Wondering if fruits and vegetables are good for weight loss? You’re not alone. Many people believe that eating more fruits and vegetables is the secret to losing weight, but that isn’t exactly true. Eating more fruits and vegetables can help you lose weight — but only if you simultaneously cut back on calories from other foods. A healthy diet that includes fruits and vegetables may also help with weight maintenance after you lose those initial pounds. The abundance of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other phytonutrients in these foods can support your body as it works to digest them. That’s why adding more produce to your diet is a good idea, even if it won’t burn fat by itself.

To Lose Weight, You Must Cut Calories!

You can’t eat fruits and vegetables and expect to lose weight without cutting calories. If you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. For example, a man who weighs 190 pounds must eat about 2,300 calories daily to maintain his current weight. If he eats 2,700 calories daily, he will gain about 400 pounds in one year. If he eats only 1,780 calories every day, he will lose weight. Eating more fruits and vegetables is a great way to add more healthful food to your diet. But you won’t lose weight if you don’t cut back on calories from other sources. You could even gain weight if you eat too many calories each day.

Healthy Diet

Maintaining a healthy diet and daily exercise can help you lose weight and keep it, lowering your risk for heart disease, stroke, and obesity, among other health problems. A nutritious diet consists primarily of fruits and vegetables. According to the Department of Agriculture’s My Plate website, at least half of your plate should be covered with fruits and vegetables during meals. Following such suggestions can also assist you in eliminating trans fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol from your diet, which may lead to a healthier weight, according to Mayo Clinic.

Learn how much you need from each food group. Get a personalized MyPlate Plan that’s right for you based on your age, sex, height, weight, and physical activity level.

Balanced diet

Bottom Line

It would be best if you ate fewer calories than your body uses. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to eat less food. You can create lower-calorie versions of some of your favorite dishes by substituting low-calorie fruits and vegetables with higher-calorie ingredients. The water and fiber in fruits and vegetables will add volume to your words so that you can eat the same amount of food with fewer calories. Most fruits and vegetables are filling and naturally low in fat and calories. A healthy diet that includes fruits and vegetables may also help with weight maintenance after you lose those initial pounds. The abundance of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other phytonutrients in these foods can support your body as it works to digest them. That’s why adding more produce to your diet is a good idea, even if it won’t burn fat by itself.