccoli.