Including a variety of whole fruits and vegetables in your diet is very beneficial for your health. But some of them are of particular interest to those looking to control weight.
The aim of one recently completed study was to identify associations between the consumption of certain fruits and vegetables and body weight. The researchers analyzed nutritional information from 133 men and women in the United States over a 468-year period.
They looked at how the weight of these people changed every four years, and then tracked which fruits and vegetables they ate predominantly. Only whole foods (not juice) were counted, and fries and chips were excluded from the analysis, as neither of these options is considered healthy for eating fruits or vegetables.
For every additional daily serving of fruit, over every four years, people have lost about 250 grams of their weight. With each additional daily serving of vegetables, people have lost about 100 grams. These numbers – not impressive and almost negligible changes in weight over four years – are not of much interest, unless you add to the diet lot fruits and vegetables.
What matters is what foods these people ate.
It found that increased consumption of starchy vegetables such as corn, peas, and potatoes was accompanied by weight gain, while non-starchy vegetables rich in fiber are best for weight loss. Berries, apples, pears, tofu / soy, cauliflower, cruciferous and green leafy vegetables have the strongest weight control benefits.
The charts below show exactly how certain fruits and vegetables have been linked to weight gain over four years. The more the product was associated with weight loss, the further the purple line extended to the left. Note that the X-axis (showing the number of pounds lost or gained with an additional daily serving of each product) is different on each graph. 1 pound is 0,45 kilograms.
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It is important to note that this study has some serious caveats. Participants provided information on their own diet and weight, and such reports can often contain inaccuracies and errors. The study involved predominantly medical professionals with advanced degrees, so results may differ in other populations.
The study also does not prove that these dietary changes are responsible for the changes in weight, it only confirms the connection.
Scientists have tried to control other potentially influencing factors, including smoking, physical activity, watching TV while seated and sleeping time, and consumption of chips, juice, whole grains, refined cereals, fried foods, nuts, fatty or low-fat dairy products. , sugary drinks, sweets, processed and unprocessed meats, trans fats, alcohol and seafood.
The study was published in the journal PLOS Medicine.