The hidden benefits of eating fruits and veggies

We all know eating fruits and veggies is good for you, but how much do you actually get in your diet? And did you know that the more you eat, the less you'll weight?

It's no secret that fruits and vegetables are good for you. You probably already know some of their health benefits, such as lower blood pressure and lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke and certain cancers.

• You may even know that eating produce can reduce your risk of losing your vision as you age. Yes, fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins, thousands of health-protective compounds and fibre.

But did you know that eating more of them is a key strategy in losing weight and keeping it off?

• With the exception of a few very starchy vegetables — like potatoes — the vast majority are very low in calories. (The more starchy vegetables include sweet potato, corn, green peas, parsnips, plantain and taro.)
• That's largely because they're mostly water and fibre (which has no calories). Studies show that the more fruits and vegetables people eat, the less they tend to weigh.
• It can be as simple as eating a salad.

In one study at Pennsylvania State University, women who started a meal with a low-calorie salad and then ate a pasta dish, ate about 12 percent fewer calories in total than women who skipped the salad and started in on the pasta.

• In another study, adding about 170 grams (six ounces) of vegetables (in this case, carrots and spinach) to supper helped people feel fuller on fewer calories.
• With a few exceptions, you can forget anything you've heard about not eating this fruit or that vegetable because it contains sugar or will raise your blood sugar.
• Most fruits and vegetables are actually quite low in total carbohydrates, and they have fibre — often the soluble fibre that slows blood sugar's rise — so their glycemic loads are quite low.

The message to take away? Studies show that the more fruits and vegetables people eat, the less they tend to weigh.