Eat Your Veggies

When it comes to losing weight and staying healthy, there's no better food to eat than vegetables. They're loaded with disease-fighting phytonutrients. They contain a lot of fiber and water, which helps you stay full. And they're low in calories and contain virtually no fat.

So how many servings do you need? Most people should aim for at least four servings a day, while very active men should be having at least seven. However, if you're eating veggies without added fat (like butter or cheese), you can enjoy even more. Take a look at what four servings of veggies look like over the course of the day:

Breakfast: Egg white omelet with 1/4 cup chopped red or green peppers

Lunch: Salad made with 1 cup greens and 1/2 cup chopped veggies like broccoli or tomatoes

Snack: 1/4 cup baby carrots dipped in hummus

Dinner: Roasted chicken breast served with 1/2 cup steamed zucchini



What's a Serving?

Now that you know how many servings you should be shooting for each day, your next task is to find out what counts as a serving. A serving of veggies contains roughly 25 calories and is equivalent to 1 to 2 cups of raw leafy vegetables; 1/2 cup of chopped non-leafy vegetables; 1/2 cup of cooked vegetables; 3/4 cup of tomato juice. Remember that corn, potatoes and peas fall into the grains/starchy vegetables group—not the vegetable group—because they are so much higher in calories.