Or a bush, stalk, or vine as well. In other words, if it grows on a plant, eat it. Your goal is to fill your body with as many muscle-promoting, fat-discouraging nutrients as possible, and the very best source of them is fruits, nuts, and vegetables. A study at UCLA found that the typical person of normal weight consumed two servings of fruit a day, on average, while the typical overweight person ate just one piece. Another study in the journal Appetite found that eating whole fruit at the beginning of a meal reduces your overall calorie intake by 15 percent.
Your plan: Eat at least 1 serving of fruits or vegetables at every meal. You can and should eat as much as you want to help satisfy cravings.
Trick yourself slim: Eat your fruits and vegetables first! Not only will you consume more vegetables and fewer calories from other foods, but the fiber content will lower the glycemic load of your meal, helping you sidestep those swings in blood sugar that lead to hunger. Try at least one new fruit or vegetable each week and make sure that salads and fruit salads have at least four different colors. For example: lettuce, yellow peppers, tomatoes, and carrots; or pineapple, blood oranges, kiwi, and grapes.