Crunchy and fresh, packed with nutrients, and at the same time a real fat burner: seasonal vegetables should end up on your plate every day. These seasonal varieties are not only extremely healthy, but they are also particularly effective at burning fat and helping you lose weight.
Do you think vegetables taste bland and hardly fill you up? Are you kidding me? Are you serious when you say that? Whether gently cooked, roasted in the oven, raw or grilled: vegetables are versatile in their preparation and taste.
The best thing about broccoli, tomatoes, and Co. is that they are low in calories and enrich any diet. Thanks to the fiber they contain, they also keep cravings at bay.
Some varieties are also particularly good for losing weight and have been proven to be real fat burners.
Broccoli
Broccoli is considered a superfood for a reason: The green vegetable plant contains vitamins and minerals en masse – but only 34 calories per 100 grams!
This makes broccoli the ideal diet snack. The vegetable variety also cuts a fine figure on the plate as a soup or accompaniment to the main meal.
Good to know: A portion of broccoli already covers the daily calcium requirement.
Tomatoes
The slimming miracle among vegetables: Tomatoes contain lycopene and carotene, which, among other things, ensure that the body stores less fat.
This effect has been scientifically proven: subjects who took both lycopene and carotene in studies had less body fat than participants in a comparison group.
Tip: You can treat yourself to cherry tomatoes between meals – the perfect office snack.
Fennel
Fennel is a great vegetable for staying fit or losing weight with just 19 calories and 0.3 percent fat per 100 grams. It also provides a lot of fiber and gets the digestion going.
Apropos: The essential oils contained in fennel have a calming effect on all stomach and intestinal complaints so that they can relieve nausea, pain, and flatulence.
The fennel bulb is rich in nutrients: 200 grams of the vegetable alone cover a quarter of the daily calcium requirement. In addition, it contains twice as much vitamin C as oranges.
It can also score with folic acid, iron, magnesium, and potassium. You can therefore give fennel a chance. It tastes particularly good steamed in a lukewarm salad or with fish dishes.
Pleasure tip: In combination with fresh chili, fennel boosts fat burning.
Chard
Swiss chard is a true low-carb vegetable! One hundred grams contain:
- Just 1 gram of carbohydrates.
- Around 4 grams of fiber.
- 4 grams of protein – a good source of vegetable protein.
Thanks to the high vitamin C content, it strengthens the immune system – with 100 grams, you already cover 80 percent of your daily vitamin C requirement.
When it comes to calcium, chard can even keep up with low-fat quark or skyr: 100 grams deliver a whopping 105 milligrams. In comparison: 100 grams of low-fat quark provide 90 milligrams of calcium, and the frontrunner skyr 150 milligrams.
You can eat chard as a side dish with fish and meat, but it also tastes pretty good with pasta dishes, salads, and casseroles.
Pumpkin
Late summer heralds the pumpkin season. Whether baked in the oven or a soup, pumpkin, especially the bright orange Hokkaido pumpkin, is one of the most popular vegetables in autumn.
And not without reason: Pumpkin consists mostly of water and is very low in acid, making it extremely digestible. 100 grams of pulp have only 30 calories and hardly any fat – perfect vegetables for losing weight.
In addition, the orange-colored vegetable scores with vitamin C, beta-carotene, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and iron are ideal for strengthening the immune system and preparing you for the fall season.
Cucumber
Cucumbers are made up of 96 percent water. For this reason, they are also particularly low in calories: there are only a measly 12 calories per 100 grams.
Thanks to the high water content, cucumbers provide a lot of liquid, which is extremely beneficial for our skin. In combination with the dietary fibers it contains, digestion is stimulated, and pollutants are flushed out of the body.
A study on mice shows that cucumbers can lower and control blood sugar and thus prevent diabetes.
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