Fruits and Vegetables help with your weight loss plan
If you are looking for the best diet to lose weight, a high consumption of fruits and vegetables helps you with your weight loss plan in the long run, according to the findings at the University Miguel Hernandez, Elche, Spain. Researchers, after interviewing a group of adult Mediterranean participants, stated that based on the results of the study, a high consumption of fruits and vegetables can, in a period of ten years, reduce the risk of gaining weight and become obese.
The study, that has analyzed the increase in weight of a group of people in the province of Valencia, Spain, between 1994 and 2004, has been published in the “Obesity” magazine, a publication with a high scientific impact in nutrition and obesity.
The Epidemiology of Nutrition investigating group led by Doctor Jesús Vioque has analyzed the relationship between gaining weight and fruit consumption in 206 adults between 15 and 80 years of age. These people participated in the questionnaire of Health and Nutrition conducted in 1994.
Ten years later, Jesús Vioque and colleagues contacted the original 206 participants. The volunteers had their weight and height taken again and their diet and lifestyle evaluated. The study revealed that the participants gained an average of 3.41 kilograms (7.5 lbs) during the prior 10 years. To conduct the investigation, the researchers divided the participants into same size groups, four in total, according to their level of fruit and vegetables intake. The groups were formed based on the following guidelines:
· People who ate less than 3 portions of fruit and vegetables a day
· People who ate 4 portions a day
· People who ate 5 portions a day
· People who ate 6 or more portions a day
In addition to the diet, the researchers took into account other factors considered a risk for gaining weight, such as physical activity, body mass index, smoking, and alcohol consumption, as well as the sex (male or female) of the volunteers.
The investigation showed that those who ate less fruits and vegetables in a daily basis had 4.5 times more risk to gain over 7.5 lbs over the 10 year study, while the ones who consumed more fruits and vegetables gained less weight.
Vioque explained that until recently it was thought that a high consumption of fat foods was responsible for obesity but this study supports that a low intake of fruits and vegetables can be as important, or even more, than a high ingest of other types of foods.
If you are seriously looking for the best diet to lose weight, you may be aware that a Mediterranean diet can help you with your weight loss plan and protect your heart at the same time. Thus, based on the findings of this study, we can conclude that eating fruits and vegetables, the foundation of the Mediterranean Diet, pays off when the time comes to control weight.
Unfortunately, some people in the Mediterranean countries are abandoning the old and healthy traditional habits and switching to a diet where meat and industrial bakery are welcome guests at the table and they paying the price.
Let’s be traditional and never abandon the good habits of an Authentic Mediterranean Diet.
Have a great day while you follow the best diet to lose weight.