For decades we’ve been told to eat a wide array of foods for good health. Learn why this advice may backfire when it comes to your weight.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
The Claim: You should eat a variety of foods.
It’s been standard advice for decades: eat a variety of foods for good health. The idea is that by consuming lots of different of foods, we’re more likely to get all the nutrients we need. But expanded options may also contribute to expanding waistlines.
The abundance of available food means that nutrient deficiencies are much less common now than they were a century ago, when the recommendation to eat a varied diet was first introduced.
So the advice is less relevant today.
A review of the evidence by the American Heart Association concluded that eating a wider array of foods provides “no benefit to diet healthfulness.”
If anything, including more foods in your diet can lead to overeating. Think of a buffet… having lots of appealing options available to you is likely to increase your appetite and prompt you to eat more.
Research suggests that limiting the variety of foods may have the opposite effect and help with weight control.
A study of people who’ve lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off long-term found that they tend to consume a relatively narrow selection of foods.
That doesn’t mean your meals have to be boring, though. You can include a variety of healthy foods, like veggies, fruits, fish, and beans.
Keep choices of less healthy items, like sweets, fried foods, and red meat, to a minimum.
In other words, consume a variety of certain foods. That way, you can get enough of what you need… while reducing the temptation to overeat what you don’t need… all without sacrificing the pleasure of eating.
For more on weight loss, check out my book Supersized Lies, which reveals why standard advice often fails and what actually works to keep weight off.
Helping you be a healthy skeptic, I’m Robert Davis.