Vegetables are free foods because they’re filling, so your appetite will be satiated longer. They slow down the digestive process, which means that the absorption of carbohydrates becomes even more gradual, which is good for the fat-burning process. In doing that, fiber helps keep your blood sugar stable and insulin under control.

You eat fiber, but your body doesn’t absorb it. (In some ways, you’re only renting that bowl of fiber flakes you ate for breakfast.) Fiber’s main job is to take a trip through your body, grabbing as much junk and fatty acids and other nasty deposits as it can, then pass safely through the other side. Think of fiber as “nature’s Brillo pad,” scrubbing your insides clean as they work their way through our bodies. Clean intestines mean we’ll be able to absorb more of the nutrients and vitamins from the healthy whole foods we’re eating.

Vegetables are called “free foods” … because you can eat as many as you want. Please note that while veggies are free foods … dressings, oil and sauces are not! Those do contain lots of calories and can ruin your diet. Consume your vegetables raw or steamed. You may add a squeeze of lemon juice or Balsamic vinegar, plus salt and pepper.