An excerpt from an article on diets and the human immune system – Both most recently becoming important in our medical culture since the onset of /or prevention of Covid- 19.
Investigators recruited 20 individuals for the study, which included both men and women, individuals of different ethnicity and body size based on BMI calculationTrusted Source. During the first two weeks, the participants would eat only one type of diet, either vegan or ketogenic, and then switch to the other diet for an additional two weeks.
Both diets included non-starchy vegetables and minimum amounts of highly processed food.
However, that is about where the similarities ended.
A vegan diet is entirely plant-based, excluding all animal products, including meat, fish, milk, and eggs. It includes staples like legumes, rice, root vegetables, whole grains, soy products, fruits, and vegetables On the other hand, the ketogenic or “keto” diet, as it is popularly known, embraces meat and fat, generally derived from animal products.
The difference in the diets also extended to more than the makeup of specific foods.
Those on the vegan diet got the majority of their calories from carbohydrates and almost none from fat — 75% carbs and 10% fat. While the ketogenic was the complete opposite, deriving 75% of calories from fat and 10% from carbohydrates.
Although in both diets participants were able to eat freely, those on the vegan diet tended to eat fewer calories overall.
During the study, researchers collected and analyzed samples, including urine, blood, and stool, to look for biological changes caused by the diets. The samples were investigated using advanced fields of study, including:
Proteomics: the study of proteins and their cellular activities
Metabolomics: the study of metabolites and molecules resulting from metabolic functioning
Diet is known to affect the microbiome, which results in downstream effects on the immune system and disease risk. The significance of the NIH’s finding is that it helps to shine some light on the complex relationship between diet, microbiome, and immunity.
Despite knowing that diet affects the microbiome and that the microbiome affects immunity, the direct mechanisms between diet and immunity still aren’t clear.
“Microbiomes are organisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites) present throughout our body, with the largest composition in the GI tract (small and large intestines)…The co-existence of these microorganisms in the body helps produce immunity by exposing, conditioning, and training the body to numerous organisms since birth,” said Dr. Roopa NaikTrusted Source, MD, who spoke with Healthline about the study and has previously published on the impactTrusted Source of vegan diets on health.
Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, PhD, a Professor of Immunobiology at Yale School of Medicine, told Healthline that the NIH research indicates, “We’re coming full circle in terms of trying to understand how diet can impact immunity. It seems that both types of diets are able to help the host cope with viral infection.”
Healthline. Eating Vegan, Keto Diets May Help Improve Your Immune System in 2 weeks. Feb.2, 2024
Eighty percent of your immune system is in your gut, so it makes sense that a well functioning gut is critical for a clean bill of health. An essential job of the gut is to arm the digestive tract against inflammatory and other harmful disease causing substances, for example in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). When there is a breakdown in the microbial lining that in banding together kept the lining strong, a loss of that strength is said to create a “leaky” gut that starts a whole inflammatory response to create chronic disease such as diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver, obesity, cognitive disorders and depression.
Your Gut Influences your weight and weight maintenance.
A 2021 study published in Scientific Reports tested the effects of a probiotic (“good” bacteria”) on weight loss in 70 subjects who were all overweight. 35 adults took probiotics and the remaining 35 took a placebo. After nine months with no exercise or diet interventions, 40% of the probiotic group had lost a clinically significant amount of weight compared with 3 percent in the placebo.
Dietary fiber is associated with promoting weight loss. In the body, fiber is fermented in the intestine creating short-chain fatty acids thatt help promote healthy metaboilisms. A healthy blood sugar balance and fat storage is also reported that affects weight maintenance that is so important in weight loss. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA’s) also help alleviate or lessen inflammation by acting on hormonal and satiety receptors.
“Whole person health starts in the gut, says Supriya Rao, M.D., managing partner at integrative Gastroenterolgy Consultants, Rao explains the importance of getting enough exercise to improve gut health. Being sedentary or sitting is the new smoking” he says. Your gut health will thank you.”
