Fruit and Veggies Can Help Women Lose Weight

In this Article (Index)

• Fruits and Vegetables: overview
• We don't consume enough fruit and vegetables
• Fruits and Vegetables and weight
• Fruits and Vegetables. Science and Research
• Fruit Juice
• Mechanism: How do Fruits and Vegetables slow down weight gain?
• Slower Eating
• Increased satiety
• Lower Energy Density
• Glycemic Load (GL)
• Dietary Fiber
• Other Health Benefits of FV
• Closing Comments

Fruits and Vegetables: overview

Different studies have looked into the effects of a higher intake of fruits and vegetables (FV) on weight loss in women. This article reviews research that has analyzed the positive impact of a diet rich in fruit and vegetables on women and explains the different mechanisms (higher satiety due to dietary fiber, lower energy density, low-fat and low glycemic load) by which a FV-rich diet helps manage weight gain.

We don't consume enough fruits and vegetables

The average American adult does not consume enough fruits and vegetables (FV).

The daily recommendation is 2 cups of fruits/day and 2.5 cups of vegetables&fruits;day or approximately 400 g of fruits & vegetables per day (0.88 lbs).

Only 12% of U.S adults meet the fruit recommendation, and for vegetables, the figure is even lower, only 9%.

It isn't surprising that more than 75% of U.S. adults are Obese. Men, young adults, and impoverished adults have an even lower intake of FV.(1)

Fruits and Vegetables and weight

As we will see further down, a diet with an adequate intake of fruits and vegetables helps maintain weight, and even promotes weight loss in women. The effects of fruit appear to be stronger than those of vegetables. Starchy veggies may be linked to weight gain in women. Legumes consumed in the context of a low glycemic load (GL) diet are associated with long-term weight loss.

Fruits and Vegetables. Science and Research

Back in 2004, a 12-year study (2) involving a total of 74,063 healthy women, aged 38-63 years showed that although they tended to gain weight as they aged, "those with the largest increase in fruit and vegetable intake had a 24% of lower risk of becoming obese."

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that increasing intake of fruits and vegetables may reduce long-term risk of obesity and weight gain among middle-aged women. He K, Hu FB, Colditz GA, Manson JE, Willett WC, Liu S. (2)

In 2010 (3) a study that analyzed data from the 10-year investigation into the relationship between diet and health in a group of 14,172 middle-aged British women (UK Women's Cohort Study, or UKWCS) showed that, as in the previous study, women gained weight (+1.5 kg, approximately 3.3 lb).

Fruit and vegetable intake slowed down weight gain: "each portion increase in fruit was associated with a reduction in weight of 78 g per year [2.75 oz] of follow-up... vegetable consumption... was... similar but slightly reduced effects were seen (reduction of 35 g per year [1.33 oz] per portion increase... Change in fruit and vegetable consumption combined also displayed similar significant protective effects against weight gain."

While causality may not be inferred from these observational data, the results of these analyses indicate that increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables may minimise some of the weight gain generally experienced by middle-aged women. Burley VJ, Taylor EF, Greenwood DC, Cade JE. (3)

Analysis of data from three studies (41,608 women nurses of the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) I, 20,143 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, and 67,533 women in the NHS II) spanning 4 years of follow-up also revealed that increasing the intake of fruits by one daily serving. slowed weight gain. A higher intake of vegetables had the same effect:(4)

• -1.11 lbs for berries
• -0.96 lbs for apples and pears
• -2.15 lbs for soy and tofu
• -1.18 lbs for cauliflower

Starchy and high-sugar vegetables had a weight-gain effect: corn (+1.69 lbs), peas (0.81 lbs).

Consuming high-fiber vegetables led to a higher weight loss (-0.37 lbs) than low-fiber vegetables (-0.13 lbs), a similar effect was observed between low-glycemic vegetables (-0.37 lbs) and high-glycemic ones (-0.01 lbs). Regarding fruit, neither the glycemic load nor the fiber content impacted weight loss.

Conclusions: Increased consumption of total fruits and vegetables was inversely associated with weight change over 4 years, however we found wide-ranging associations for specific foods, partly due to the fiber content and glycemic load of vegetables but not fruits. onica L Bertoia, et al. (4)

An Australian study (5) published in 2020 followed a group of 4,083 young women (27–31 years) with a normal-healthy weight range, who took part of the Australian Longitudinal study on Women’s Health (ALSWH).

When the study started, most of the participants consumed a low quality diet as measured by the Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS) index, as it was, on average, 29.9 out of a maximum of 74. Regarding the Fruit and Vegetable Index (FAVI), the score was very low, 94.2 out of a maximum of 333.

After a 6-year follow up, the subjects had gained weight (weight gain seems inevitable as people age) yet those who improved their diet quality (ARFS) or their fruit and vegetables (FAVI) scores had a slower weight gain: "every one point increase over 6 years in either the ARFS or FAVI score was associated with statistically significantly less weight gain over 6 years, although the amount was small (33 and 12 g, respectively). [1.16 and 0.42 oz]

In practice, complying 100% with the FAVI score would have meant 2.86 kg (6.3 lbs) less weight gain, and regarding food quality (ARFS), 1.45 kg (3.2 lbs)

Fruit Juice

Pure, natural fruit juice has always been considered a healthy option because it provides the nutrients found in whole fruit (vitamins, polyphenols, antioxidants, and minerals). However, it his an energy-dense drink, packed with "natural" sugar (mostly fructose), and contains little or no fiber. leading to the rapid absorption of fructose in the liver, where it is converted into lipids (fat).

