Fruits and vegetables for weight loss

Introduction: Fruits and vegetables are very good for controlling weight. They are high in water content and low in calories (In a nutritional context, calorie refers to the amount of energy in food). The water fills the space that food ought to have occupied and thereby make one to eat less and hence store less calories. Fruits have several advantages some of which are stated below:

• Stimulation of the five senses and kicking off metabolism. Higher metabolism leads to better burning of calories hence weight loss.
• Provide vitamins and minerals which prevent several diseases including obesity.
• High fiber content which help in losing weight. Fibre is important for the digestive system because it helps to form bulk for stool and makes it pass through the large intestine smoothly. Reduced transit time for food will also reduce the risk of cancer of the digestive tract.
• Melon, watermelon, garden egg [eggplant (known as igba in Yoruba)]: facilitate the elimination of wastes and blood impurities such as uric acid from the body. When wastes are removed from the body, it becomes easier to lose weight.
• Avocado (Pear) reduces the level of cholesterol and triglycerides (i.e unwanted fats) in the body.
• Oranges, other citrus fruits like tangerines, grapes have antioxidants which prevent premature aging, arteriosclerosis and other disease
• Pineapple, pawpaw, and okro aid digestion. When the digestive system is working smoothly, the body naturally adjusts itself to the ideal weight as long as you are not giving excess calories.

Practical tips necessary to eat enough fruits & vegetables

1. Plan to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables in a day. You can make cucumber, or garden egg, carbbage, carrot or other vegetables to be 3 portions while fruits from 2 portions.
2. A serving size for fruit or vegetables is about one-half cup. Green vegetables like spinach and lettuce have a serving size equal to one full cup. One serving of sliced fruit is equal to one-half cup; however a single piece of fruit, such as an apple or an orange counts as one serving.
3. It is wiser to eat fruits before a meal (at least 30 minutes, fruits like bananas will require at least forty minutes) rather than as a final complement to a full meal. This is because fruit usually digest and leave the system faster than other foods thereby increasing the transit time of the other foods. Increased transit time is not healthy. Let’s say you eat two slices of yam and then a slice of fruit.  Since fruit digests faster than yam, the slice of fruit digests quickly and is ready to go straight through your stomach into your intestines, but its passage is blocked by the yam which takes longer to digest. In the meantime the whole meal ferments and turns to acid. When the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil. This leads to production of gas which can cause bloating. In fact, it’s a good practice to have fruit as breakfast and or dinner.
4. Once you have eaten something other than fruit, you should wait at least three hours before eating fruit or drinking juice again. The only exception to this is that if you eat raw vegetables by themselves without dressing or dip, fruit can then be eaten about twenty to thirty minutes later. If you wish to have fruit as a snack or at night before bed, be sure that at least three hours elapse after eating anything cooked and about one and a half to two hours after eating a salad.
5. Fruits produce a greater sense of satiety therefore one is likely to take in less calories.
6. It is important to eat enough protein from other foods while enjoying fruits and vegetables because the protein content of fruits and vegetables are not high enough to sustain the body.
7. It’s better to eat a wide range of fruits since many fruits have peculiar characteristics and functions which distinguish them from others.
8. Fruit juices should not replace fresh fruits. They are not substitutes for fruits because they contain less fibre and if not freshly prepared, fewer vitamins as well.
9. They contain virtually no fat and the sugar content do not turn to fat like the sugar from refined foods

Conclusion: Eating abundance of fruits and vegetables (in place of other foods) are not only non-fattening but are one of the best ways to lose weight as long as one is taking enough protein along side.