NUTRITION AND GENE INTERACTIONS: Is It More than Just Genes?
The Human Genome Project has identified millions of gene defects and variants in human DNA. The average person has 250 to 300 defective genes, plus an average level of 75 variants associated with disease. Nutrient avalibility, particular in early life, can modfiy the functional level of specific genes thereby influencing disease risks. Increased understanding of epigenetic processes as well as a person’s genetic status without changing gene structure is becoming an interesting phenomenon. Gene activity can be shut off or turned on, or slowed or sped up by epigenetic mechanisms, many of which are environmental. Search Genetics and or Epigenetics on http://www.foodfactsandfads.com.
Cancer Most types of cancer are related to environmental exposures such as high fat and alcohol intakes, low fruit and vegetable intakes, high levels of body fat, smoking and other toxins. A number of research studies suggest that a diet rich in cruciferous vegetables may lower rates of a variety of cancers, including breast, pancreatic, bladder, lung, prostate and colon cancer. This family of vegetables is led by broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage to mention a few.
Certain enzymes in cruciferous veggies may help protect cell DNA from damage, and others may have antioxidant properties. Crucifers may also help to counteract cancer-causing nitrosamines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that are found in charred, cured or barbecued fish or meats.
Obesity: Opinions? “Over 40 gene variants have been related to obesity development in people exposed to Western-type diets and low levels of physical activity. The current obesity epidemic appears to be driven by a mismatch between multiple components of our 400,000 year old genetic endowment (i.e., what our ancestors ate) and current food and activity environments.
Genetic traits that helped our early ancestors survive times of famine and that encouraged food intake rather than discouraged it, and that set up metabolic systems around unrefined and unprocessed foods are at odds with much of today’s food supply and physical activity requirements.” Reversing the world wide trend in obesity rates willl not be easy. We need to lessen our triggers that favor processed food intake and increase environments that favor heathly physical environments – how about just increased walking environments. No need to go to the gym.
Expanding availability of healthier foods and increasing earlier nutrition education to encourage healthier lifestyles is desperately needed and the earlier the better. As Michael Pollan suggests in his book, “In Defense of Food” : “ Eat food, Not too Much, Mostly Plants.” See how easy it is??? (SJF )
At the turn of the 20th century, Horace Fletcher, an artist, writer, importer and opera house manager who had no medical background – promoted the chewing of each bite of food at least 100 times until liquefied. The theory was that the bowel was key to good health and weight control and keeping the colon happy was the key.
“Fletcherism”, as it came to be known became a fashionable past time, and Fletcher had success in managing his own weight using the method. At age 40, he weighed 217 pounds and had been refused life insurance. By his mid 50’s, he was reportedly doing exercises with the strength and agility of a man half his age. “Nature, he said, “will castigate those who don’t masticate.” The practice has since been seen as a “fad” diet and became unpopular for obvious reasons. We can spare the details. Don’t try this at home.
