High - fiber, low -
GL vegetables: Brussels sprouts, broccoli, string beans.
We found a stronger inverse association between increased intake of higher - fiber, lower -
GL vegetables and weight change, consistent with experimental evidence suggesting an influence of these factors on satiety [8], glucose and insulin responses [21], fat storage [21], and energy expenditure [9].
Low - fiber, high -
GL vegetables: carrots, cabbage, coleslaw, sauerkraut.
When we categorized vegetables as either lower or higher GL (S4 and S5 Tables), lower -
GL vegetables were inversely associated with weight change (Fig 7), a difference that was marginally statistically significant (pooled p = 0.05).
High - fiber, high -
GL vegetables: beans, lentils, tofu / soy, peas, lima beans, mixed vegetables, winter squash, potatoes, corn.
Not exact matches
But decreasing
GL by eating, for example, red meat with
vegetables, mitigated some of that weight gain.
We categorized fruits and
vegetables as high or low
GL similarly, with cutoffs of 0.7 for
vegetables and 6.5 for fruits (S4 and S5 Tables).
Due to the large sample size and long follow - up period, we had the unique opportunity to investigate not only change in total fruit and
vegetable intake, but also intake of individual fruits and
vegetables and fruits and
vegetables classified by fiber content and
GL.
Fiber analyses included all fiber variables in one model: change in intake of high - fiber fruits, low - fiber fruits, high - fiber
vegetables, and low - fiber
vegetables; likewise for
GL analyses.
Although these
vegetables have nutritional value (potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, iron, fiber, and protein), they have a higher
GL (lower carbohydrate quality) that could explain their positive association with weight change.
Components of fruits and
vegetables that may differentiate their impact on weight change include fiber content, glycemic load (
GL), and biologically active constituents like polyphenols and sugars.
Fruits and
vegetables with similar nutritional value, including fiber and
GL, were combined, for example, apples and pears.
GL was calculated by multiplying the carbohydrate content of each fruit /
vegetable (grams per serving) by the glycemic index of that fruit /
vegetable.