Vegetables for weight loss My Favourite Slimming World speed foods

Do you have children who avoid anything green and healthy? You really can eat a healthy meal without having to have a plate of obvious vegetables. Here I share why you need vegetables for weight loss and how you can choose Slimming World speed food to add to your diet.

Vegetables for different weight loss plans

If you follow Slimming World, Weight Watchers (WW), Noom or any other weight loss plan, you can usually count most fruit and vegetables as free or in your allowances. It is, of course, important to check any plan you follow.

This all fits around mindful eating and healthy habits. Mindful eating is the incorporation of mindfulness to understand your cravings or experiences when eating. When you incorporate this tactic into your eating habits, you eat mindfully and make all your eating acts intentional.

Why not try the mindful eating app Lasta on your phone? This software can help you follow a healthy diet, lose weight, and manage your food cravings. Mindful eating does not mean perfection but focusing on your senses while cooking or eating food. Lasta can track your progress and help you choose a meal plan that fits your needs best.

Why we need speed vegetables on Slimming World

If you follow the Slimming World weight loss plan but don’t enjoy many speed foods (the SW term for most fruit and vegetables) then this is the post for you!

It will help you with which vegetables you should enjoy, which are the healthiest and all their benefits, not just their label as a Slimming World speed food.

How many vegetables should I eat?

Whatever weight-loss plan you follow the advice is always to add more vegetables and fruit to your diet. The reason the specific vegetables are deemed healthy is that they have a low-calorie density.

This means if you eat 100g of spinach, for example, it is just 23 calories and obviously, 100g of anything would fill you up significantly. On the other hand, 100g of crisps, which would be just as filling, is around 536 calories!

If you are a follower of Slimming World speed food should be eaten with every meal and make up at least one third of the meal. If you don’t follow the plan, this is still generally good advice.

Why are vegetables so great?

Adding vegetables to your meal not only adds vitamin C and all the nutrients in vegetables, but will also help you lead a more balanced, healthy lifestyle and potentially lose weight!

Throughout this article, you will notice lots of infographics to show the other benefits of common vegetables so you can see it is really beneficial to you in many ways to get them into your diet.

Don’t forget that vegetables are high in fibre, and as such, you are less likely to get constipation and need my constipation tips!

So, why are Slimming World speed foods so important? For one, they’re a great way to stay full and satisfied without consuming too many calories. By eating a variety of free foods, you’re able to keep your stomach full and your body nourished without feeling deprived or hungry.

In turn, this can curb your cravings for less healthy options and help you stick to your weight loss goals long term. Free foods are also packed with essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and fibre, which are essential for optimal health and weight loss.

What is your favourite Slimming World speed food?

Frozen or canned vegetables?

Frozen or canned vegetables, as long as they are not cooked or canned in any oil etc, generally have the same nutritional value as fresh vegetables and are great to save money and time. Both are classed as a Slimming World speed food if their fresh version is so it is a great way to get them in your diet.

What are Slimming World speed foods?

Here are all of the current Slimming World speed foods. Feel free to save it and, of course, share it with your friends.

How to eat more vegetables for weight loss

There are so many ways you can enjoy vegetables, so try not to consider them as just boiled carrots or fried onions. Read on for some ideas, and remember to think outside the box a little. If you can enjoy Slimming World speed for it will help you lose weight and stay nutritionally healthy.

Blending vegetables

Blend vegetables in with tomatoes to make a base for a pasta sauce, curry etc. Easy vegetables to blend in discreetly are onions, mushrooms and butternut squash, but try anything you like and see how it turns out.

Beware of strong colours or flavours, though, or you might get caught out! A cheap stick blender is all you need, so don’t worry about buying anything expensive.

If you are following Slimming World and the rest of the family aren’t and turn their nose up at extra vegetables, this is a great way to get an extra Slimming World speed food on the plate!

Make a smoothie with all the flavours, but add some vegetables too. This won’t always be syn-free if you are on Slimming World, but if you have a fussy child, it may be perfect, or if you want to syn the necessary ingredients and have something different, then go for it.

Why does Slimming World syn smoothies? They say that it encourages you to consume more fruit than you would if you ate whole fruit! Personally, I think if it is in moderation and not a daily thing, or if it is the only way you can enjoy fruit, then it does no harm. It is a great way to get a Slimming World speed food in your diet if you otherwise struggle.