How to Reverse Prediabetes. It is surprisingly easy to stop this condition from developing into full-blown diabetes. By Jill Weisenberger, M.S, RDN , CDCES Nutrition Solutions Bottom Line Health Adapted from Food, Facts and Fads
More than 96 million American adults have prediabetes — Blood sugar levels lower than type 2 diabetes but higher than normal. However, there is good news. Decades of research tells us that reversing prediabetes by restoring your blood sugar to normal levels if possible by making a few lifestyle adjustments. Much comes the results of a program called the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a – 3 year-long study with 3,000 ,participants. Prediabetes has no obvious symptoms, only a few metabolic markers that can tell us how progressive the disease may be in time. It’s more likely if you have excess weight, smoke, are inactive, sleep poorly, have high blood pressure, low (good) HDL cholesterol, or heart disease. These factors become suggestive that these risk factors should be tested and monitored for susceptibility to diabetes type 2. If you discover that you have prediabetes (preferably there are some things you can do: improve your diet, increase your activity, and lose a little weight (if overweight) all with the permission of your primary care physician and assessment of the above risk factors.Improve Your Diet There is no best diet to lower high blood sugar. Rather, you should eat nutrient-dense foods like fruit, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, lean meats, fish, and low fat and non-fat dairy (no surprises there!!!) However, there is one category you should avoid: sugar sweetened soft drinks, fruit drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, sweetened teas, and coffee beverages with added sugar. Watch the snacks – our diets are often snack heavy which encourages the intake of highly processed foods loaded with carbs, salt, fat and sugar. Stay away from keto, low fat, low carb, low fat- all these “diets” require willpower or deprivation of some kind that encourages binge eating. Increase activity
Keep it simple – avoid gyms and exercise programs (unless you are highly structured and motivated. “Enjoy walking? If you do, set aside at least 5 minutes every day rather than longer periods just two or three times weekly. A daily behavior is more likely to become a habit. Gradually increase the daily time you spend walking, until you’re walking about 20 to 30 minutes every day.”
Lose a Little weight“
In one study, people at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes who lost just 5 percent of their body weight improved the function of their pancreatic beta cells and decreased insulin resistance. Use small dishes (9 inches) Eat from a dish – no reaching into boxes or bags” Sometimes just a few small changes can make a big difference.
In a study on longevity in women, researchers from the University of California San Diego (UCSD) examined the benefits of keeping a stable weight for older women.
The scientists studied data from thousands of women to determine the likelihood of reaching the ages of 90, 95, or 100, which they called “exceptional longevity.”
Their data analysis showed that older women who maintained a stable weight may be 1.2 to 2 times more likely to reach ages 90 to 100.
While maintaining a stable weight provided benefits toward reaching exceptional longevity, unintentional weight loss was associated with a decrease in the likelihood of reaching 90.
Older women looking to extend their lifespan to the age of 90 or beyond should focus on maintaining a stable weight.
A recent multi-institutional study found that older women who maintained a stable body weight after 60 were more likely to reach their 90th birthdays.
The study involved 54,437 women from the Women’s Health Initiative. The researchers looked at short-term and long-term weight changes in women and compared that to the age they reached.
The researchers found that women who experienced unintentional weight loss had 51% lower odds of reaching 90.
While weight loss was associated with decreased longevity, a weight gain of 5% or more did not contribute to exceptional longevity, which points toward the importance of maintaining a stable weight.
This study aimed to analyze any associations between weight changes (intentional or unintentional) and exceptional longevity in older women.
The authors noted that prior studies analyzed the effects of weight loss in early to middle adulthood, such as shifting from being a person with obesity to being overweight, but that these studies had not considered whether the weight loss was intentional.
The UCSD study included nearly 55,000 postmenopausal women who participated in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study, which began in 1991. The WHI study focused on health issues in postmenopausal women, such as heart disease and cancer.
The authors chose to use data from women who were ages 61 to 81 at the time of enrolling in the study. The women provided information, including their weight, medical conditions, alcohol consumption, and smoking status.
The researchers looked at weight changes from the beginning of each participant’s enrollment and later at the 3-year and 10-year marks. They categorized the women into one of three groups:
Stable weight (less than 5% change from starting weight)
Weight loss (more than 5% decrease from starting weight)
Weight gain (more than 5% increase from starting weight)
The authors also classified the women into “intentional weight loss” or “unintentional weight loss groups” at the 3-year weigh-in, depending on whether they reported losing more than 5 pounds on purpose.
After excluding any women who died within the first year of the 3-year weigh-in (to avoid pre-existing health conditions impacting results), the researchers found that 56.3% of women who maintained a stable weight lived to be at least 90 years old.
Women who experienced unintentional weight loss of 5% or more were less likely to reach the age of 90.
According to the authors, women who had weight loss (for any reason) of more than 5% at the 3-year checkup had 33% lower odds of reaching 90, 35% lower odds of reaching 95, and 38% lower odds of reaching 100.
