Fruits and vegetables that are higher in carbohydrates should be eaten in moderation
Fruits and vegetables are an important component of healthy weight loss programs, only if consumed the right way. A CNN report quoted Keri Gans, a registered dietitian, saying, “There’s nothing sexy about ‘eat your fruits and vegetables. We want to hear something else.”
And then the debate on juicing Vs eating a whole fruit. Juicing probably is not any healthier than eating whole fruits and vegetables. Juicing extracts the juice from fresh fruits or vegetables. The resulting liquid contains most of the vitamins, minerals and plant chemicals (phytonutrients) found in the whole fruit. However, whole fruits and vegetables also have healthy fiber, which is lost during most juicing.
You must know that there’s no sound scientific evidence that extracted juices are healthier than the juice you get by eating the fruit or vegetable itself, says Jennifer K. Nelson, R.D., L.D.
Researchers from Harvard University have found while eating more fruit and vegetables can prevent long-term weight gain, specific types can add to or stop weight loss efforts.
It is important to figure out certain vegetables that can pile on pounds on your body and you might not even be aware that you are gaining due to vegetables and fruits. Eating at least seven daily portions of fruit and vegetables may confer the best chance of staving off life-threatening diseases and watching weight. But not all fruits and vegetables have the same impact on weight loss or gain.
Professor Susan Jebb, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, said, “An earlier study confirms observations that people who choose diets with plenty of vegetables have a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer and a healthy weight. A key outstanding question is whether this is entirely attributable to these specific foods, or whether they are acting as a marker of a broader dietary pattern associated with improved health.”
Prof Brian Ratcliffe, Professor of Nutrition, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, said, “One of the possible benefits of consuming plenty of fruit and vegetables is that people eating the highest levels of fruit and vegetables are likely to display healthy characteristics such as lower prevalence of overweight.”
It’s no secret that the amount of calories people eat and drink has a direct impact on their weight: Consume the same number of calories that the body burns over time, and weight stays stable. You may want to add blueberries and pears to your diet and cut out on potatoes, corn and peas if you are wanting to lose weight. The other fruits most strongly linked with weight loss were apples, pears, strawberries and grapes.
The researchers also found those who ate an extra serving of corn a day gained nearly a kilogram over a four-year period.
Generally, there are two types of vegetables according to their carbohydrate content: the starchy vegetables are those with high carbohydrate content, while the non-starchy vegetables are those with low carbohydrates. Starchy vegetables are high-carbohydrate plant foods that contain a rich energy source for man. Starch is a carbohydrate formed from the bonding of several glucose units, and is the most common form of stored energy from plants that is present in the human diet. Green plants produce starch and many staple foods like potatoes, rice, and corn contain large amounts of this organic compound.
On the other hand, there is also another type of vegetable: the non-starchy vegetables. These plant foods are nutrient-dense (having more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants) but contain lower amounts of carbohydrate and energy compared to the starchy vegetables. These are vegetables that have more fiber and fewer calories than the starchy ones. A serving of one-half cup to one cup of non-starchy vegetables provides approximately 5 grams of carbohydrate and about 25 calories to the diet. Because of these, experts recommend eating 3-5 servings of non-starchy vegetables daily as part of a balanced diet for optimum health. They are especially recommended for people who are at risk for diabetes and heart disease, because they are nutrient-dense and can help lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels, owing to their high fiber and low calorie content.
The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) MyPyramid helps people interpret the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and essentially promotes a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in fat. In an earlier study, increasing intake of fruits and vegetables were associated with significant six-month weight loss.
The authors argue that the study can help provide food-specific guidance for obesity prevention, and insight into why some strategies work. For example, they speculate that the positive effect of fruit and vegetable consumption on weight could, as suspected, be at least partly due to the people feeling fuller, and thus eating fewer calories.
Self-reported studies have limitations since people may not always give accurate answers. The study authors also noted that the population of people in their sample group was not especially varied—largely white and educated.
For all American adults, nutritionists recommend eating 1.5 to 2 cups of fruit and 2.5 to 3 cups of vegetables (depending on age) per day.
In a study involving more than 133,000 adults in the United States, they found those who ate an extra handful of blueberries each day lost more than half a kilogram over a four-year period.
Other starchy vegetables such as peas and potatoes also had a similar impact on weight. Increased intake of non-starchy vegetables such as beans and broccoli helped participants keep their waists trim..
“The benefits of increased consumption were greater for fruits than for vegetables and strongest for berries, apples/pears, tofu/soy, cauliflower, and cruciferous and green leafy vegetables,” wrote lead author Monica Bertoia from Harvard’s School of Public Health in the latest PLOS Medicine.
“Increased satiety with fewer calories could be partly responsible for the beneficial effects of increasing fruit and vegetable intake.”
The study was based on responses to dietary questionnaires and self-reported weight changes by more than 133,000 adults in the United States every four years between 1986 and 2010.
They found that in a four-year period, participants who ate an extra daily serving of fruit shed 0.24 kilograms, and an extra daily serving of vegetables, 0.11 kilograms.
“We found that many vegetables were inversely associated with weight change, but starchy vegetables such as peas, potatoes, and corn had the opposite association in which increased intake was associated with weight gain,” wrote Ms Bertoia.
There’s ample research on foods and diet patterns that protect against heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. The good news is that many of the foods that help prevent disease also seem to help with weight control—foods like whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and nuts.
Dr. Walter Willett from Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology, and Chair, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, said, “Choose a wide variety of vegetables and fruits every day, but don’t include white potatoes as a vegetable. Potatoes are a starch, and a rapidly-digested one at that; nutritionally, they have more in common with white bread and white rice than with other vegetables, and they should be eaten only occasionally. Go easy on fruits that are higher in carbohydrate, such as oranges, bananas, apricots, cherries, grapes, mangoes, pineapple and pears. Also, avoid fruit juices, since they contain a lot of sugary calories; choose whole fruit instead, since it has more fiber and will make you feel more full.”
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