What are 6 foods that prevent obesity
How to prevent obesity
Doctors define obesity as excessive or abnormal fat accumulation that may harm health. Ways to help prevent obesity can include maintaining lifestyle factors such as a balanced diet, physical activity, and getting enough sleep.
Obesity may affect someones health by increasing the risk of conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. A healthcare professional may diagnose a person with obesity if they have a body mass index (BMI) of
In the United States, almost
A person may be able to prevent obesity if they do not consume more calories, or energy, than they are using by maintaining healthy eating behaviors and regular physical activity. However, other factors can influence energy use, including stress and sleep quality.
State and local strategies are
This article discusses several lifestyle habits that may help prevent obesity and when someone should speak with a doctor.
A healthy, balanced diet is
The
The guidelines also recommend limiting the following:
A person should speak with a doctor before making significant changes to their diet.
Children and adolescents should participate in at least
Recommendations for adults are either of the following:
- minimum of 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week
- minimum of 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week
People should also aim to participate in muscle-strengthening activities of moderate or greater intensity and thatinvolve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week for additional health benefits.
A person should speak with a healthcare professional about how to exercise safely.
Maintaining a moderate weight
A person can speak with a doctor about how to safely and effectively maintain a moderate weight. A healthcare professional may recommend keeping a food and exercise journal when establishing a routine.
Learn about ways to assess a persons weight.
Each individual responds to stress differently, but evidence suggests that stress
For example, the stress hormone cortisol can cause white adipose (fat) tissues to redistribute to the abdomen and increase a persons appetite for energy-dense comfort foods.
Learn more about emotional eating.
Not getting enough sleep
Recommendations for
- 1013 hours for children who are 35 years old, including naps
- 912 hours for children who are 612 years old
- 810 hours for adolescents who are 1318 years old
- 7 hours or more for adults who are 1860 years old
A person
- avoiding caffeine, large meals, and alcohol before going to bed
- exercising during the day
- ensuring the bedroom is quiet, relaxing, dark, and a comfortable temperature
- avoiding looking at screens, such as TVs, computers, and smartphones, before sleeping and removing these devices from the bedroom if necessary
- establishing a consistent sleep routine, going to bed at the same time each night and getting up at the same time each morning, even at weekends
Learn more about why sleep is essential for health.
People should aim to consult a healthcare professional
A doctor can also advise someone if they think any lifestyle changes or other treatments, such as weight loss medications, are necessary.
A person should speak with a doctor if they are planning to lose weight to make sure they are doing so safely.
Learn about ways to lose weight safely.
Obesity occurs when unusual or excessive levels of fat accumulate, which may cause health risks.
People may help prevent obesity by making certain lifestyle choices. For example, following a healthy, balanced diet, managing stress, and participating in regular physical activity.
It is best for a person to speak with a doctor if they are planning to lose weight to ensure they do so safely.
Food and Diet
Beyond Willpower: Diet Quality and Quantity Matter
Its no secret that the amount of calories people eat and drink has a direct impact on their weight: Consume the same number of calories that the body burns over time, and weight stays stable. Consume more than the body burns, weight goes up. Less, weight goes down. But what about the type of calories: Does it matter whether they come from specific nutrients-fat, protein, or carbohydrate? Specific foods-whole grains or potato chips? Specific diets-the Mediterranean diet or the Twinkie diet? And what about when or where people consume their calories: Does eating breakfast make it easier to control weight? Does eating at fast-food restaurants make it harder?
Theres ample research on foods and diet patterns that protect against heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. The good news is that many of the foods that help prevent disease also seem to help with weight control-foods like whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. And many of the foods that increase disease risk-chief among them, refined grains and sugary drinks-are also factors in weight gain.Conventional wisdom says that since a calorie is a calorie, regardless of its source, the best advice for weight control is simply to eat less and exercise more. Yet emerging research suggests that some foods and eating patterns may make it easier to keep calories in check, while others may make people more likely to overeat.
This article briefly reviews the research on dietary intake and weight control, highlighting diet strategies that also help prevent chronic disease.
Macronutrients and Weight: Do Carbs, Protein, or Fat Matter?
When people eat controlled diets in laboratory studies, the percentage of calories from fat, protein, and carbohydrate do not seem to matter for weight loss. In studies where people can freely choose what they eat, there may be some benefits to a higher protein, lower carbohydrate approach. For chronic disease prevention, though, the quality and food sources of these nutrients matters more than their relative quantity in the diet. And the latest research suggests that the same diet quality message applies for weight control.
