For a Weight Loss Eating Plan, Have Fruits and Vegetables

Oct 21, 2010 by Emilia

Fruits and vegetables

According to the findings at the University Miguel Hernandez, Elche, Spain, a weight loss eating plan should include adequate consumption of fruits. 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 reduce the risk of gaining weight and become obese in the long run.

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 weight 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 when considering a weight loss eating plan.

To your health success!

Emilia Klapp, R.D., B.S.
www.TheDiabetesClub.com