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Green Peppers, Mushrooms & Onions for Weight Loss

You can’t go wrong when eating green peppers, mushrooms and onions on a weight-loss program. Eating these three vegetables helps you maintain a well-balanced, nutritious and low-calorie diet plan. Green peppers, onions and mushrooms also provide your meal plan with dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals for overall health while losing weight. Consult your doctor before beginning a diet program for nutrition tips specific to your overall health.

  1. Balanced Diet

    • Eating a combination of vegetables and fruits each day is part of a well-balanced diet. Vegetables such as green peppers, mushrooms and onions help prevent heart disease, lower your blood pressure, keep your eyes healthy and aid in digestion. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends eating nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily, which equals about 4.5 cups. You can eat 2.5 cups of sliced green peppers, mushrooms and onions to reach the recommended dietary intake for vegetables in a day. For healthy weight loss, combine the vegetables and fruits you eat each day with a mixture of plant and animal proteins, carbohydrates from whole grains, good fats like olive oil or canola oil, and daily exercise.

    Calories and Fiber

    • One cup of green pepper slices has only 18 calories and adds 2.5 grams of fiber to your diet. One cup of sliced mushrooms has 15 calories but less than a gram of fiber, while a slice of onion has only 6 calories. Of the three vegetables, green peppers offer you the most fiber, which helps keep you full longer. Snack on green pepper slices during your day to ward off hunger and the temptation to eat high-calorie snacks.

    Vitamins and Minerals

    • Green peppers provide you with a full day supply of vitamin C, with 74 milligrams of the 75 milligrams recommended daily intake for adult women. In addition to vitamin C, green peppers supply 340 micrograms of the recommended intake of 700 micrograms of vitamin A, which helps prevent eye disease. Mushrooms are rich in potassium with 223 milligrams. Your body uses potassium to maintain your heartbeat and move nutrients through your blood. A slice of onion provides minimal amounts of vitamins and minerals to your diet but enhances the flavor in foods.

    Serving Suggestions

    • The flavors of green peppers, mushrooms and onions complement each other and make a healthy side dish. Prepare a salad of these three vegetables and moisten them with an olive oil and vinegar dressing, or fry them together in olive oil. Another low-calorie recipe for green peppers, mushrooms and onions is an omelet made with egg whites and low-fat cheese, along with the vegetables.

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