They also looked at whether the weight loss was intentional or unintentional, and the women who tried to lose weight had 17% reduced odds of reaching 90. Some reasons for intentionally losing weight included diet changes and an increase in exercise.
The women who did not lose weight on purpose had 51% reduced odds of reaching 90. Some reasons the women reported for unintentionally losing weight include illness and stress.
Alternatively, a weight gain of more than 5% at the 3-year weigh-in was not associated with increased chances of survival.
“It is very common for older women in the United States to experience [being overweight or having obesity] with a body mass index range of 25 to 35. Our findings support stable weight as a goal for longevity in older women,” says Professor Aladdin H. Shadyab, the study’s lead author and professor at UCSD’s School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science.
In England, William Banting consulted Dr. William Harvey for weight loss who recommended he cut most sugar and starch from his diet since foods containing those substances tend to create body fat. He lost 50 pounds and wrote the first diet book, “Letter on Corpulence Addressed to the Public” in 1862.
1898
Horace Fletcher loses 42 pounds by advocating that we need to chew food about 32 to 80 times before being swallowed and it should be in liquid form. He later became known as “The Great Masticator”.
1918
Dr. Lulu Hunt writes the first best selling diet book, “Diet and Health with a Key to the Calorie”. She promoted calorie counting over her entire life.
1919
The Continental Scale Company produces the first bathroom scale called the “Health O Meter”.
1929
A cigarette advertisement tells women to “reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet”. Another slogan says: “Light a Lucky and you’ll never miss sweets that make you fat”.
1930
The “grapefruit diet” also known as “The Hollywood Diet” is promoted which involves eating only 585 calories a day for 18 days with boiled eggs, green vegetables and Melba toast.
1936
Self-proclaimed diet guru Victor Lindlahr reaches thousands via the radio to produce his regular broadcasts entitled “reducing party”. He wrote the book You Are What You Eat, one of the earliest texts of the health food movement in the United States, which sold over half a million copies and introduced the phrase still used today.
1942
The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company published standard weight tables for “ideal weight”. The charts used weight, height, frame size, and gender but only used data from life insurance policyholders.
1948
Amphetamines were first prescribed for some obese patients but later research determined that these were dangerous. Amphetamine –like drugs are still used today in a limited fashion.
1958
Saccharin, the first manufactured artificial sweetener is produced and becomes a popular sugar substitute. It is still used today after years of research that absolved critical reports of its cancer connection.
1961
Weight Watchers was born as a result of Jean Nidetch and several friends who met in her apartment to offer each other support about dieting.
1967
Twiggy, 5’7” and weighing about 92 pounds becomes a supermodel and icon for the slender female.
1972
Dr. Atkins introduced his first “Diet Revolution”, a high protein, high fat, low carbohydrate diet.
Richard Simmons opens Ruffage and the Anatomy Asylum, a Beverly Hills restaurant and exercise studio. He quickly becomes known as a fitness and diet guru.
1978
Dr. Herman Tarnover introduces the “Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet”, another version of the high protein, low-carb diet.
1979
The Pritikin Diet answers the trend of the high protein, low – carb diets with a high fiber, very low fat diet. The system was originally designed for heart patients but became popular for those who followed the newer trend of the low –fat diet approach.
1981
The Beverly Hills Diet is introduced – it recommends eating nothing but fruit for the first 10 days.
1982
Aspartame is introduced as another alternative sugar substitute. It was marketed as NutraSweet and is still used today in many products.
Liposuction is performed in the U.S. for the first time and now becomes a popular cosmetic procedure for the obese.
1983
Jenny Craig is formed which sells their own line of diet foods and offers diet counseling. Nutrisystem soon followed.
1988
Oprah Winfrey loses 67 pounds on the liquid diet Optifast.
1994
The FDA mandates that food labels must include detailed information about calories, fat, and fiber. We must thank Dr. Lulu Hunt Peters for this.
