The 5 best vegetables for weight loss

The journey to a healthy body sometimes includes weight loss. While there’s no magic food for losing weight, your body needs vegetables. In this post, we highlight the best vegetables you should include in your weight-loss diet journey. 

The 5 best vegetables for losing weight in Nigeria

Vegetables contain low calories while supplying your body with weight-loss-friendly nutrients like fiber (an indigestible carbohydrate) and water. But some vegetables are better than others. 

1. Bitter leaf 

Bitter leaf is a medicine and herb as much as a food. The plant is rich in plant chemicals like flavonoids and saponins, which delay fat absorption in the body. 

Excessive weight may cause diabetes. But bitter leaves are anti-diabetic. The low-calorie vegetable supplies steroids, glycosides, and vernodalin which reduce blood sugar content in the body. It also cleanses the pancreas, which produces insulin that regulates blood sugar levels. 

Bitter leaf also cleanses your kidneys and liver. The kidneys maintain fluid balance in the body. If it malfunctions, you may experience fluid weight gain. Similarly, the liver is the detoxification hub of the body. But when it’s overwhelmed, it may cause weight gain because of improper fat conversion. 

However, regular bitter leaf intake improves the liver and kidneys by reducing toxin levels. It furnishes the body with essential nutrients such as potassium, iron, manganese, and copper. 

2. Fluted pumpkin leaves

Fluted pumpkin leaves (or ugwu, as the Igbos fondly call them) are a popular soup thickener in Nigeria. Its high fiber content promotes weight loss because it slows down digestion. It helps you feel full, which may help you eat less without disrupting your eating plan. 

The gut microbiota is a collection of microorganisms that control human health. If its composition changes, the body will accumulate food because of poor digestion, leading to obesity and diabetes. But fluted pumpkins contain polysaccharides that modulate gut microbial composition in the body. As a result, ugwu leaves reduce excess weight in the body. 

3. Water leaf and Spinach 

Scientists classified water leaves as weeds. But the shade-loving green vegetable is a common soup thickener, like fluted pumpkins, in Nigeria. It promotes weight loss because it’s rich in indigestible fiber. 

Spinach (also called “efo tete” or “amunututu”) is a superfood for a reason: it’s rich in weight-limiting thylakoids and insoluble fiber. Thylakoids suppress fat digestion and the hunger hormone, ghrelin. By delaying your food appetite, spinach makes you eat less and lose weight if you eat it regularly for months. 

4. Garden egg

Garden egg (Yorubas call it “igba”) is an eggplant native to Africa. Botanically, it’s a berry that resembles an egg, hence the name. In Nigeria, many people eat it fresh as a fruit or cooked as a vegetable. 

It’s a high-fiber, nutrient-dense vegetable rich in vitamins and heart-friendly potassium. It reduces calorie intake by promoting food satisfaction, leading to weight loss. It also improves insulin sensitivity and normalizes blood sugar levels, two key factors in preventing excess weight and type 2 diabetes.

5. Cruciferous vegetables 

Vegetables come in different shapes and sizes. Cruciferous vegetables are so named because their four-petaled flowers have a cross-like shape. Also called the cabbage-family vegetables, other examples include

• Kale (locally called “efo igbo”)
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Bok choy 
• Turnip
• Wasabi 

They’re famous for their anticancer nutrients, like glucosinolates. Like other vegetables, they’re rich in plant nutrients, proteins, and fiber that promote weight loss. 

Where can I shop for fresh vegetables? 

Vegetables are best enjoyed fresh or out-of-market. But constant trips to the market are exhausting, especially if you stay in busy urban cities like Lagos, Abuja, or Port Harcourt. 

But Pricepally, an online grocery store, brings fresh vegetables to your doorstep. Like other food items, we source vegetables directly from farmers, making them fresh and affordable. 

Our food items are cheaper than local markets, and we also let you pally (or split the bill) with your friends or Pricepally users to buy more and save less. You can place your orders through WhatsApp, the website, or the mobile app. 

The delivery fee is between #1,000 and #2000, irrespective of your location in Abuja, Port Harcourt, or Lagos. We also offer free delivery for orders worth #50,000 and above. 

FAQs about vegetables for weight loss in Nigeria

Which foods should I avoid to lose weight?

While working on your weight, avoid calorie-dense foods low in weight-shedding nutrients. In general, avoid the following foods: 

• Carbonated drinks. 
• High-sugar beverages, e.g., sweetened yogurt and granola bars. 
• Pastries, cookies, and cakes. 
• Ice cream. 
• Alcohol, especially beer. 
• High-calorie coffee drinks.

Do cucumbers and carrots reduce weight? 

Carrots and cucumbers are low-calorie foods rich in water, making them suitable for controlling body weight.

What can I eat every day to burn fat?

There’s no hard and fast rule to burn fat. Your diet should be curated based on your body’s requirements. But in general, the following fat-burning foods are good for you. 

• Lean meat 
• Potatoes
• Beans and legumes
• Eggs
• Green tea 
• Chili peppers