Friday, May 3, 2013

The Veggie Swap that Boosts Weight Loss

Main Image
When it comes to dieting, what you put in your meals may be just as important as what you take out. In a pilot study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Weight Management Center, participants lost an average of 7 pounds by trading red meat for approximately one cup of white button mushrooms each day for a year.
The randomized clinical trial tracked the diet and body fat measurements of 64 women and nine men. Those who replaced red meat with mushrooms had lower overall calorie and fat intake and bigger drops in body weight, waist circumference, percent total body fat, and body mass index, a measurement of body fat determined by height and weight.
Participants didn’t have to go vegetarian for these major results, however—white meat and fish were still on the table.
Lawrence J. Cheskin, MD, FACP, director of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Weight Management Center, says that although the clinical trial had a small number of subjects, its results were consistent with previous research. He also says the study’s time frame alone made the findings noteworthy.
“With a diet change like this, you’ll see fairly quickly if you’re no longer effectively cuAtting calories,” Cheskin says. “A year is far more than we’d need to see the effect on weight control.”
The theory behind the study is that eating high-volume foods low in energy density will fill you up for fewer calories.
“One-hundred calories of lettuce is like a whole head of lettuce, but 100 calories of cheese is just a cube,” Cheskin says. “You might not be satisfied emotionally, but you just can’t eat a second head of lettuce—you get filled up by increasing the volume, water content, and fiber content of the food.”
Lettuce might not hit the spot, but participants reported feeling equally satisfied after the mushroom switch, which suggests that the substitution really could be a good option for long-term weight management.
Whether or not you’re ready to ditch red meat, adding more mushrooms to your diet is a good health move. White button mushrooms give metabolism, immunity, and bones a boost, shield your body from the effects of stress, and have been credited with preventing the growth of cancer.
GET more here >>>>

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Best Way to lose weight in legs