Don't underestimate the importance of vegetables in helping you to achieve your weight loss goals and maintain the weight loss you have worked so hard to achieve.

So often we hear the phrase, "eat plenty of fruits and vegetables". After a while I almost get tired of hearing this. Are these important just because they contain helpful vitamins and lots of fiber. Or is there something more?

First of all, don't make the mistake of putting fruits on the same  nutritional quality level as vegetables. Ounce for ounce, many vegetables contain more nutrients than fruit but with much less sugar. The fruits eaten by our ancient ancestors generally contained much less sugar than the varieties sold in the stores today. Today's fruits have been carefully bred to have the highest possible sugar content without regard for maintaining the same nutritional content. Most vegetables are not bred for sugar content, but for other qualities such as size, color, and taste. 

Vegetables have been thought to promote weight loss because of their high fiber content and sheer bulk which takes up stomach space and creates a feeling of fullness. However, more recent evidence suggests that some vegetables may contain chemicals which are sensed by our digestive system and signal us to eat less food. In other words, they may produce a level of fullness (satiety) that can't just be accounted for by fiber or volume.

While we don't fully understand this phenomenon, we can take advantage of this property of vegetables to increase our chances of success at meaningful weight loss.

I recommend eating at least 5 servings of vegetables daily. Don't forget about vegetable juice. Once glass of low sodium V8 juice is only 50 calories and contains the equivalent of 2 servings of vegetables. It is also high in potassium, which seems to help lower blood pressure in certain individuals. Add to this a nice salad at lunch topped with cucumbers and/or tomatoes, and you will have 3 vegetable servings just by lunch. Add some raw and/or cooked vegetables for supper. You will have easily eaten your 5 servings of vegetables in one day.