Fruits And Vegetables: Eat Less Starchy Ones For A Healthier Diet

New findings published in the journal PLOS Medicine reveal that eating healthy is the way to go if you really want to shed some pounds. Unfortunately, not all fruits and vegetables are created equal.

"The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults and children should eat a variety of fruits and vegetables to help them achieve and maintain a healthy weight. But are all fruits and vegetables equally good at controlling weight?" researchers asked, according to Medical Daily. "In this study, [we] investigate whether consumption of fruits and vegetable with a higher fiber content or lower glycemic load is more strongly associated with a healthy weight than consumption of fruits and vegetables with a lower fiber content or higher glycemic load."

A recent study conducted by a team of Harvard scientists examined data on over 133,000 American women and men who were followed for over 24 years. Researchers adjusted for other lifestyle factors during the study, including smoking and physical activity.

Findings revealed that daily consumption of non-starchy vegetables and fruit helped with weight loss or decreased the risks of weight gain. However, consumption of starchy vegetables, including things like potatoes, yams, peas, etc., increased weight gain.

Unfortunately, the study may have been a bit flawed. For instance, most of the individuals involved in the study were white, well-educated individuals. Furthermore, the use of dietary questionnaires and self-reported weight measurement may have also introduced some measurement errors. Yet the study did consist of a large sample size and the follow-up period pushed on its potential strengths.

In the end, you don't need to banish a potato from your diet forever. It's just probably best that you don't eat them every day. 

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