Disease Proof : Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman

Guess what! Fad diets don’t cut it. A new study in yesterday’s New England Journal of Medicine showed gimmick diets, such as high-protein, low-carb and low-fat, aren’t as good as simply cutting calories. The participants, 811 overweight adults, were randomly assigned a diet and each person was encouraged to cut calories, exercise 90 minutes a week, keep a food diary and meet with a nutrition counselor. At the end of the study, no diet came out ahead, people lost an average of 13 pounds over six months, but all groups gained back their weight after a year; the Associated Press reports.

Quick, let’s break it down. Low-carb is bad, too much cancer and heart disease-promoting saturated fat. Plus, a recent study showed low-carb diets make you dopey. High-protein is equally stupid. According to Dr. Fuhrman these fat or meat-centered diets are unquestionably associated with obesity, not weight-loss. And the low-fat diet, as most Americans know it, is what made us all fat in the first place.

Here’s a better choice—coincidently, it jives with the new study—Dr. Fuhrman’s nutrient-dense diet, i.e. lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and beans, makes it easy to maintain a healthy bodyweight, specifically green veggies. Green vegetables are packed with fiber and low in calories, meaning you can eat lots of them, fill your stomach quickly and still lose weight. How’s that for a sale pitch!

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I don’t like the Fantastic Four. They’re too wimpy for me. I’m a Batman guy. So it didn’t surprise me when the Human Torch, aka Chris Evans, star of the new movie Push, quit being veggie after his friends said he was turning green. Evans, who’s normally very pale, said he went vegetarian because a girlfriend convinced him it was the way to go, but soon after they broke up, plus the razzing of friends, he went back to burgers; via Ecorazzi.

Sparky also complained he was getting too skinny. But he was probably eating a lot of junk. Just not eating meat, doesn’t make your diet is healthy. Vegetarian junk foods, like processed soy meats and sweets, aren’t good. As for the color change, if you eat a lot of veggies you may get a little yellow, due to beta-carotene, but green? I think not.

Now, Batman star Christian Bale might be hot-tempered and a tiny bit crazy, but the dude’s ripped, not green and vegetarian. So man up flame boy!

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In 2007, a study showed people eat until they’re full and portioning food does not affect calorie intake. And now, new research in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association claims consumers associate portion sizes with daily nutrient requirements and not the appropriate amount of food to eat. Among the participants, 33 normal weight people given a randomized meal ranging in size, the portion of food had no impact on fullness or how much total food participants ate. Leading researchers to believe better nutrient labeling would be more helpful to consumers than portion sizes; via FoodNavigator.

Don’t worry about portions. Fruits and vegetables are loaded with nutrients, but they’re also packed with fiber! And high-fiber foods, like spinach and beans, are low in calories, eating them fills you up quickly, meaning you can eat a lot and still lose weight.

Sure beats plates and Tupperware that tell you how much to eat! Yes, very stupid.

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