Yes, You Still Have to Eat Your Vegetables

People who just can't abide broccoli and Brussels sprouts might be tempted to leap on today's news story about researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The review and meta-analysis of available data found that a diet high in fruits and vegetables, by itself, really didn't seem to improve weight loss efforts a great deal.

Now, if anyone out there thought that merely increasing intake of vegetables and fruit could be a substitute for obesity surgery, they were obviously very much mistaken. While the mysteries of the human body can be very confusing and every day, it seems, we hear that certain foods might help or hinder efforts against, say, type 2 diabetes or heart disease, one fact is clear. It is entirely possible to become overweight, even seriously obese, eating a perfectly balanced -- but much too large -- diet. Portion control is key but, alas, vastly easier said than done for obese people.

It's only human to want to seek out a semi-magical prescription that is going to slay the dragon of obesity once and for all, and the idea that filling up on vegetables and fruit could help us to avoid excessive amounts of more caloric food has a certain logic. It just appears that our body is pretty smart about calories and it knows that, while a celery stalk might be larger than a slice of bacon, they are definitely not the same thing. Of course, we still need veggies and fruits -- they provide absolutely crucial vitamins and fiber and not eating them is only going to make us less healthy and, very possibly, just slightly fatter. Moreover, a fruit-based dessert is obviously vastly preferable, health-wise, to a giant ice cream sundae. Nevertheless, it's pretty obvious that our overall caloric intake is the name of the game and bariatric procedures remain the best weapon we have when it comes to dealing with obesity.

If filling up on fruits and veggies isn't helping your battle against obesity, Dr. Feiz and Associates remains the best place for weight loss surgery in Los Angeles. If you're ready to learn more about what weight loss surgery can really do, please call us at 800-868-5946.