How many times have we heard that eating more fruit and vegetables helps us reduce the inches of the waistline? To lose weight, it would be enough to eat more fruit and vegetables and that’s it: more fiber, vitamins and minerals; greater chance of satiety with anti-inflammatory, bulky and water-rich foods; reduction of the caloric density of the dishes, so a dish of pasta with sautéed zucchini is undoubtedly more satisfying, nutritious and satiating than a dish of garlic and oil pasta. Are we all in agreement so far? Yes, of course, yes.

Then came the exaggerations dictated by fashions: detox, fruit and vegetable diets only to lose weight, the craze of centrifuged, fiber and micronutrient based supplements, the advice to enrich meals with different types of fruit and above all vegetables, so in theory you should open lunch with raw vegetables, then eat your main dish and finish with another dish of cooked vegetables. Then I want to see you get back to work. In fact, it must be said that going from good advice to harmful simplification is a short step: and thus, many people admit to suffering from intestinal disorders, especially bloating., which leads them to return to old habits (a diet almost devoid of fresh, seasonal foods, fruit and vegetables) rather than continuing with the new ones.

So one has to ask: Does eating more fruit and vegetables make you lose weight? Is it good advice anyway?