The most important foods for weight loss
By Victoria Abbott Riccardi
Eating lots of fruits and vegetables is an ideal way to shed pounds and to maintain a healthy weight. Now new research shows plants are packed with powerful compounds that boost your immunity, protect against disease and fight fat. We learned a lot about this at a hot international conference in Lake Tahoe, Calif., hosted by Oldways Preservation & Exchange Trust. Startling research presented at this conference proves without a doubt that eating lots of plant-based foods protects our health. Now here's the reason: Plants brim with phytochemicals. (And Oldways should know -- the group is a nonprofit educational organization that promotes traditional patterns of healthy eating, like consuming lots of fruits, veggies, grains, nuts and a little red wine too.) The secret life of plants
Don't get turned off by the word phytochemicals (pronounced "fighto-chemicals"). It's simply the scientific name for the powerful compounds that plants produce to prevent themselves from getting sick, sunburned to a crisp, or nibbled by insects. (Phyto means "plant" in Greek.) And here's where you and your fruit salad fit in: Scientists believe these same compounds can keep you healthy too, with the side benefit of weight management.