Dietary Fat and Weight
Low-fat diets have long been touted as the key to a healthy weight and to good health. But the evidence just isnt there: Over the past 30 years in the U.S., the percentage of calories from fat in peoples diets has gone down, but obesity rates have skyrocketed. (1,2) Carefully conducted clinical trials have found that following a low-fat diet does not make it any easier to lose weight than following a moderate- or high-fat diet. In fact, study volunteers who follow moderate- or high-fat diets lose just as much weight, and in some studies a bit more, as those who follow low-fat diets. (3,4) And when it comes to disease prevention, low-fat diets dont appear to offer any special benefits. (5)
Part of the problem with low-fat diets is that they are often high in carbohydrate, especially from rapidly digested sources, such as white bread and white rice. And diets high in such foods increase the risk of weight gain, diabetes, and heart disease. (See Carbohydrates and Weight, below.)
For good health, the type of fat people eat is far more important that the amount (see box), and theres some evidence that the same may be true for weight control. (69) In the Nurses Health Study, for example, which followed 42,000 middle-age and older women for eight years, increased consumption of unhealthy fats-trans fats, especially, but also saturated fats-was linked to weight gain, but increased consumption of healthy fats-monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat-was not. (6)
Protein and Weight
Read more about healthy proteins on The Nutrition SourceHigher protein diets seem to have some advantages for weight loss, though more so in short-term trials; in longer term studies, high-protein diets seem to perform equally well as other types of diets. (3,4) High-protein diets tend to be low in carbohydrate and high in fat, so it is difficult to tease apart the benefits of eating lots of protein from those of eating more fat or less carbohydrate. But there are a few reasons why eating a higher percentage of calories from protein may help with weight control:
- More satiety: People tend to feel fuller, on fewer calories, after eating protein than they do after eating carbohydrate or fat. (10)
- Greater thermic effect: It takes more energy to metabolize and store protein than other macronutrients, and this may help people increase the energy they burn each day. (10,11)
- Improved body composition: Protein seems to help people hang on to lean muscle during weight loss, and this, too, can help boost the energy-burned side of the energy balance equation. (11)
Higher protein, lower carbohydrate diets improve blood lipid profiles and other metabolic markers, so they may help prevent heart disease and diabetes. (4,12,13) But some high-protein foods are healthier than others: High intakes of red meat and processed meat are associated with an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and colon cancer. (1416)
Replacing red and processed meat with nuts, beans, fish, or poultry seems to lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes. (14,16) And this diet strategy may help with weight control, too, according to a recent study from the Harvard School of Public Health. Researchers tracked the diet and lifestyle habits of 120,000 men and women for up to 20 years, looking at how small changes contributed to weight gain over time. (9) People who ate more red and processed meat over the course of the study gained more weight-about a pound extra every four years. People who ate more nuts over the course of the study gained less weight-about a half pound less every four years.
Carbohydrates and Weight
Lower carbohydrate, higher protein diets may have some weight loss advantages in the short term. (3,4) Yet when it comes to preventing weight gain and chronic disease, carbohydrate quality is much more important than carbohydrate quantity.
Milled, refined grains and the foods made with them-white rice, white bread, white pasta, processed breakfast cereals, and the like-are rich in rapidly digested carbohydrate. So are potatoes and sugary drinks. The scientific term for this is that they have a high glycemic index and glycemic load. Such foods cause fast and furious increases in blood sugar and insulin that, in the short term, can cause hunger to spike and can lead to overeating-and over the long term, increase the risk of weight gain, diabetes, and heart disease. (1719)
For example, in the diet and lifestyle change study, people who increased their consumption of French fries, potatoes and potato chips, sugary drinks, and refined grains gained more weight over time-an extra 3.4, 1.3, 1.0, and 0.6 pounds every four years, respectively. (9) People who decreased their intake of these foods gained less weight.
Specific Foods that Make It Easier or Harder to Control Weight
Theres growing evidence that specific food choices may help with weight control. The good news is that many of the foods that are beneficial for weight control also help prevent heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. Conversely, foods and drinks that contribute to weight gainchief among them, refined grains and sugary drinksalso contribute to chronic disease.
Whole Grains, Fruits and Vegetables, and Weight
Whole grains-whole wheat, brown rice, barley, and the like, especially in their less-processed forms-are digested more slowly than refined grains. So they have a gentler effect on blood sugar and insulin, which may help keep hunger at bay. The same is true for most vegetables and fruits. These slow carb foods have bountiful benefits for disease prevention, and theres also evidence that they can help prevent weight gain.
