How Not to Diet: The Groundbreaking Science of Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss by Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

Author:Michael Greger, M.D., FACLM
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Health & Fitness, Diet & Nutrition, Nutrition, Healthy Living, Food Content Guides
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Published: 2019-12-10T05:21:07+00:00

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Decreasing the number of times you consume calories a day, whether from dining, snacking, or drinking soda, juice, or the like, may help with weight control, especially if you’re eating junk. If you’re going to eat processed foods, tack them onto meals rather than having them as between-meal snacks.

The healthiest snacks are fresh fruits and vegetables, of course, but I also enjoy snacking on nori sheets, lentil sprouts, “air-fried” purple sweet potato fries, edamame, and seasoned air-popped popcorn.

The worst snacks, according to national snacking guidelines from around the world, are snacks that are sugary, fatty, or salty.4391 One study found body fat benefits to nut-based snack bars. Compared to what, though? You could tell the study was funded by the nut bar company when researchers felt the need to use as a comparator the likes of Oreo Double Stuf cookies.4392

Tempted by unhealthy foods? There are “choice architecture” methods to help cut down on impulsive snacking. For example, placing healthier foods at eye level in the store or at the beginning of a buffet line may nudge people toward better choices. Similarly, when chocolate candies are left on the desks of office workers, more are eaten than if they are placed just out of reach or in an opaque container.4393 In a large field study at Google headquarters, for instance, the separation of the snack station from the beverage station by less than a dozen feet appeared to cut down snacking rates by about 40 percent. The researchers concluded that employers or even families may be able to reduce snack consumption “easily, cheaply, and without backlash” just by adding mild inconvenience. In the Greger household, I am able to instill maximum inconvenience by just not keeping any junk in the house.

Unable to purge your surroundings? The next time cravings hit, try Tetris. A study entitled “Playing ‘Tetris’ Reduces the Strength, Frequency and Vividness of Naturally Occurring Cravings” found that three minutes of distracting oneself with a video game may help tackle cravings4394—though I imagine playing Candy Crush might be counterproductive.

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