The #1 Best Vegetable for Weight Loss

So you've figured out how to eat the finest snack combinations for weight loss. You've included a handful of these simple techniques to lose weight quickly to your everyday routine. To avoid belly fat, you've given up these practices. So, what's next?

Dear readers, stock up on bell peppers. Bell peppers, bell peppers, bell peppers, bell peppers, bell peppers, bell peppers Kim Yawitz, RD, a registered dietitian from St. Louis, Missouri, explains why this nutrient-dense vegetable is the best for weight reduction. Continue reading, and don't miss Eating Habits to Lose Abdominal Fat As You Age, Say Dietitians for additional information on how to eat healthy.

They're calorie-free.

"Bell peppers are diverse, flavorful, satisfying, and low in calories, making them a perfect choice for weight loss," she writes, noting that a cup of chopped bell peppers contains only 39 calories, hardly scraping the surface of your daily calorie allowance.

Bell peppers offer three grams of fiber per cup and are naturally high in water, so they're a good source of fiber, she says. "And a major analysis of studies associated improved weight loss to a higher intake of low-calorie, high-fiber, water-rich meals."

They are a good source of vitamin C.

Bell peppers also have a high vitamin C level, which helps with weight loss. "One cup of red bell pepper also contains 190 milligrams of vitamin C, which is more than double the daily amount for adults," Yawitz explains. "Adults who had enough vitamin C burnt 25% more fat during exercise than adults who didn't get enough vitamin C, according to a small study."

How to Increase Bell Pepper Consumption for Weight Loss

If you want to eat more bell peppers, the options are nearly unlimited when it comes to meal or snack time. Yawitz like chopping them up with onions and tossing them into an egg scramble for breakfast, munching on small bell peppers with hummus in between meals, and tossing roasted red bell peppers into a salad for lunch.

"I like to stuff them with a mixture of seasoned lean mince beef, onion, garlic, tomatoes, and a little cheese, then bake them until they're tender," she says.

Is it true that color matters?

Before you start chopping and dicing, here's some bell pepper trivia: "Yellow, orange, and red bell peppers are all from the same plant as green bell peppers—they're just a little riper," explains Yawitz, who also points out that all bell peppers have similar calories and macronutrients, so you may pick the one you prefer most.

"However, the pigments that give bell peppers their color have been linked to a variety of health advantages. Orange bell peppers, for example, are high in the antioxidant lutein (which is known to help reduce inflammation), while red bell peppers are high in beta-carotene (which helps with eye health) "She goes on to explain. "By mixing it up, you can obtain a better variety of nutrients."

On that note, it's time to guac 'n' roll with some guacamole and a colorful assortment of bell pepper strips for dipping.