Dieters told: Quality of food, not quantity, is what counts

Last updated at 2:06 AM on 23rd June 2011

=================================================

It is the quality of the food you eat, not the quantity, that matters most when it comes to losing weight, a study has found.

Diet had more of an impact than physical activity, watching TV or sleep duration.

But focusing on calories alone was not the best way to stay slim, according to the scientists. The secret was to focus on the quality of foods, especially carbohydrates.

Healthy: Dieters were urged to eat more 'natural' foods, such as fruit and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and yoghurt

Weight-watchers were advised to cut out sweetened drinks, potatoes and refined grain foods such as white bread, white rice and low-fibre breakfast cereals.

At the same time they were urged to eat more ‘natural’ foods, such as fruit and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and yoghurt, while avoiding anything processed.

Professor Frank Hu, a nutrition expert at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, U.S., said: ‘These findings underscore the importance of making wise food choices in preventing weight gain and obesity.

‘The idea that there are no “good” or “bad” foods is a myth that needs to be debunked.’

The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, also showed that getting the right amount of sleep helped people maintain a healthy weight.

People who slept six to eight hours a night gained less weight than those who slept less than six or more than eight hours.

Nutritionist: Professor Frank Hu from Harvard School of Public Health

Prof Hu’s team analysed results from three large-scale studies of US health workers, the Nurses’ Health Study, the Nurses’ Health Study II, and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.

Together the studies monitored the health of more than 100,000 individuals for up to 20 years.

All were initially free of chronic diseases and not obese.

Every four years, participants gained an average of 3.35 pounds, putting on almost 17 pounds over the full 20 year period.

Increased daily servings of certain foods were associated with the largest amount of weight gain per four year period. They included potato chips, which added 1.69 pounds of extra weight, and sugar-sweetened drinks, which added one pound.

Some foods were actually associated with a lowering of weight gain when their consumption was stepped up. They included nuts (minus 0.57 pounds per four years), vegetables (minus 0.22 pounds), whole grains (minus 0.37 pounds) and fruits (minus 0.49 pounds).

Physical activity reduced weight gain, while alcohol consumption added weight at the rate of 0.41 pounds per drink per day.

Co-author Dr Dariush Mozaffarian, also from the Harvard School of Public Health, said: 'An average adult gains about one pound per year. Because the weight gain is so gradual and occurs over many years, it has been difficult for scientists and for individuals themselves to understand the specific factors that may be responsible.

'Small dietary and other lifestyle changes can together make a big difference - for bad or good. This makes it easy to gain weight unintentionally, but also demonstrates the tremendous opportunity for prevention. A handful of the right lifestyle changes will go a long way.'

=================================================

dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2007041/Dieters-told-Quality-food-quantity-counts.html#ixzz1Q403Z5em