1995
“The Zone Diet” is introduced by Dr. Barry Sears. He promotes eating lots of fruits and vegetables and protein, while cutting back on breads and pastas.
1996
It is reported that 40% of nine and ten-year-olds are dieting and trying to lose weight.
2000
Experts are stating that there is now a global epidemic of obesity and that for the first time in history, this number of overweight people equals the number of underfed and undernourished.
2002
Dr. Atkins introduces his second diet book, the “New Diet Revolution” to a new generation of dieters. The Low-carb diet is back after multitudes of diet books promoting low fat diets.
2013
It appears we may have come full circle – we are now promoting cutting sugars and counting calories (again). We have progressed from low carbohydrate, low fat, and low carbohydrate diets again along with some pretty scary schemes, e.g. the tapeworm diet. Many weight loss books, gimmicks and pills have come and gone over and over again and many still exist, but with no real breakthroughs. I doubt they will not end at least in the near future – what do you think?
2023
For the last 10 years, we as a culture have waged a new diet war – Keto diet, paleo diets are the latest “experiments,” trending to the low carb side with higher fat – right back where we started. According to Bittman and Katz, “everything we learned in the late 20th century, the range for fat is considerably broader.” There are claims for good outcomes with diets that have 10% or less of calories from fat (like in Okinawa); those would be the low fat-diets. There are the Mediterranean diets that get well over 40% of their calories from fat and seem to produce the same great health outcomes.” (Mark Bittman and David L. Katz, M.D. How to Eat: All Your Food and Diet Questions Answered.)
Source:
James Trager(1995) The Food Chronology: A Food Lover’s Compendium of Events and Anecdotes, From Prehistory to the Present.
Intermittent fasting and traditional calorie counting about equal for weight loss
Researchers report that intermittent fasting as well as calorie counting are both effective in weight reduction. meredith adelaide/Stocksy
In a new study, researchers say intermittent fasting and calorie counting were both effective in helping people lose weight.
They added that fasting did seem to produce better results for insulin sensitivity.
Experts say diets affect each person differently, so it’s important to figure out which method works best for you.
Weight loss should include a diet that is one that you can follow and be comfortable with. No one else can tell you what to eat – with some education, you can decide what is the best for you.
Intermittent fasting has become a popular weight loss strategy, but a new study suggests that whether you prefer that or traditional calorie counting methods, both may be equally effective.
Looking at a group of 90 adults with obesity divided into two study groups and a control group, researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago reported that those who engaged in time-restricted eating — also known as “intermittent fasting” — lost an average of 10 more pounds than the control group after a year and consumed an average of 425 fewer calories per day after one year.
The second group, which participated in calorie-restricted eating via calorie counting, lost around 12 more pounds than the control and ate 405 fewer calories daily.
The intermittent fasting and calorie counting groups also received regular consultations with a dietician, whereas the control group did not.
The new research was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
“This novel research is immensely encouraging,” said Kelsey Costa, a registered dietitian and health research specialist with the National Coalition on Healthcare, who was not involved in the study. “It highlights that comparable results could be achieved with intermittent fasting or caloric restriction, improving adherence and long-term outcomes. This information is empowering and transformative for those seeking to improve their health and wellness.”
“Calorie counting is not the only way to lose weight and is difficult to sustain long-term,” Dr. Florence Comite, an endocrinologist and founder of the Center for Precision Medicine and Health in New York City who also was not involved in the study, told Medical News Today. “Restricting eating during a shorter ‘eating window’ versus unrestricted eating throughout the day is effective as an alternative. The latter approach may also contribute to optimizing metabolism and hormone regulation through sleep. That’s good news as those outcomes will contribute to optimizing fat loss and muscle gain, with a positive impact on sleep and future weight loss.”
One metabolic difference the study did find with the intermittent fasting group compared to the calorie-restriction group was increased insulin sensitivity, a positive effect of intermittent fasting affirmed by several previous studies.
