Whether you were one of those kids who never ate your vegetables, or have become convinced as an adult that carbohydrate foods make you fat, there’s a lot to like about regular vegetable consumption — especially for active adults who are working hard to diet down for swimsuit season. Most garden vegetables are naturally low in calories and typically don’t contain a lot of sugar or fat either. Even though vegetables aren’t considered energy dense, most contain abundant amounts of micronutrients in the form of vitamins and minerals which can help your body more effectively process protein, carbs and fat.

In addition, vegetables tend to contain lot of dietary fiber and digesting all this bulky food forces your body to burn more calories. This quality makes fresh vegetables and excellent choice for any dieter, as long as you hold the salad dressing and other condiments to a minimum.

Most strength athletes focus their carbohydrate consumption on complex carbs like oatmeal, brown rice, whole grain bread and sweet potatoes. Broaden your selection to include broccoli, green beans and a colorful assortment of raw vegetables for salads, and you’ll benefit from low calorie nutrients along with plenty of filling fiber.