Vegetables and fruits will help to reduce the calorie content of food

The best way to lose weight or maintain your own weight is to switch to a proper and balanced diet. Healthy low—calorie foods are, of course, vegetables and fruits containing a lot of vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.

The lowest–calorie foods - up to 40 kcal per 100 g:

• Stem celery;
• Cucumbers;
• Radish and daikon;
• Fresh tomatoes;
• Champignons;
• Cabbage of all kinds, fresh and sauerkraut, except Korean salads;
• All leafy salad greens are delicious and healthy – 40-100 kcal:
• Bananas, grapes, mango, persimmon (no more than 100-150 g per day);
• Apples and pears;
• Tomato juice;
• Carrot, bell pepper;
Dry red and white wine (no more than 140 ml!);
• Berries of all kinds;
• Watermelons and melons (some varieties "reach" up to 40 kcal, but on average 20-30 kcal);
• Pineapples, guava, papaya

Here are a few rules that help reduce the amount of fat on our table:

• it is necessary to learn how to read the information on product packages correctly: this will help you choose food with a reduced fat content;
• cut off the visible fat from the meat; remove the fat during cooking, remove the skin from the chicken;
• give up frying, use baking, stewing, steaming;
• try to eat vegetables in their natural form (adding mayonnaise, oil to salads increases the calorie content);
• do not use such high-calorie foods as chips, nuts for snacking, it is better to snack on vegetables and fruits.

There are three groups of products that should be consumed in different ways in order to reduce weight.

1. The first group consists of foods with minimal calories (they can be consumed without restriction): vegetables (except potatoes, corn, peas, beans) and low–calorie drinks. These include: lettuce leaves, cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, eggplant, radish, radish, greens, carrots, bean pods, young green peas, mushrooms, spinach, mineral water and water with sweeteners, tea, coffee without sugar and cream. 
2. The second group is products of average caloric content. They should be moderately limited, that is, eat half of the previous portion. These are: low-fat meats, fish, dairy and fermented milk products, cheeses with a fat content of less than 30%, cottage cheese with a fat content of less than 4%, eggs, potatoes, corn, ripe peas, beans, cereals, pasta, bread, fruits (except grapes and dried fruits).
3. The third group consists of high–calorie foods rich in fats, alcohol and sweets. They should be limited as much as possible or removed from the diet altogether. These are: any butter, lard, sour cream, mayonnaise, cream, fatty meat, smoked meats, sausages, fatty fish, fatty cheeses and cottage cheese, poultry skin, canned meat and fish in oil, sugar, honey, jam, sweets, cookies, chocolate, ice cream, nuts, seeds, alcoholic beverages.

GUZ "Lipetsk Regional Clinical Hospital"