I have said for years that eating more may be better for weight loss than eating less. At first, people are a bit shocked to hear this until they realize that I mean eating more food — but still eating fewer calories. How is this possible? Here is a simple example. If you eat an average-sized apple, it would be about 90 calories. If you eat a muffin that is the same size (a large muffin), it could contain as many as 550 calories.
Because of this vast difference in the concentration of calories, you would be better off eating three apples — which would be much more food but still less than half the calories (270 calories). The wide difference in calorie concentration, of course, is because muffins are made of processed food products such as flour, sugar and oil.
Easier Weight Control
The result of eating whole, unprocessed foods such as the apple is that you will feel full faster and remain full longer than if you eat a lot of processed food. This is important because it is much easier to control your weight when you become satisfied longer with fewer calories. A full explanation and table of foods that fit this description are included in The Peace Diet.
Health Benefits
Eating in this way carries a number of health benefits. Of course, we all know that controlling weight helps to reduce the risk of many diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, alzheimers disease and even cancer. It is also important to know that one of the most wellestablished ways to longevity is to restrict calories. By using this approach, controlling calories doesn’t have to feel like the deprivation of eating less food.
New Findings
Eating in this way is beneficial for possibly another very good reason, according to recent scientific research. Hundreds of new research projects are now finding that gut flora, i.e., the microorganisms that live in your intestinal tract, can affect your health dramatically. Research shows that gut flora from a rat that lost weight through a gastric bypass and implanted into an obese rat can cause weight loss in the obese rat without the bypass. This is a possible indication that the change in gut flora is what causes weight loss.
Additional research suggests that even diabetes may be controlled by changing gut flora. In fact, the reason that participants in my health programs lose weight and find their diabetes disappearing may be a result of a change in gut flora induced by a change in diet. This may be the reason why eating more — that is, more whole, unprocessed foods such as apples, vegetables, beans and whole unprocessed grains — is better for you by providing the right fiber and nutrients for healthier gut flora.
WELLNESS CENTER Complimentary & Alternative Medicine
600 Queen St., Ste. C2, Honolulu HI 96813
808-628-8784 | www.drshintani.com
The Peace Diet book, available at www.PeaceDiet.org
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