Maintaining a healthy body weight is one of the most important things you can do for your overall health. Unfortunately, approximately one-third of people in the United States are currently overweight.

We have all long heard the data about changing food intake and exercise regime as part of a better weight loss program.

But new data indicate another factor that affects your chances of weight loss: the bacterial content of the stomach, particularly two types of bacteria called firmicutes and bacteroidetes.

When a person has more firmicutes than bacteriotedes, he or she will tend to be overweight.

On the other hand, when there are more bacteroidetes than firmicutes, a person will be able to lose weight or maintain an ideal weight.

Research indicates that eating more vegetables tends to increase the number of (good) bacteroidetes and decrease the number of (bad) firmicutes.

Therefore, the best thing you can do is to make sure that your lunch and dinner contain at least three servings of vegetables and one serving of carbohydrates.

The best vegetables for promoting healthy stomach bacteria include asparagus, artichokes, broccoli, leeks, onions, and garlic, while corn, peas and potatoes should be avoided.

The best fruits to eat are raspberries, blueberries, and avocados. Eat whole wheat carbohydrates and avoid refined, “white” carbohydrates.

Remember that some exercise is needed to promote weight loss, and that it is important to avoid sugars and carbonated sodas.