Fruits and Veggetables and Long Term Weight Loss

A recent study by Consumer Reports looked at people who don't seem to gain weight as they age. The study, not surprisingly, found that getting a large part of nutrition from fruits and vegetables was a common factor among those people.

Fruits and veggies are low in calories, high in volume and high in critically important nutrients. Eating fruits and vegetables can turn off your cravings for other food and shorten food addiction cycle.

Here are some of the fruits and veggies that you can choose from:
Green team: composed of dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, turnip greens, mustard and collard greens and deep green lettuces. These veggies prevent heart disease and detoxify carcinogens.

Red team: red fruits and veggies like red bell peppers, watermelon and tomatoes. They are full of lycopene, the carotenoid that offers high levels of protection against prostate cancer.

Orange team: carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins and oranges are high in beta-carotene which prevents cancers of lungs and stomach and lowers risk of heart disease.
Purple team: composed of grapes, blueberries and eggplant which are cancer fighters.
White team: potatoes, mushrooms, bananas and onions are good sources of potassium and vitamins and fights cancer and heart disease.

Brown team: beans, pintos and lentils are foods with high level of protein and are sources of iron and phosphorus. Their fiber content keeps cholesterol right where they should be.

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Most Important Fruits and Veggies to Buy Organic

With the economy in recession, many people are trying to save as much as possible in as many ways as possible. Because often organic products are more expansive than conventional products, buying conventional products as opposed to organic may be one of your choices to save money.

If you do, here is a list of the most important fruits and vegetables to buy organic, and a list of the ones you can most safely buy conventional.

The 15 to buy organic (they are usually the most contaminated by pesticides):

1. Peach
2. Apple
3. Sweet Bell Pepper
4. Celery
5. Nectarine
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes – Imported
11. Carrot
12. Pear
13. Collard Greens
14. Spinach
15. Potato

The 15 with the least amount of pesticide residues, so you can buy conventional:

1. Onion
2. Avocado
3. Sweet corn (frozen)
4. Pineapple
5. Mango
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet peas (frozen)
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Tomato
15. Sweet potato

Another important step is to wash your produce before you eat. This will not thoroughly eliminate the pesticides from your produce but it will reduce the levels.

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