Everyone knows that eating a lot of fresh produce is good for you. It is common sense that fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as fruits and vegetables in cooked forms, are the mainstay of a healthy diet.
Fruits and vegetables are also an integral part of many weight loss diets, with good reason. Fruits and vegetables fill you up with fewer calories than many other foods. Fiber is responsible for some of that satiety. And fruits and vegetables are also often nutrient dense, meaning you get a lot of vitamins and nutrients in each bite.
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There are of course diet fads and crazes, which can throw common sense out the window. That would include diets that are heavy on meat or diets that completely eliminate nutritious, wholesome foods. While they may work for weight loss in some cases, they do not ultimately contribute to a healthy lifestyle in the long term.
Diets abundant in fruits and vegetables have been shown time and again to provide weight loss benefits as well as anti-cancer benefits, reduced risk of heart disease, improved mental health and more.
Of course if you are an over achiever, you may be wondering, “Okay, but WHICH fruits and vegetables are BEST?”
One recent study has shown that the type of fruits and vegetables you choose to eat can have an influence on weight loss and that eating fruit helps with weight loss even more than vegetables! The top fruits and vegetables correlated with weight loss in this study include:
- Berries
- Apples
- Pears
- Tofu/soy
- Cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, and others)
- Green leafy vegetables (kale, chard, spinach, etc)
Greens and berries have recently been touted as super foods, and they come out on top, along side the steadfast apples, pears, soy, and greens. So I guess an apple a day really does keep the doctor away!
Now you may be naturally wondering, which are the worst vegetables? Well it turns out there are vegetables that were associated with weight gain as opposed to weight loss.
- Potatoes
- Peas
- Corn
But don't take that to mean that potatoes, peas or corn are inherently unhealthy. In the context of the study it means that over time the participants who continued to eat MORE of these items than they had in the past were the ones who gained weight. So, that can actually just mean these participants were simply overeating.
The other fact about these three vegetables is that they are higher in starch (complex carbohydrates) than most of the other vegetables and lower in fiber. Because of this they are not low-calorie foods, as most fruits and vegetables tend to be.
This finding is best taken as a reminder that you should balance these higher starch vegetables with some of the lower starch, and higher fiber / lower calorie, fruits and vegetables.
The best part is that ALL of the OTHER fruits and vegetables studied were correlated with weight loss as participants ate more of them.
Blueberries, prunes, apples, pears, strawberries, raisins, grapes, avocados, grapefruits, melon, bananas, oranges, peaches, plums, and apricots are the fruits they studied, which were all correlated with weight loss. That is a yummy way to lose weight if you ask me!
Tofu, soy, cauliflower, summer squash, string beans, peppers, broccoli, brussel sprouts, green leafy vegetables, carrots, beans, celery, and tomatoes were all associated with weight loss on the vegetable side.
The variety of fruits and vegetables here is amazing. And that is just a drop in the bucket of the wide world of fruits and vegetables available to you.
The common sense bottom line here is that we should all be eating fruits and veggies every day, as part of our healthy diet. Choosing a health sustaining diet for life will eliminate the need for temporary, restrictive weight loss diets. In the mean time, especially if you are hoping to shed a few pounds, considering adding apples, pears, and berries into your daily meal or snack routine!
BIO
Alegra Loewenstein is a Dr. Sears LEAN Certified Health Coach in San Diego, California. She loves to combine her background in biology and writing with her passion for education and inspiring people. Get her FREE “Tip List: 11 Ways to get Your Picky Kids Eating Healthy” .
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