5 Veggies that Cause You to Gain Weight

We’re all taught that if we want to lose weight we should eat more veggies, right?  But what we’re usually not told is that some vegetables will actually sabotage your weight loss efforts if you are trying to lose weight. In fact, if you eat them too often, there are some veggies that will make you gain weight.  What you may not know is that all veggies are not created equal – some are actually incredibly high in carbs and sugar. If you include them in your diet on a regular basis, you’ll have a recipe for weight gain  Here are 5 veggies that make you gain weight – stay away from these if you want to lose weight — only eat these if you actually want to gain weight:

1.  Corn – Yellow corn or sweet corn is both a carb and a sugar.  Your body processes corn the same way it would other carbs. To your metabolism, corn is a carb not a vegetable. So if you want to speed your metabolism you should be avoiding corn.  If you want to slow it down (unlikely!), then go ahead and eat it.   But what makes things even worse about corn is that it is high in sugar. That’s why it tastes so yummy and sweet. And we all know sugar is a weight loss enemy. It doesn’t matter if the sugar comes from a glass of pop or a side serving of corn – its sugar!  Sure, corn may be healthier than other sugar containing foods like pastries or pop, but its still processed by your body as sugar and will have the same negative effects as any other food containing sugar.
2. Peas – Peas are another veggie that counts as a carb. If you’re trying to go low-carb to lose weight, peas are most definitely not your friend.  Peas will sabotage your low carb efforts and weight loss efforts.  Peas also have a fairly high sugar content as well, so that worsens things even more.  They look so innocent, and we think of them as healthy, but peas are a weight loss enemy.
3. Carrots – Again, its all about the sugar.  Carrots are another veggie that have far too high a sugar content for anyone trying to lose weight.  Including them on your plate when you are dieting or watching your weight is completely counter-productive.
4. Potatoes – Potatoes are a starch, and that means you will pack on the pounds if you eat them. Spuds are carbs, so they are absolutely not a good choice if you are looking to lose weight, and they are utterly out of the question if you are going low carb (which is an incredibly effective way to lose weight!).
5. Sweet Potatoes or Yams – Like potatoes, sweet potatoes or yams are a starch and a carb, so they will definitely fight against your weight loss efforts.  But like carrots and corn, they also have a high sugar content, so you’ll get a double whammy to set you back if you are on a diet or trying to lose weight.

If what you want is to lose weight, you need to eat specific vegetables, not just any vegetables.  The veggies that help you lose weight are first and foremost, leafy greens:  lettuce, kale, arugula, etc.  You can eat as much as these as you want when you are trying to lose weight (but no oily salad dressing!).  They are high in water content and fiber, and very rich in nutrients.  In fact, leafy greens are some of the most densely packed nutrient rich vegetables there are, with kale being the top pick of them all (that why kale is considered a super-food!).

Other good choices are broccoli and cauliflower.  You can actually make a pizza crust using cauliflower (turn pizza healthy and low carb!). Another cool think to do is mash your cauliflower and it’ll seem just like mashed potatoes!

Other veggies like tomatoes and cucumber are also good choices when on a diet or trying to lose weight (or at least not gain). They too are rich in vitamins and high in water content, but also very flavorful!