A new study out of Boston Children’s Hospital confirmed what I have long suspected: All calories are not created equal. Calories from certain types of foods promote weight gain, while calories from other types of foods support weight loss. Oh yeah, I am loving this! Let me tell you why, and how we can easily take advantage of this.
Here’s how it works: There is no magic bullet. You must burn more calories than you take in each day to lose weight. But the source of the calories makes a difference in how many calories you burn per day.
The study’s researchers formed three test groups. Each group was given a different diet. One group was assigned a high-protein diet modeled on the Atkins diet. A second group was given a traditional low-fat diet. The last group was given a low-glycemic diet, focusing on lower-starch and lower-sugar foods.
The results? The Atkins-type diet group burned 300 calories per day more than those who consumed a traditional low-fat diet. In the middle of these two is the low-glycemic dieters, who burned about 125 more calories per day than the low-fat dieters.
The low-glycemic plan is healthy, and it is the way I have eaten for the past six years (and part of what I teach in my book, Stress Less, Weigh Less). The focus is on fresh, non-processed foods that help keep blood sugar levels steady: non-starchy fruits and veggies, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean proteins. It allows for a higher-glycemic glass of wine, or some chips, or an occasional cupcake here and there. Essentially, you minimize the “white” foods: white bread, rice, pastas, cakes, cookies; all those highly-processed carbs that spike your blood sugar and cause that “crash and burn” syndrome we are all familiar with.
But the best part about it? It’s easy, and you feel terrific, energetic and vital!