NIH & Weight Loss
What Does The Federal Government’s Think About
Weight Loss?
The National Institutes of Health has some interesting ideas
about weight loss and what it takes to shed the pounds. You
will be surprised that some of these ideas conflict with what
you have always heard about in the popular press.
Take for example, you might have heard about how consuming
red meat makes it more difficult for you to lose weight. But
in fact, lean meat can be essential part of a diet. While
red meat, chicken, and pork might contain cholesterol and
saturated fat, they also carry essential minerals such as
iron and zinc. When you are eating meat, be sure that they
are low in fat. You can choose from sirloin tip, round steak,
and flank steak. And also be careful about the portion size.
Dairy products are always generalized as fattening. However,
low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese contain all the nutrients
of whole milk products, and with fewer calories and less fat.
Dairy products are one of the best sources of calcium, protein,
and vitamin D content.
Refering to federal guidelines, children, teenagers, and
senior citizens should have three servings of milk products
each day, while adults age 19 to 49 should have two helpings
daily. A serving refers to a single cup of milk or yogurt,
or 1 ½ ounces of cheese. If you face problems digesting
milk products, you might want to consider lactose-free items.
You may also be able to get your calcium from juice or salmon,
and your vitamin D from juice or cereal.
Besides, the federal government also maintains that becoming
a vegetarian will make you lose weight. But, there are studies
which show that vegetarians do ingest fewer calories than
meat-eaters and usually have lower body mass indexes.
Even though if you are a vegetarian, it does not mean you
can neglect your intake of high-calorie food. Being a vegetarian
also means you will have to find alternatives for sufficient
iron, protein, calcium, and vitamin D, which might otherwise
be missing from your diet. Therefore, you need to carefully
select vegetarian entrees that are not only low-fat, but also
high in nutrition. For example, spinach will give you iron,
broccoli can provide calcium, milk offers vitamin D, eggs
provide vitamin B12, whole grains offer zinc, and eggs give
you protein.
You might have heard about that you should not eat nuts if
you are looking to lose weight. But in fact, a small amount
of nuts can be an ingredient of your weight loss plan. Although
nuts are generally high in fat, but this type of fat is considered
a healthy kind that does not harm the arteries. Nuts will
provide protein, fiber and magnesium as well. However, it
is important that you eat nuts in moderation, which means
consuming only about a third of a cup or less per day.
Federal health officials insist that fasting is not a good
way to lose weight. It is always better to eat regular meals,
although you might opt for smaller meals than you might ordinarily
choose eaten more frequently. Eating right will help you to
kick-start your metabolism, thus enabling you to live through
your day.
So, does the federal government have all the answers when
it comes to weight loss? Probably not. But clearly, the feds
have a great deal of research to support their claims. This
is why you should carefully consider the nutritional information
that comes from federal sources.
The federal government is interested in having a healthy
population but it has nothing to gain by promoting specific
weight loss programs. Therefore, rest assured that information
that you are getting from federal health authorities is the
information you can trust. It could mean a big difference
especially when your personal weight is concerned.
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