Experts noted some limitations to this study, mostly having to do with its small size — less than 100 participants — and the fact that it wasn’t a double-blind study, meaning participants knew which weight loss group they were in.
“That does influence outcomes and could introduce bias,” Comite said. “A larger sample size would also provide more statistical power and enhance the findings. Additionally, the duration of the study followed participants for one year, which is a relatively short-term period for evaluating the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of weight loss interventions.”
Experts say one of the benefits of this research is that if the results hold, people don’t have to take a “one-size-fits-all” strategy toward weight loss.
“This is an important consideration,” Comite said. “We are all unique individuals, even identical twins are not the same. A diet or weight loss strategy for one person may not work for another.”
Costa agreed.
“Calorie counting has some strengths regarding aiding weight management, as it allows for precise quantification of calorie intake. By tracking calories, people can ensure they stay within their recommended caloric intake while still getting sufficient nutrition from all food groups,” she explained. “However, the main limitation of calorie counting is that it requires much effort and attention to maintain accuracy in tracking food intake and energy expenditure. Accurately estimating calorie intake can be difficult without specialized food-tracking apps or other tools. This type of precision can be challenging to maintain over extended periods.”
Intermittent fasting, on the other hand, “can produce similar levels of weight loss to that seen with caloric restriction while making adherence easier due to reduced meal frequency, thus providing a more sustainable approach for long-term weight management,” she added.
Having options is good, she said. But having a support network is even better.
Approaching weight loss from an overall health perspective and focusing on positive lifestyle changes is the best way to ensure long-term success,” Costa said. “Building a support system of friends, family, and healthcare professionals who can help you stay motivated and offer guidance and advice when needed is essential, as is setting realistic goals that are specific and measurable will help you keep track of your progress and provide the motivation to stay on track.”
Cutting is critical when you’re trying to lose weight. You cut calories. You cut fat. Basically, anything that’s crammed with carbs, sweetened with sugar or dipped in a deep fryer is suddenly off-limits.
But dieting doesn’t have to require deprivation. Many delicious (and healthy) foods can still be part of your dining repertoire. Some members of the produce family are so light in calories and fat that you can eat them with (relative) abandon.
Vegetable love
The one category of foods that you can eat loads of without suffering the consequences of weight gain are nonstarchy vegetables, says Alexis Supan, an outpatient dietitian with the Cleveland Clinic Center for Integrative & Lifestyle Medicine. “Mostly any vegetable besides potato, corn and peas, you can eat endlessly,” she says.
domnicky/Getty Images
10 healthy foods you can eat without gaining weight
Indulge in these to your heart’s content, along with a balanced diet.
Celery
Lettuce
Watermelon
Broccoli and cauliflower
Grapefruit
Mushrooms
Berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries)
Kiwi
Carrots
Spinach and kale
A cup of chopped broccoli or a grilled portobello mushroom contains just 30 calories and less than 1 gram of fat. You can chow down on two entire cups of lettuce and consume less than 16 calories. Because of its high water content, a whole tomato has a mere 22 calories. Cauliflower, kale, carrots and sprouts are similarly nutrient-dense and light in calories.
These produce mainstays bring a few other things to the table. “What makes them so incredible and so beneficial for weight maintenance and weight loss is they are high in macronutrients [such as carbohydrates] and micronutrients [vitamins and minerals]. And they’re rich in fiber,” says Beata Rydyger, a registered nutritionist based in Los Angeles. Fiber keeps your blood sugar levels stable, which helps you avoid sudden attacks of the munchies that might otherwise make you crave junk foods.
If vegetables aren’t your favorite foods, you might be thinking how unappealing this way of eating sounds. But there are ways to spice up your veggies to make them more palatable.
Roast them in olive oil spray, then add a blend of garlic and other herbs and spices, Supan suggests. If you love dip, which tends to be high in fat, use salsa instead to add even more vegetables into the mix. Or blend a ranch flavor packet into plain Greek yogurt. “Now you have a really high-protein, very healthy dip that you can use along with your vegetables,” she says.