As it is easy to consume, people tend to drink more than needed, and this affects weight gain, as shown by a study published in JAMA in 2024 (6) found that "1 serving per day of 100% fruit juice was associated with BMI gain among children. Findings in adults found a significant association among studies unadjusted for total energy, suggesting potential mediation by calories." In other words, 100% fruit juice helps weight gain in children and adults.

As fruit or vegetable juices lack fiber, their glycemic load (GL) is higher than that of a whole fruit. For instance, unsweetened apple juice has a GL of 10, while a regular medium-sized apple has a GL of 6. A medium orange has a GL of 4, while unsweetened orange juice has a GL of 9. Dried fruit (raisins or prunes), even though they contain fiber, also have a higher GL because the drying process removes the water, concentrating the sugars.(1)

Mechanism: How do Fruits and Vegetables slow down weight gain?

There are different routes by which a diet rich in fruits and vegetables helps manage weight gain; these are the following. (1)

Slower Eating

Fruits and vegetables slow down eating speed because of their physical structure. Plants contain plenty of fiber in their cell walls, meaning that more chewing time is needed to ingest them. This effectively slows down the eating rate.

Increased satiety

FV's fiber is bulky, and the high water content in fruits and vegetables promotes a feeling of satiety. Slower eating rates also allow for hormonal signals of fullness and satiety to be registered, and hunger to be suppressed.

Lower Energy Density

Due to their fiber and water content, and the consequent bulk, FV have a low energy density or ED.

Dietary Energy Density is a main contributor to weight gain. Fast foods, highly processed foods, and ultraprocessed foods, typical of the Western Diet, are rich in sugars, refined carbohydrates, and fats, which give them a high energy density.

The low fiber content in the Western Diet provides low satiety and induces a higher intake of food, and a faster absorption of the energy (calories) contained in the food, leading to weight gain.

A diet rich in FV, with healthy fats (olive oil), fish, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, like the Mediterranean Diet, has a low ED and is associated with lower weigh. Surprisingly, despite fats content in olive oil, and nuts, the Mediterranean Diet "is not necessarily associated with weight gain."(1)

The United States National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES) found that the average value of Energy Density (ED) in the U.S. diet is 1.9 kcal+g which is above the threshold of 1.75 kcal+g which marks a threshold for low-ED foods.

Consuming lower ED foods is associated with a lower total daily energy intake, meaning that people don't eat more at other meals to compensate for a lower energy intake from low-ED foods. Furthermore, "studies indicated that serving lower energy dense food tended to be associated with greater weight loss than serving higher energy dense food" (8)

Eating low ED foods allows people to consume a higher volume of food with a total energy content compared to high ED foods.

Additionally, low ED foods have a slower "transit time" and acts as a check on overeating, they are also more satiating calorie-for-calorie.(9)

This is a list of some Low ED foods (less than 1.75 kcal+g): salads, apples, carrotes, greeen leafy vegetables, oranges, berries, beans, avocado, eggs, lean meats, and low-fat yogurt and cheeses.

Glycemic Load (GL)

Foods with a high GL tend to increase blood sugar and insulin after meals, and interfere with the hormonal pathways that regulate appetite. Eating foods with healthy levels of protein (such as legumes: beans, peas, soy, peanuts, peanut butter) combined with high GL foods can impede weight loss. The same legumes consumed with low GL foods lead to weight loss.

Dietary Fiber

In our dietary fiber fact sheet, we give a detailed description of fiber, the different types of fiber (soluble and insoluble), the risks and benefits, recommended dietary intake, energy provided, and dietary sources .

In the case of FV, fiber provides bulk, reduces ED (far less than 2 kcal+g vs. 4 kcal+g for refined carbohydrates), causes satiety, hinders absorption of energy from other foods in the gut, and improves gut microbiota health. Fruit, vegetables, as well as nuts, seeds, and whole grains, and soy products, contribute to a higher fiber intake.

Other Health Benefits of FV

The 2024 EGEA conference on Fruit, Vegetables, and Health noted the positive health effects of consuming FV regularly as they play a "Key Role in preventing NCDs [Noncommunicable Diseases], in particular CVD [Cardiovascular Disease] and T2D[Type-2 Diabetes]."(7)

Cardiovascular Health

With each 200 g/day increase in FV intake, coronary heart disease risk dropped by 8%, the risk for stroke by 16%, and the risk for total CVD by 8% .

The mechanism probably involves fiber, and high-potassium content in FV, which help manage and lower blood pressure. Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds also act upon the gut microbiome, promoting health benefits.

Diabetes

Fruits and vegetables have a significant impact on type-2 Diabetes: An 8 to 12% reduction in T2D risk with a fruit intake of 100 to 500 g+day, and a 12 to 14% reduction with a vegetable intake of 200 to 400 g+day.

The same beneficial factors mentioned above for CVD play a role in a lower T2D risk, plus the lower weight gain observed in those consuming a FV-rich diet.

Variety is the Key

The variety of fruits and vegetables is also important, " the variety of FV consumed is also important in preventing T2D. A prospective study showed an association between a greater variety in fruit, vegetable, and combined FV intake with a lower hazard of T2D.

Closing Comments

Increasing FV intake has a positive impact on long-term weight gain.

Eating more fruits and vegetables, from current low levels to those recommended by the dietary guidelines, has been shown to help women lose weight or slow down weight gain.

Lower energy density, fat, and glycemic load, and higher fiber and water content, contribute to bulking and satiety.

The main obstacle to maintaining a high-FV diet is the lack of variety in fruits and vegetables, and insufficient recipes for preparing tasty plant-based meals. Foods high in sugar, salt, carbohydrates, and fats tend to occupy a major part of our meals. Cost also plays a role, and the time consumed in preparing these meals also has an impact.

It takes practice and time, but the benefits of a high-FV diet are worth the effort.