Veggies First

If you're serious about healthful, sustainable weight loss, make veggies a priority. I don't just mean intend to eat more and then forget about them the next time you open the refrigerator door. I mean make them the first thing you get on your shopping trips each week. Plan meals and snacks around them. Select them first and only forgo them if you have had plenty at that point in the day. And when you have a meal that includes veggies - polish them off first - even if you're eating a salad before the meal.

Why?

Because veggies are both the most nutrient-dense food (highest ratio of vitamins, minerals and fiber to calories), and the most under-represented food group in the average American diet. And we're also the fattest industrialized nation on the face of the earth. That's not a coincidence. I've had clients trim over 500 calories off their daily totals simply by increasing the percentage of their total intake from less than 5% of their diet (average) to over 20%. Doesn't sound like much of a reduction? Well, 500 calories accounts for a pound lost a week, and over 50 in a year. Pretty good deal, huh?

I also make veggies the centerpiece of my last meal of the day, since they are also the lowest calorie food group for the largest volume of food. That lets me taper my calories in the evening, the time when your metabolism slows but most people eat their biggest volume of calories.

That's reason enough for making veggies not just an option, but truly a priority.