British people don't eat enough vegetables, research suggests. According to data compiled by Our World In Data, a collaborate effort between Oxford University and Global Change Data Lab, the Chinese consume the most vegetables each year at 384.2kg. The USA is down in 44th at 117.5kg with the UK languishing in 71st (87.6kg). That could explain why the UK’s the 55th most obese country in the world compared to China down in 149th. (For reference, American Samoa is officially the most obese country in the world.)
You see, as well as delivering a range of nutrients for better health, eating more vegetables can cut fat and help you lose weight. How does it achieve this delightful double win? Well, as you’ll find out through a variety of means. Just note before you tuck in that steaming is the ideal cooking method for most vegetables to preserve the nutrients that can help support weight loss. Right, time to head down to the allotment or order a veg box – and tuck in…
10 vegetables to fight and beat belly fat
Broccoli
Broccoli is a belly-fat-beating vegetable sent from the gods. That's thanks to its high content of insoluble fibre, which is also seen in high amounts in other cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower and cabbage. Insoluble fibre is a type of dietary fibre that doesn’t dissolve in water and flows through your digestive system relatively intact. Not only does this add bulk to your stools, it also makes your stomach feel physically full without adding calories. Insoluble fibre has also been shown to support a healthy gut biome.
Brussels sprouts
Glucoraphanin, or 4-methylsulfinylbutyl glucosinolate to give it its official title, is a natural compound that you never knew you needed. It’s been linked with cranking up fat metabolism, meaning you burn through more fat, and works by activating a detox enzyme system in the body and boosting mitochondrial function.
That’s important as mitochondria are your cells’ energy powerhouses and fat-burning machines, so anything to raise their effectiveness is a belly-fat win. Studies show it’s particularly effective at burning through visceral fat, which is the source of belly fat. You’ll find around 104mg of glucoraphanin a ½ cup of Brussels sprouts. Garden cress (98mg) and mustard greens (79mg) are also good glucoraphanin choices.
Carrots
Carrots are second behind potatoes as the UK’s most popular vegetable. That’s great news because they’re naturally sweet, so help toward fending off weight-adding sugar cravings. They’re also packed with beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A to support metabolic health, and antioxidants, which slashes inflammation that’s another cause of visceral fat gain. Carrots are also brimming with insoluble fibre for impressive satiety to help stabilise blood-sugar levels.
Celery
Celery’s another vegetable that’s high in water and low in calories. It’s a good source of insoluble fibre, and also acts as a mild diuretic, so helps your body to shed water weight. There’s also evidence that it might support liver function, which is important for fat metabolism. But is it a negative-calorie food that some folk proclaim? While there’s much chewing involved and digesting of fibrous food does burn calories, both don’t burn a lot. So, it’s not negative, albeit a stick of celery is only around 14 calories.
Chilli peppers
If you have four minutes to spare and want to reel back to the days of Victorian freak shows, check out when Gordon Ramsay visited a chilli-eating competition in India. Stung by missing out on the world record for chilli consumption, the plucky protagonist then breaks the world record for rubbing chills into her eyes. It’s a stinger and you might want to have milk at the ready (albeit that will cost you calories).
I digress. Slightly. As the cause of that distress is the chemical compound capsaicin, which gives chills their infamous heat. Studies show that capsaicin can slightly – and temporarily – increase your metabolism, which is the rate at which you use energy and burn fat. Capsaicin’s also been shown to reduce appetite, which I for one can vouch for, albeit that might be the extra helping of jalfrezi, keema naan, poppadoms and decorative dips!
Cucumbers
Similar to leafy vegetables, cucumbers are predominantly water (96 per cent), meaning they’re calorie light; in fact, evidence shows that one cup of sliced cucumbers (who’s ever put cucumber in a cup outside a lab!?) contains just 16 calories. Their skin also contains a small amount of insoluble fibre for a hint of fullness.
Green beans
Green beans are high in soluble and insoluble fibre. We’ve explained how insoluble fibre works (above); soluble fibre suppresses appetite by forming a gel-like substance on your gut, which slows the emptying of your stomach. Green beans are also an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K, folate and magnesium that all help to regulate the metabolism and potentially cut weight.
Iceberg lettuce
Do you know many calories are in water? Zero, zilch, nada. That’s because you’ll recall from your school days that water’s composed of just two elements: hydrogen and oxygen. It contains no carbs, protein, fat or alcohol, which are our energy sources. That’s why leafy vegetables like kale (90 per cent water), spinach (91 per cent) and romaine lettuce (94 per cent) are fat-busters. They’re calorie light. But the winner is iceberg lettuce that’s 96 per cent water. All also feature relatively high levels of magnesium, which has been shown to regulate cortisol, the stress hormone that can lead to belly fat.
Onions
Onions are a staple of many of our favourite dishes, be it a curry, spaghetti bolognaise or drowning in gravy over sausage and mash. And that’s a good thing for your waistline as onions contain both insoluble and soluble fibre to keep you fuller for longer. Onions also contain quercetin, an antioxidant that’s been shown to stabilise blood-sugar levels. Prebiotics in onions feed good gut bacteria, too, which may reduce fat storage.
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Peppers
Like many vegetables here, bell peppers are high in fibre and low in calories. But they’re also rich in vitamin C. While vitamin C is often associated with immunity and beating a cold, it’s also been shown to support fat oxidation and also help to regulate cortisol, which as we explained earlier is linked to belly fat. The antioxidant capsanthin in red peppers and lutein/zeaxanthin in yellow and green peppers fight inflammation, which is often tied to stubborn fat build-up.
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