This is the companion to our fruit tier list, and the same rule applies. All vegetables are good for you. This isn't a "good veg, bad veg" list. It's a ranking of how much food, fullness and nutrition you get for the calories, which is genuinely useful when you're trying to lose weight or hold it steady.

How the tiers work

Three things decide where a vegetable lands. The first is energy density, which is just how many calories you get per mouthful. Most vegetables are mostly water and fibre, so they pack very few calories into a lot of food. In controlled studies, people naturally eat fewer calories when their meals are less energy-dense, without feeling any hungrier (Rolls, 2017).

The second is fibre, which fills you up and slows digestion. In a large weight-loss trial, higher fibre intake predicted both more weight lost and better sticking to the diet (POUNDS Lost, 2019). The third is starch. A few vegetables, like potatoes, sweetcorn and peas, hold a lot more of it, which is why they sit lower. Harvard's long-running cohort even found non-starchy veg and cauliflower were linked to weight loss over time, while starchy potatoes, corn and peas were linked to small weight gain (Harvard Nutrition Source).

🟢 S-tier: maximum food for minimum calories

• Leafy greens (spinach, kale, lettuce, rocket): around 15 to 30 kcal per 100g. Enormous volume, barely any calories.
• Cucumber: roughly 96% water and about 10 kcal per 100g. The definition of a free food.
• Courgette: very low calorie, and brilliant spiralised as a pasta swap.
• Mushrooms: low calorie with a savoury, meaty quality that helps replace denser foods.
• Tomatoes, celery, radish, watercress: light, watery and endlessly useful for bulking out a plate.

These are the ones to pile up first. You can fill half a plate for well under 50 calories.

🟢 A-tier: low calorie, high fibre, extra nutrition

• Broccoli: low calorie with fibre and a little protein. A genuine all-rounder.
• Cauliflower: the one vegetable specifically linked to weight loss in the Harvard data, and a great rice or mash swap.
• Cabbage and Brussels sprouts: cheap, filling and very low calorie.
• Peppers: sweet, crunchy and loaded with vitamin C.
• Green beans and asparagus: low calorie with good fibre and real staying power.

Nothing separates these from the S-tier except a few more calories. Eat them freely.

🟡 B-tier: great, just higher calorie

• Carrots, onions and squash: a bit more natural sugar or starch, but still low calorie and very filling. Lovely roasted.
• Peas: starchier than they look, but high in protein and fibre. B-tier on calories, A-tier on value.
• Beans, lentils and chickpeas: higher in calories than watery veg, but the protein and fibre make them some of the most filling food you can eat. Meta-analyses link pulses to modest weight loss and better fullness (Kim et al., 2016).

Don't let the calorie count put you off pulses. For anyone losing weight, and especially on a GLP-1, the protein and fibre they add are exactly what you want.

🟠 Treat-like-a-carb tier: potatoes & sweetcorn

Potatoes, sweet potatoes and sweetcorn aren't bad food. They're just starchy and easy to over-eat, so they behave more like a carb portion than a free vegetable. In Harvard's long-term data, potatoes were linked to small weight gain, with chips by far the worst offender (Harvard Gazette, 2023). The NHS doesn't even count potatoes toward your 5 A Day for this reason (NHS). Keep the skins on for fibre, avoid frying, and have them in place of rice or pasta rather than on top.

If you're on a GLP-1

Vegetables do two specific jobs when you're on Wegovy or Mounjaro. First, they help you protect muscle. A large share of the weight you lose on these medications can be lean mass, so the guidance is to prioritise protein, often around 1.2 to 1.6g per kg of body weight a day, plus resistance training. Vegetables fill the plate around that protein rather than replacing it (University of Cambridge, 2025). Pulses and peas pull double duty here, because they bring protein as well as fibre.

Second, they help with side effects. GLP-1s slow the gut, so constipation is common. More fibre and fluids help, but build the fibre up gradually, or it can backfire into bloating (British Dietetic Association). When nausea is bad, go gentler. Well-cooked, peeled veg like courgette, carrot and cooked spinach are far easier to tolerate than a big bowl of raw broccoli.

Getting more veg in (without it being a chore)

• Aim for around 30g of fibre a day. Most UK adults get closer to 20g, so veg, pulses and wholegrains are the gap-fillers (NHS).
• Fill half your plate with veg. A simple, reliable way to lower the calorie density of any meal.
• Frozen and tinned count. They keep their fibre and nutrients and are perfect for busy weeks. Choose tinned in water, no added salt or sugar.
• Start with soup or salad. A low-calorie vegetable starter genuinely reduces how much you eat overall (Rolls, 2017).
• Keep prep low-calorie. Steam, boil, roast with a little oil, or air-fry. The jump from a boiled potato to chips shows the method often matters more than the vegetable.

FAQs

What are the best vegetables for weight loss?

Non-starchy, water-rich veg: leafy greens, cucumber, courgette, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes. Most food and fullness for the fewest calories.

Are potatoes bad for weight loss?

No, but treat them like your carb portion rather than a free veg. Keep the skins on, skip the frying, and have them instead of rice or pasta.

Do vegetables have enough protein?

On their own, not usually. Pulses, peas and broccoli add useful plant protein, but on a calorie deficit or a GLP-1 you still want to build meals around a proper protein source and use veg around it.

Can you eat too many vegetables?

Rarely a problem, but increasing fibre too fast can cause bloating, especially on a GLP-1 or with IBS. Build up gradually and drink plenty of water.