Chopping or grating vegetables

It is amazing how much you can squeeze into a recipe without it really changing the texture or taste if you chop vegetables finely. I use a mini chopper for this sometimes. Mushrooms and onions are easily chopped finely and are less noticeable in texture but still give something like pasta sauce a great flavour and, of course, add that all-important Slimming World speed food.

Make it homemade to increase vegetables for weight loss

If there is something you would usually buy that you love or a fussy child loves, how about trying to make it homemade? This way you can add extra veggies, or if you follow Slimming World speed foods, to make it even healthier.

Something like a ham and mushroom pizza can have very few mushrooms on a shop-bought one, but by making it homemade, you can gradually discreetly increase the number of mushrooms!

Making things like carbonara is so much better when you make it yourself, and because it is full of more flavour, you won’t notice that you have lots of onions and mushrooms in there (both Slimming World speed foods too).

How about making a homemade tomato dip instead of ketchup? Or a BBQ dip perhaps?

There are so many dips that can have some extra veggies sneaked in but still be really yummy. They often will have fewer sugars in them if homemade too so even more healthy.

Homemade gravy can be full of onions, but made with stock and blended well, you will love it and get lots of vegetables or Slimming World speed food too.

Increase your favourite vegetables

Whilst it is ideal to have a huge variety of vegetables the priority is to get plenty into your diet and if that is one or two favourites then it is better than none.

Remember tomatoes are easy to add to a dish. Do you dislike the texture? If so, maybe try passata, which is smooth and tasty with some herbs or garlic in it, if you prefer. Tomato is a Slimming World speed food either as chopped tomatoes, passata or fresh tomatoes so it is a great addition.

If you have a fussy child who will only eat carrots, then there is no immense harm in this; just add a little of something else with them every time and praise them for trying it.

There will be a time when you find something else they do like but with only a little to try each time you are not putting too much pressure on them.

Change the flavours in your meals

The way you cook vegetables can change the flavours immensely. Try roasting them instead of boiling them or frying them in a little Frylight. The taste can change so much, and you may find that something you hate boiled is nice roasted. Look at the Slimming World speed food list and see what you could change the way of cooking.

Adding herbs or spices can change things so much, too. I hate kale boiled and would really avoid it, despite it being a Slimming World speed food, but baked or fried with garlic, it is lovely.

Experiment with spices like paprika and garlic sprinkled over vegetables to see if you find something you like. Or, what about trying spice blends?

Do you love sweet and sour? This could be a perfect way of getting lots of vegetables into your diet in a meal you love! It doesn’t have to be unhealthy from the Chinese takeaway; you can make it easily.

Try raw vegetables for weight loss

Have you thought of raw vegetables for weight loss instead of always cooking them? Raw pepper or carrot sticks are great for a snack and you could enjoy a nice healthy dip with them too.

If you enjoy something like this as a snack whilst watching TV you will soon munch your way through your recommended daily amount without even noticing in the same way you enjoy chocolate! Is there a Slimming World speed food you love raw?

Mash it or Chip other vegetables

Do you love mashed potatoes but hate vegetables? Add a few carrots or some swede in when you make your mash and you probably won’t even notice the difference! The bags of cubed swede and carrots are so easy for this!

Chips don’t have to be made with potatoes, try swede chips, butternut squash chips and parsnip chips for a change and see what you like!

Make cauliflower rice

Have you tried cauliflower rice? It doesn’t have to be boring and with flavours can be amazing. Cauliflower is a Slimming World speed food too.

Are chopped tomatoes healthy?

Yes, they sure are! So using those or passata will easily increase your vegetables if you like them.

Vegetables for weight loss in your meal plan

So, how can you use free foods to your advantage on the Slimming World plan? The key is to focus on incorporating them into your meals as much as possible.

Start by planning your meals around free foods, such as incorporating vegetables into your stir-fry or adding fruit to your morning yoghurt.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with new free foods to keep your meals interesting and varied. Additionally, remember to pair free foods with proteins to help you feel full and satisfied.

If you are still struggling why not try my ready-made meal plans for ideas? I can highly recommend the 7-day meal plan full of vegetables.

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