Fruits are a different story. With most of them, you don’t want to go overboard. “Grapes are a perfect example. A lot of people love to snack on grapes and could eat the whole bag in an afternoon without really thinking about it. But grapes are a high-sugar food,” Supan cautions. “Keeping most fruits to a cup-and-a-half for the day is a good goal to have.”
The exceptions are berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries), kiwi and grapefruit. These fruits are high in fiber and low on the glycemic index — which means they won’t boost your blood sugar too much. Just be careful before eating grapefruit to make sure it doesn’t interact with any medications (such as statins) you take. And don’t load it up with sugar to make it taste sweeter.
Filling up the healthy way
If you’re looking for all-you-can-eat foods, it may be worth revisiting your entire diet to make sure it’s satisfying. “When people eat the right meals throughout the day, that tends to fill them up much more, and they don’t have that constant hunger,” Supan says.
Many other foods pack a powerful nutritional punch for their calorie count. Examples are healthy proteins such as fish, chicken, tofu or beans, which should be part of each meal. You also want to add healthy fats from nuts and olive oil, vegetables and whole grains such as quinoa or brown rice to your meals. “These foods will create satiety, and you can go longer without feeling that urge to snack, so you won’t overindulge,” Rydyger says.
Snacking on other high-protein, high-fiber foods will help to hold you over until dinnertime. A can of tuna, an apple with a tablespoon of peanut or almond butter, a handful of nuts, a cup of plain air-popped popcorn, a half-cup of cottage cheese or a hard-boiled egg all make excellent options. Though they do contain calories, they’re high in protein, so you won’t be tempted to overeat at your next meal.
Drinking a glass of water or having a cup of bone broth (which contains protein in the form of collagen) might also help fill you up before a meal
Revamping your diet
When you’re used to eating a certain way, making large-scale changes to your diet can feel overwhelming. “That’s why I recommend for clients to start very slow. Make a few swaps each week, and see if that works. Maybe add one vegetable into a meal once a day,” Rydyger suggests. “Starting very small and building your way toward a lifestyle change is important.”
When it comes to dieting, the aim is not “How low can you go?” Your body needs calories for energy. Try to focus less on the numbers and more on the overall quality of your diet. The most important thing is to eat whole foods — ones that aren’t processed in a factory.
Eating nothing but low-calorie foods could rob your body of the nutrients it needs, such as the calcium that keeps your bones strong. Plus it could leave you starving and have the opposite of the intended effect.
“Those low-calorie diets lead to blood sugar instability and harsh crashes,” Rydyger says. “You’re bound to crash at some point and overcompensate with even more food than you had originally planned to eat.”
When making changes to your diet, you don’t need to go it alone. It’s preferable to get some help from your primary care doctor or a dietitian. Your doctor can check your vitamin and cholesterol levels to make sure you safely embark on your new way of eating. A dietitian can assess your needs and create a meal plan that’s not only tailored to your goals but also sustainable over the long term.
Can Foods Have ‘Negative’ Calories?
Some fruits and veggies, notably celery, grapefruit and cucumber, have been touted as “negative-calorie foods.” The premise is that these foods are so low in calories that the very act of chewing and digesting them burns more calories than the foods contain.
It might seem a logical assumption. After all, celery is mostly water, and a whole stalk contains less than 6 calories. For a while, drinking celery juice on an empty stomach was all the rage with dieters. But what limited research exists on the subject has pretty much debunked the negative-calorie claim. Researchers tested out the negative-calorie hypothesis by feeding celery to humans, as well as to bearded dragon lizards, and in most cases, it was a bust.
Bottom line: Celery certainly won’t make you gain weight, but it won’t take weight off, either.
