You would think that eating more fruit and vegetables would help you to lose weight. Not quite so according to a research paper published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which analysed a few studies on the topic.
While many dietary guidelines do recommend eating fruit and vegetables to help with weight loss, the paper concluded that increasing your fruit and veg intake doesn’t necessarily lead to losing weight, unless you combine the approach with an overall reduced calorie intake.
Another paper – from Harvard University – published in PLOS Medicine had a different take, concluding that it depends on the type of plant-based foods you eat, with less starchy ones aiding weight loss. For example, eating starchy vegetables such as corn and potatoes was linked to weight gain, whereas, eating those with high fibre and a low glycaemic index (GI), such as broccoli and brussels sprouts, was associated with losing weight.
Makes sense to me … I’ve always said to my husband that potatoes count as carbs not vegetables. And, of course, eating all the ice-cream you want, despite upping your vegetable intake, is bound to widen your girth.
Read more at The Guardian.
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