A new study from Harvard suggests that munching on fruits such as berries, apples and pears and other less starchy vegetables like soybeans and cauliflower can help in long term weight loss.
But the research also says that increasing the intake of starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn and peas can contribute to weight gain.
In a report made by Live Science, they noted that the researchers at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, was able to evaluate responses from more than 130,000 U.S adults who has long been part of a continues study run by health professionals that keeps track of their weekly food intake.
The researchers noted that Americans are not fond of eating fruit and vegetables, but instead they have seen and increase in intake in potatoes and processed fruit juice and highly recommended that
"nutritional guidelines ought to emphasize individual or subgroups of specific fruits and vegetables that maximize the potential for weight maintenance and disease prevention."
The study found out that the participants who ate more fruits and vegetables over a four year period generally lost weight and the fruits who contributed on the reported weight loss included berries, apples and pears. Non-starchy vegetables like cauliflower and soy-based products like tofu were also found to have contributed to reduced waistline.
"It's possible that the reason for the weight loss is that people eat fruits and vegetables instead of eating other, less healthy foods. Another analysis by the study found that replacing 5 percent of calories from other foods with 5 percent of calories from fruits and vegetables over four years was linked with about a pound of weight loss," explained Live Science.
This is because fruits and vegetables with more fiber increases feelings of fullness, and lead people to eat less.They also take note those participants who take in more starchy vegetables gained weight for the duration of the study.
