People who eats mostly starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn and peas were more likely to gain weight, while those eating other fruit and vegetables were less likely to gain weight, according to a new research.
It is what many potato lovers has long suspected: it is bad for the waistline.
Researcher Monica Bertoia recommended brown rice and wholemeal bread as an alternative to potatoes.
She said: "Although the magnitude of weight change associated with each increased daily serving was modest, combining an increase of one to two servings of vegetables and one to two servings of fruits daily would be associated with substantial weight change."
The humble potato is one of the most fattening vegetables, a study found. Other vegetables that people might want to stay away from include sweetcorn and peas.
In even greater detail, those who increased their intake of blueberries, prunes, apples, pears, strawberries, grapes or raisins and grapefruit were least likely to gain weight.
Reasons for this range from people substituting them for fattening desserts to them being particularly rich in plant compounds called polyphenols.
Polyphenols are phytochemicals that have been linked to important health benefits, in particular as anti-oxidants.
These are credited with a host of health benefits, including altering the metabolism and the body’s processing of sugar.
Cauliflower came out top in the vegetable category.
The researchers found one exception to the finding that linked weight gain to starchy plants: those who ate more soybeans and tofu were highly protected from weight gain.
The fascinating findings come from a Harvard School of Public Health analysis of detailed dietary information provided by more than 130,000 American men and women.
The wealth of information generated has been used by researchers for many different purposes but this study focused on fruit and vegetable intake and weight change.
The researchers also believe that increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables helps protect against weight loss by providing calories that might otherwise be satisfied with calorie-dense sweets or fatty food.
