Information you can trust? Or, your daily dose of misinformation?

You probably already know that you can't trust what you read about weight loss, or dieting, and that has never been more true than it is today with the internet where anybody can write anything (and they do, every day)!

Combating the misinformation in this area could be a fulltime job! Here are two examples from this morning:

Misleading Article #1 - The best fat-burning breakfasts

This article misleads in two ways:

a. Does "eating breakfast really crank up your metabolism?" Any time you eat, the process of digesting what you ate, creates what is called the "thermic effect of food." The thermic effect of food amounts to an average of 10% of ingested calories on a balanced diet, or about 13% of ingested calories on a high-protein diet. There is however, no increase in your underlying metabolic rate, as the "eat breakfast and boost your metabolism" notion promotes. Eating breakfast has long been associated with lower BMIs (body mass index, a weight to height measure) however, researchers suspect that that's because people who eat breakfast have a generally more healthy lifestyle than non breakfast eaters. For instance, "night eaters" tend to eat one (huge) meal a day, and they don't eat breakfast.

NOTE: The difference in the thermic effect of food between a balanced diet and a high-protein (reduced-calorie) diet isn't clinically significant... for example, at 1,400 calories; it would take 99 days to lose an extra pound due to the higher TEF of the high-protein diet.

b. Do "certain a.m. choices crank up your fat-burning even more?" Talking about "cranking up fat-burning" implies that there's something special about burning fat to losing weight. Weight loss however, is a function of calorie deficiting (taking in fewer calories than you burn), and not the substrate (carbohydrate, protein, or fat) that your body is fueling on. The best example of this fat-burning notion gone awry is the "fat-burning" modes on exercise equipment, which I will address in my next blog.

Misleading Article #2 -  Bananas: The ultimate hunger buster

Bananas are wonderful, but if we're talking about what keeps "hunger at bay" longer, they are not the "ultimate hunger buster." Protein foods by far surpass any choice of carbohydrate at keeping hunger at bay (what researchers refer to as satiety). Carbohydrate creates greater satiety than fat, but only in the first hour after eating. Alcohol appears to completely bypass appetite control (and its effects actually lead to excess calorie intake for many). 

So what to do? Balanced meals and snacks that include at least 15-grams of protein will stick with you the longest. And, if taking in fewer total calories is your goal, the satiety they provide will best support you in doing that.

If you want a reliable source of accurate information on healthy eating or weight loss see my book: The NEW Healthy Eating & Weight Management Guide.

Best,
-Dorene

Is there a question about weight loss or dieting that you want answered? Comment here, or email me at dorene@beyonddiets.com.

References:
1. Stubbs RJ, et al. Carbohydrates and Energy Balance. Annals NY Acad Sci 1997;819:44-69. 
2. Roberts SB. High-glycemic Index Foods, Hunger, and Obesity Is There a Connection? Nutrition Reviews 2000;58(6):163-9.
3. McCrory MA, et al. Biobehaviorial Influences on Energy Intake and Adult Weight Gain. J Nutr 2002;132:3830S-3834S.
4. Stubbs RJ, et al. Energy Density of Foods: Effects on Energy Intake. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2000;40(6):481-515.

Comments

[placentia gym]

I agree with this so good mentioned site that banana is good for and health and also a good fruit to eat.