Variety may only be good for your portfolio, but what exactly should you be eating to lose weight? According to a scientific literature review published between 2000 and 2017 by the American Heart Association this week, those people who take a greater variety of food eat more junk. The studies found no evidence that a variety of diet gives you a healthy weight. Instead, people take good and bad food, this is according to Marcia de Oliveira Otto, a key author of the paper.
“Combined, such an eating pattern may lead to increased food consumption and obesity,” she said. It is better to cut or reduce certain foods from your diet, she said. She adds that one should reduce consumption of sweets, sugar, and red meat. The more diverse diet usually includes healthy foods such as chips, cheeseburgers, donuts, and fries, “even in moderation,” she added.
Eat More Foods That are Based on Plants
The researchers concluded that instead of advising people to eat a variety of foods, the dietary recommendations should focus on adequate consumption of foods based on plants such as vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains, non-tropical vegetable oils, low-fat dairy products, nuts, fish, and poultry. Avoid fried foods, they added.
Order Low-Calorie Foods
When you are faced with complex menus in restaurants, you often overlook the healthier selections. Most people think that low-calorie food does not taste good or won’t fill them, this is according to a separate 2014 research published in the Journal of Consumer Research and done by researchers at Columbia University and Georgia State University in Atlanta.
“By calorie-organizing a menu, restaurants make it easier for people to use the general low-calorie label to dismiss all low-calorie options early in the decision process,” the study concluded. In fact, the participants that were given traditional menus with no information on calorie and menus with food that has low calorie took together ordered food with the same amounts of calories.
Eat Low-Fat and Low-Sodium Foods
The obesity rate is expected to be 50% by 2030. Many health experts say the best approach is low-fat, the low-sodium diet that includes vegetables and fresh fruit. They warn that variety is just a temptation. The Centers for Disease Control recommends that Americans should not take more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium each day, but they do.
Although fewer people are eating red meat and drinking soda, and other foods considered unhealthy, they have become more negligent in other ways, tolerating themselves more salt. Currently, Americans are consuming about 3400 milligrams of salt every day, says the CDC.
Why You Should Eat Healthy as You Age
As one age, it is important not to include too many treats in your diet, research shows. Those people who gain a moderate amount of weight between 5 and 22 pounds before the age of 55 increase their risk of chronic diseases, premature death, and decrease the likelihood of having a healthy aging.
This is according to a research by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Our study is the first of its kind to systematically examine the association of weight gain from early to middle adulthood with major health risks later in life,” says Frank Hu, professor of epidemiology and nutrition. This study analyzed data from about 93,000 participants.
Men gained an average of 19 pounds, while women gained 22 pounds. “The findings indicate that even a modest amount of weight gain may have important health consequences,” he added.
Edited by: Jessa (Feb. 2, 2019)
