If you’re looking to make a diet change in 2018, eat your veggies! Not only does five servings of vegetables a day add a ton of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to your system, but it also makes you more attractive.
Scientists at the University of St Andrews found that carotenoid pigments — the orangey-red pigments found in fruit and vegetables — positively affects skin color. In fact, results showed just two extra portions of fruit and vegetables a day created “a detectable change in skin color within six weeks.”
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According to researcher Ross Whitehead:
People who eat more fruit and vegetables have a ‘golden’ skin tone that looks healthy and attractive. Our latest research finds that even small improvements in diet produces visible benefits to skin color. We were very surprised by how quick the changes were.
Cynthia Sass of Health says adding more vegetables to your diet is a no-brainer. Even if your calorie level stays the same, you’ll be more satiated, thanks to all the water and fiber content of fruits and vegetables.
When researchers compared people that consumed the same number of calories, they found those who ate more plant foods had a lower BMI and smaller waist measurements, as well as less inflammation, compared to those who ate less produce.
She points to a German study that found that every gram of fiber we eat essentially cancels out about seven calories.
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Plant-based foods also regulate blood sugar and insulin levels and protect against chronic disease. And compared to the cost of a doctor’s bill, they’re much friendlier on the wallet, even if you spring for organic.
