The Food That Trims Your Waist

Who wears the smallest belt? Meat eaters, fish eaters, vegetarians, or vegans?

According to a new study, vegans do -- those are the folks who forgo eating not only meat, fish, or fowl but also all foods derived from animals. And the reason vegans have a healthy waist size has something to do with what they don’t eat and a lot to do with what they do eat: fiber, and lots of it.

Fiber not only makes you feel full longer but also seems to inhibit the absorption of saturated fat. And high-fiber foods also offer health-giving phytochemicals along with flavor, crunch, and few fats.

At the other end of the eating spectrum, a diet that’s one beef barbecue after another or where the person at the drive-through window knows your name can cause an increase in body fat. In one study, meat eaters had the highest body mass indexes (BMIs), the height-weight ratio that separates healthy weights from weights that are too high or too low. Fish eaters and vegetarians had lower BMIs than people who regularly ate meat, and vegans tended to have the lowest BMIs of all.

One possible explanation is that diets high in animal protein and saturated fat may change the hormonal makeup of the body, altering body chemistry in a way that increases fat around the abdomen. Whatever the reason, the point is clear: You have yet another reason to up your intake of fiber-rich fruit, veggies, and whole grains: a smaller waist.