The weight control evidence is stronger for whole grains than it is for fruits and vegetables. (2022) The most recent support comes from the Harvard School of Public Health diet and lifestyle change study: People who increased their intake of whole grains, whole fruits (not fruit juice), and vegetables over the course of the 20-year study gained less weight-0.4, 0.5, and 0.2 pounds less every four years, respectively. (9)
Of course, the calories from whole grains, whole fruits, and vegetables dont disappear. Whats likely happening is that when people increase their intake of these foods, they cut back on calories from other foods. Fiber may be responsible for these foods weight control benefits, since fiber slows digestion, helping to curb hunger. Fruits and vegetables are also high in water, which may help people feel fuller on fewer calories.
Nuts and Weight
Read more about nuts on The Nutrition Source
Nuts pack a lot of calories into a small package and are high in fat, so they were once considered taboo for dieters. As it turns out, studies find that eating nuts does not lead to weight gain and may instead help with weight control, perhaps because nuts are rich in protein and fiber, both of which may help people feel fuller and less hungry. (9,2325) People who regularly eat nuts are less likely to have heart attacks or die from heart disease than those who rarely eat them, which is another reason to include nuts in a healthy diet. (19)
Dairy and Weight
The U.S. dairy industry has aggressively promoted the weight-loss benefits of milk and other dairy products, based largely on findings from short-term studies it has funded. (26,27) But a recent review of nearly 50 randomized trials finds little evidence that high dairy or calcium intakes help with weight loss. (28) Similarly, most long-term follow-up studies have not found that dairy or calcium protect against weight gain, (2932) and one study in adolescents found high milk intakes to be associated with increased body mass index. (33)
One exception is the recent dietary and lifestyle change study from the Harvard School of Public Health, which found that people who increased their yogurt intake gained less weight; increases in milk and cheese intake, however, did not appear to promote weight loss or gain. (9) Its possible that the beneficial bacteria in yogurt may influence weight control, but more research is needed.
Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Weight
Theres convincing evidence that sugary drinks increase the risk of weight gain, obesity, and diabetes: (3436) A systematic review and meta-analysis of 88 studies found clear associations of soft drink intake with increased caloric intake and body weight. (34) In children and adolescents, a more recent meta analysis estimates that for every additional 12-ounce serving of sugary beverage consumed each day, body mass index increases by 0.08 units. (35) Another meta analysis finds that adults who regularly drink sugared beverages have a 26 percent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than people who rarely drink sugared beverages. (36) Emerging evidence also suggests that high sugary beverage intake increases the risk of heart disease. (37)
Like refined grains and potatoes, sugary beverages are high in rapidly-digested carbohydrate. (See Carbohydrates and Weight, above.) Research suggests that when that carbohydrate is delivered in liquid form, rather than solid form, it is not as satiating, and people dont eat less to compensate for the extra calories. (38)
These findings on sugary drinks are alarming, given that children and adults are drinking ever-larger quantities of them: In the U.S., sugared beverages made up about 4 percent of daily calorie intake in the 1970s, but by 2001, represented about 9 percent of calories. (36) The most recent data find that on any given day, half of Americans consume some type of sugared beverage, 25 percent consume at least 200 calories from sugared drinks, and 5 percent of consume at least 567 calories-the equivalent of four cans of sugary soda. (39)
The good news is that studies in children and adults have also shown that cutting back on sugary drinks can lead to weight loss. (40,41) Sugary drinks have become an important target for obesity prevention efforts, prompting discussions of policy initiatives such as taxing soda. (42)
Fruit Juice and Weight
Read more on The Nutrition Source about the amount of sugar in soda, fruit juice, sports drinks, and energy drinks, and download the How Sweet Is It? guide to healthier beverages
Its important to note that fruit juices are not a better option for weight control than sugar-sweetened beverages. Ounce for ounce, fruit juices-even those that are 100 percent fruit juice, with no added sugar- are as high in sugar and calories as sugary sodas. So its no surprise that a recent Harvard School of Public Health study, which tracked the diet and lifestyle habits of 120,000 men and women for up to 20 years, found that people who increased their intake of fruit juice gained more weight over time than people who did not. (9) Pediatricians and public health advocates recommend that children and adults limit fruit juice to just a small glass a day, if they consume it at all.
