Susan's Top 5 Vegetable Picks

Over the next few weeks I'm going to share with CFB readers my "top 5" list for vegetables, fruits, proteins, healthy fats and whole grain carbohydrates.

My Top 5 picks are all staples in my daily diet and have helped me lose 15 lbs and lower my bodyfat from ~ 32% to 21% over the past 13 months. Hopefully what you'll take away from my selections is the importance of a well-balance diet.

Certain vegetables, fruit and whole grain/starchy carbohydrates are often demonized by those individuals following a low-carb diet. If you choose to follow a carb-restricted diet, I'll leave you with this one item:

While low carb diets are effective for the purpose of losing weight, they also typically have the lowest rate of adherence when compared to low-fat and a Mediterranean diet:

Low-Fat Diet: 90.4% adherence rate
Mediterranean Diet: 85.3% adherence rate
Low-Carbohydrate Diet: 78% adherence rate

I realize that this will continue to be an ongoing debate and while I certainly welcome everyone's comments for discussion, I also think we should shift our focus to how we can design an eating plan to help us maintain optimal health, while helping us to shed excess weight/fat.

So, we'll kick this off with my top veggie picks, in no particular order:

Susan's Top 5 Vegetable Picks

1) Spinach. There is rarely a day that passes where I don't eat at least 2-servings of spinach. Spinach is an excellent source of plant-based iron that, unlike meat, is low in calories and fat free. Spinach also contains over 13 phytonutrients that function as powerful antioxidants.

2) Tomatoes. Summer is on my mind and when I think of summer, I think of tomatoes. While I only eat tomatoes occasionally in the off-season, from July - October I stock up on Beefsteak, heirloom and plum varieties. A tomatoes coloring comes from lycopene, a nutrient that is believed to help prevent certain types of cancer.

Sliced tomato, grilled chicken with homemade Tzatziki make for a quick and delicious weekend lunch.

Susan's homemade Tzatziki recipe:

8 oz container of low-fat Fage Greek yogurt
1 cucumber peeled, seeded and diced
1/4 fresh lemon, juiced
1 clove garlic, finely diced
2 teaspoons fresh dill, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients, transfer to a storage container and let refrigerate overnight before serving.

3) Allium Family of Vegetables. Ok, I'm cheating a little here but there is no way I can leave garlic, onions and leeks off my list of favorites! Vegetables within the allium family have been found to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, and let's face it ... they are simply standard ingredients in many, many recipes.

Click here for Green Lite Bites Mahi Mahi with Fresh Veggies and Quinoa Recipe

4) Asparagus. An excellent source of folic acid, a B vitamin essential for a healthy cardiovascular system, asparagus is super-easy to prepare and practically fool-proof. Simply heat a few tablespoons of liquid (beef broth, chicken broth, vegetable broth) in a saute pan, let it come to a slight boil, line us the asparagus at the bottom of the pan, cover and let steam for 5 minutes. Delicious!

5) Brussels Sprouts. I can almost picture half the people reading this saying "yuck!" If you've never tried Brussels Sprouts, or if it's been a while, try roasting them for 20 - 25 minutes in a 450 degree oven with diced sweet potatoes. It's uber-simple and makes a delicious side dish that will impress family and friends. On top of which these little gems are jam packed with vitamins C, A and E.

So, what did I miss? I almost found myself making this a Top 10 list! I look forward to hearing about what vegetables make your Top 5 list. Please share!

Train hard; stay strong.

Peace.

Susan