Stephanie Watson is a freelance writer with more than two decades of experience covering consumer health. Her work has appeared in WebMD, Time, Harvard Health Publications, Healthline, HealthCentral and many other publications. She also served as executive editor of Harvard Women’s Health Watch.
— Misconceptions are hurting the fight for health equity in communities of color
by David Satcher, MD, PhD August 26, 2022
UNHEALTHY PROCESSED FOOD AND SNACKS CAN LEAD TO OBESITY
“Since leaving my post in 2002 as the U.S. Surgeon General, the nation’s leading public health role, America has made great strides in battling public health crises. From reducing tobacco use and improving maternal and child health, to most recently advancing vaccine technology to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, another epidemic has gained strength, debilitating and killing millions of people on its deadly upward trajectory. The chronic disease of obesity is a misunderstood condition impacting millions of Americans from every demographic group living in every corner of the country. Unfortunately, obesity and comorbid diseases disproportionately impact communities of color in nearly incalculable ways.
In the early 2000s, the national adult obesity rate was 30.5% and we had made progress on achieving many health goals related to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and multiple other chronic health challenges. Back then, my office released “The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity,” which underscored the increasing severity of obesity’s impact on our collective health and outlined a vision for the future. Today, the adult obesity rate has climbed to 42.4% and is projected to reach nearly 50% by 2030.
Disparities in obesity rates between racial and ethnic groups are stark. The latest data show that non-Hispanic Black adults have the highest age-adjusted prevalence of obesity in the country at 49.6%, followed by Hispanic adults at 44.8%, and non-Hispanic white adults at 42.2%. Obesity is also a significant health challenge among American Indians and Alaskan Natives, with adults in those communities 50% more likely to have obesity than white adults. Furthermore, a projection of obesity rates found that “severe obesity” will become the most common BMI category among non-Hispanic Black adults (31.7%) — as well as among women (27.6%) and low-income adults (31.7%) — by 2030.
Despite researchers making significant advances in the last 2 decades, obesity is too often myopically viewed as the result of an individual’s lifestyle choices around diet and exercise. Viewing the disease through this lens omits that body weight is determined by a combination of genetic, metabolic, behavioral, environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic factors. In fact, we know that a significant proportion of obesity can be influenced by genetics.
While recent scientific discoveries have greatly improved obesity care options, our collective effort to stem the tide of the disease has fallen short. Obesity is a public health crisis deserving maximum effort from policymakers, healthcare providers, insurers, and community partners working in concert to dramatically reduce the burden of this disease.
Our politicians and policymakers must focus on the core causes and dire consequences of unchecked increases in obesity rates among the people they serve. It is imperative that updated federal, state, and local policies grant equitable access to the full continuum of obesity care. Healthcare providers must seek continuing education on advances in metabolic science and the availability of pharmacotherapies that are proven to safely reduce disease prevalence and the impact of comorbid diseases. Insurers must take a long view of obesity care, taking immediate action to close coverage gaps that block access to obesity trained physicians, consultation with nutritionists, physical therapists, and prescriptions for FDA-approved metabolic therapies. Our community leaders must advocate for healthcare equality and equitable access to obesity care to lift the physical, mental, and financial burden of the disease on all Americans, especially Black and brown people.
I believe generating coordinated, sustained solutions for a positive impact on obesity in America will come from the hard work of public health stewards, policymakers, healthcare providers, and community leaders at the intersection of health equity and policy. I am making a renewed call to action for the challenging situation we find ourselves in. Every one of us deserves the opportunity to live our healthiest life. It is time we remove the impediments to health equity through access, and promote a path that eliminates the obesity epidemic persisting in communities of color across our nation.”
Those interested should also read the book by Sandra Aamodt, Ph.D., Why Diets Make Us Fat: The Unintended Consequences of Our Obsession with Weight Loss. More emphasis should be placed on the development of how to control or manage damaging weight regain after endless weight loss attempts. Sally Feltner, M.S, Ph.D.
FOOD, FACTS and FADS 