Alcohol and Weight
Read more about alcohol on The Nutrition Source
Even though most alcoholic beverages have more calories per ounce than sugar-sweetened beverages, theres no clear-cut evidence that moderate drinking contributes to weight gain. While the recent diet and lifestyle change study found that people who increased their alcohol intake gained more weight over time, the findings varied by type of alcohol. (9) In most previous prospective studies, there was no difference in weight gain over time between light-to-moderate drinkers and nondrinkers, or the light-to-moderate drinkers gained less weight than nondrinkers. (4347)
Diet Patterns, Portion Size, and Weight
People dont eat nutrients or foods in isolation. They eat meals that fall into an overall eating pattern, and researchers have begun exploring whether particular diet or meal patterns help with weight control or contribute to weight gain. Portion sizes have also increased dramatically over the past three decades, as has consumption of fast food-U.S. children, for example, consume a greater percentage of calories from fast food than they do from school food (48)-and these trends are also thought to be contributors to the obesity epidemic.
Dietary Patterns and Weight
So-called prudent dietary patterns-diets that feature whole grains, vegetables, and fruits-seem to protect against weight gain, whereas Western-style dietary patterns-with more red meat or processed meat, sugared drinks, sweets, refined carbohydrates, or potatoes-have been linked to obesity. (4952) The Western-style dietary pattern is also linked to increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions.
Following a Mediterranean-style diet, well-documented to protect against chronic disease, (53) appears to be promising for weight control, too. The traditional Mediterranean-style diet is higher in fat (about 40 percent of calories) than the typical American diet (34 percent of calories (54)), but most of the fat comes from olive oil and other plant sources. The diet is also rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, and fish. A 2008 systematic review found that in most (but not all) studies, people who followed a Mediterranean-style diet had lower rates of obesity or more weight loss. (55) There is no single Mediterranean diet, however, and studies often use different definitions, so more research is needed.
Breakfast, Meal Frequency, Snacking, and Weight
There is some evidence that skipping breakfast increases the risk of weight gain and obesity, though the evidence is stronger in children, especially teens, than it is in adults. (56) Meal frequency and snacking have increased over the past 30 years in the U.S. (57)-on average, children get 27 percent of their daily calories from snacks, primarily from desserts and sugary drinks, and increasingly from salty snacks and candy. But there have been conflicting findings on the relationship between meal frequency, snacking, and weight control, and more research is needed. (56)
Portion Sizes and Weight
Since the 1970s, portion sizes have increased both for food eaten at home and for food eaten away from home, in adults and children. (58,59) Short-term studies clearly demonstrate that when people are served larger portions, they eat more. One study, for example, gave moviegoers containers of stale popcorn in either large or medium-sized buckets; people reported that they did not like the taste of the popcorn-and even so, those who received large containers ate about 30 percent more popcorn than those who received medium-sized containers. (60) Another study showed that people given larger beverages tended to drink significantly more, but did not decrease their subsequent food consumption . (67) An additional study provided evidence that when provided with larger portion sizes, people tended to eat more, with no decrease in later food intake. (68) There is an intuitive appeal to the idea that portion sizes increase obesity, but long-term prospective studies would help to strengthen this hypothesis.
Fast Food and Weight
Fast food is known for its large portions, low prices, high palatability, and high sugar content, and theres evidence from studies in teens and adults that frequent fast-food consumption contributes to overeating and weight gain. (6166) The CARDIA study, for example, followed 3,000 young adults for 13 years. People who had higher fast-food-intake levels at the start of the study weighed an average of about 13 pounds more than people who had the lowest fast-food-intake levels. They also had larger waist circumferences and greater increases in triglycercides, and double the odds of developing metabolic syndrome. (62) More research is needed to tease apart the effect of eating fast food itself from the effect of the neighborhood people live in, or other individual traits that may make people more likely to eat fast food.
The Bottom Line: Healthy Diet Can Prevent Weight Gain and Chronic Disease
Weight gain in adulthood is often gradual, about a pound a year (9)-too slow of a gain for most people to notice, but one that can add up, over time, to a weighty personal and public health problem. Theres increasing evidence that the same healthful food choices and diet patterns that help prevent heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions may also help to prevent weight gain:
- Choose minimally processed, whole foods-whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, healthful sources of protein (fish, poultry, beans), and plant oils.
- Limit sugared beverages, refined grains, potatoes, red and processed meats, and other highly processed foods, such as fast food.
Though the contribution of any one diet change to weight control may be small, together, the changes could add up to a considerable effect, over time and across the whole society. (9) Since peoples food choices are shaped by their surroundings, its imperative for governments to promote policy and environmental changes that make healthy foods more accessible and decrease the availability and marketing of unhealthful foods.
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