Use Fruits and Vegetables to Help Manage Your Weight

CDC: How to Use Fruits and
Vegetables to Help Manage
Your Weight

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Recipes
below 100
calories

Fruits and vegetables are part of a well-balanced and
healthy eating plan. There are many different ways to lose or
maintain a healthy weight. Using more fruits and vegetables
along with whole grains and lean meats, nuts, and beans is a
safe and healthy one. Helping control your weight is not the
only benefit of eating more fruits and vegetables. Diets rich
in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of
cancer and other chronic diseases. Fruits and vegetables
also provide essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and other
substances that are important for good health.

To lose weight, you must eat fewer calories than your
body uses.

This doesn't necessarily mean that you have to eat less
food. You can create lower-calorie versions of some of your
favorite dishes by substituting low-calorie fruits and
vegetables in place of higher-calorie ingredients. The water
and fiber in fruits and vegetables will add volume to your
dishes, so you can eat the same amount of food with fewer
calories. Most fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat
and calories and are filling.
Here are some simple ways to cut calories and eat fruits and
vegetables throughout your day:

Breakfast: Start the Day Right

* Substitute some spinach, onions, or mushrooms for one of
the eggs or half of the cheese in your morning omelet. The
vegetables will add volume and flavor to the dish with fewer
calories than the egg or cheese.
* Cut back on the amount of cereal in your bowl to make
room for some cut-up bananas, peaches, or strawberries.
You can still eat a full bowl, but with fewer calories.

Lighten Up Your Lunch

* Substitute vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes,
cucumbers, or onions for 2 ounces of the cheese and 2
ounces of the meat in your sandwich, wrap, or burrito. The
new version will fill you up with fewer calories than the
original.
* Add a cup of chopped vegetables, such as broccoli,
carrots, beans, or red peppers, in place of 2 ounces of the
meat or 1 cup of noodles in your favorite broth-based soup.
The vegetables will help fill you up, so you won't miss those
extra calories.

Dinner

# Add in 1 cup of chopped vegetables such as broccoli,
tomatoes, squash, onions, or peppers, while removing 1 cup
of the rice or pasta in your favorite dish. The dish with the
vegetables will be just as satisfying but have fewer calories
than the same amount of the original version.
# Take a good look at your dinner plate. Vegetables, fruit,
and whole grains should take up the largest portion of your
plate. If they do not, replace some of the meat, cheese, white
pasta, or rice with legumes, steamed broccoli, asparagus,
greens, or another favorite vegetable. This will reduce the
total calories in your meal without reducing the amount of
food you eat. BUT remember to use a normal- or small-size
plate — not a platter. The total number of calories that you
eat counts, even if a good proportion of them come from
fruits and vegetables.

Smart Snacks

* Most healthy eating plans allow for one or two small snacks
a day. Choosing most fruits and vegetables will allow you to
eat a snack with only 100 calories.

Source CDC.gov