People seeking weight loss are often after the latest and greatest diet in hopes to shed pounds. Some biotech companies even offer DNA tests to pinpoint the perfect diet for your genetics.
While we all have different health characteristics based on our unique makeup, losing weight might be more about the quality of what you eat than the type of diet, regardless of your genetics.
A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that dieters following either a healthy low-fat diet or a healthy low-carb diet lost on average about the same amount of weight after one year. Dieters were not instructed to count or cut calories, but instead were taught to maximize vegetables and minimize refined flours, added sugars and trans fats while focusing on whole foods that are minimally processed, nutrient-dense and home-prepared.
While technically a low-fat diet could include items such as white rice, juice, and muffins, a low-fat diet that focuses on quality and nutrient-density should emphasize whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables, for example.
Similarly, a healthy low-carb diet would not just highlight foods containing fats and protein like processed meats and butter, but good sources of beneficial fats from avocado, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and grass-fed and pasture-raised animal products.
The participants in the JAMA study were not forced to follow restrictive diets, but instead attended registered dietitian-led courses on how to adhere to their assigned diet type without feeling deprived in addition to receiving guidance on healthy eating.
There was a focus on food choices and eating behaviors and those that reported a positive change in their relationship with food had the most success.
In addition, the researchers found that the genetic differences in fat and carbohydrate metabolism did not predict success with low-fat and low-carb diets. This means that diet quality seems to be more important for weight loss than any potential genetic predisposition.
While the science may have not yet arrived to support DNA driven diets, at least when it comes to losing weight, a meal plan that focuses on consuming nutrient-dense whole foods can certainly help you eat better and even lose weight.
Here are some ways you can build a high quality diet to help shed some pounds without the fuss of counting calories:
• Aim to eat whole grains such as oats, brown rice, quinoa, and 100 percent whole wheat products in place of foods made of refined, processed white flour.
• When choosing packaged foods, select items with fewer ingredients listed on the food label and look for ingredients with familiar names.
• Eat nutrient-dense nuts, nut butters, seeds and beans daily.
• Limit foods and beverages with added sugars.
• Limit processed meats and fried foods.
• Choose whole fruit instead of juice and fruit drinks.
• Avoid saturated fats like margarine, hydrogenated oils and vegetable shortening, which are often found in processed snacks and commercial baked goods.
• Consume foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids like salmon, sardines, avocado, olives and olive oil.
• Balance out your plate with complex carbohydrates from starchy vegetables like beets, carrots, yams and winter squash.
• Opt for pasture-raised and grass-fed animal products, which have been found to have more omega-3 fatty acids and higher levels of antioxidants than conventional meat and dairy.
• Plan ahead to prepare more meals at home using whole foods recipes and nutritious ingredients.
LeeAnn Weintraub, a registered dietitian, provides nutrition counseling and consulting to individuals, families and businesses. She can be reached at RD@halfacup.com.