The Farmer's Market Diet

Produce Is Your Friend

With its stacks of greens and bushels of succulent fruit, the farmer's market is a feast for the senses. It's also the secret to a leaner body. This freshly picked bounty can help you lower your calorie intake without feeling deprived. "You can eat big portions but still keep your calories down," says Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., professor of nutrition at Penn State University, in State College, Pennsylvania, and co-author of The Volumetric Weight-Control Plan (Quill, 2000).

While it's low in fat, a farmer's market diet is packed with the vitamins, minerals, and fiber that help prevent diseases. "I see every cancer specialist in Seattle at the farmer's market each week," says Adam Drewnowski, Ph.D., director of the nutritional science program at the University of Washington, in Seattle. "That should tell you something."

Read on for an eight-point plan for a diet rich in flavor and nutrition.