What you Eat is more Important than how much you Eat

This short article written by Dr. Gabe Mirkin tells you how to keep the weight from creeping up over the years. Eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and yogurts won’t make you gain. But eating the rest of the foods that many of us eat will. Take a look at the article – at least the areas that I have in blue….Ellen
What You Eat Is More Important than How Much You Eat
A study From Harvard School of Public Health shows that
telling overweight people to “eat less and exercise more” rarely
helps them lose weight (New England Journal of Medicine, June 23,
2011). That encourages them to eat any foods they want and, as
they age, they continue to gain weight which is associated with
increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, strokes, breast
cancer, colon cancer, and premature death.
120,877 healthy, non-obese women and men were followed for
20 years. The study shows which foods and lifestyle factors
should be avoided to prevent an average weight gain of almost 17
pounds in 20 years. If you eat the wrong foods, you can gain
weight even if you exercise. Small changes in eating and
exercising can prevent this weight gain. Those who were overweight
at the start of the study gained the most weight over the study
time.
STUDY SURPRISES: Weight gain is not associated with eating
yogurt, nuts, or peanut butter. Yogurt appears to contain
bacteria that cause the body to produce hormones that make you
less hungry. Nuts contain primarily monounsaturated fats that are
not associated with increased risk for weight gain.
FOODS THAT CAUSED THE MOST WEIGHT GAIN:
*French fries (2 lbs per four-year period)
*potato chips (1.69 lbs)
*potatoes (1.28 lbs)
*other forms of potatoes (0.57 lb)
*sugar-sweetened beverages (1 lb)
*red meats (0.95 lb)
*processed meats (0.93 lb)
*refined grains (0.39 lb)
*sweets and desserts (0.41 lb)
*other fried foods (0.32 lb)
*fruit juice (0.31 lb)
*butter (0.3 lb)
FOODS THAT CAUSED THE MOST WEIGHT LOSS:
*vegetables (-0.22 lb per four-year period),
*whole grains (-0.37 lb)
*fruits (-0.49 lb)
*nuts (-0.57 lb)
*yogurt (-0.82 lb).
LIFESTYLE FACTORS: In addition to diet, the study shows
that you should exercise daily, sleep 6 to 8 hours a day, restrict
television watching, avoid smoking and do not take more than one
drink a day.