The Harvard researchers said that rather than filling up on potatoes, weight-conscious folk should try brown rice or whole meal bread instead.

 

Other vegetables that slimmers might want to give a wide-berth include sweetcorn and peas.

 

Even celery, which is often thought of as the dieter's friend, doesn't magic excess weight away.

 

However, eating more blueberries, prunes³ and cauliflower could help slimmers reach their target weight.

 

Fruit was twice as good as veg, with every extra portion a day leading to around half a pound of flab being shed over four years.

 

Blueberries were the number one fat burner, with an extra handful a day linked to almost a pound and a half of weight loss.

 

Prunes, apples, pears, strawberries, raisins⁴ and grapes, also scored high on the weight loss scale.

 

Reasons for this range from people substituting them for fattening desserts to them being particularly rich in plant compounds called polyphenols.

 

These are credited with a host of health benefits, including altering the metabolism⁵ and the body's processing of sugar.

 

Cauliflower came out top in the vegetable category.

 

Other veg deemed good for weight loss included broccoli⁶ and Brussels sprouts⁷.

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