Jeff Walzer's List: Nutrition

• - Eating Well - MSNBC.com - Jeff Walzer on 2008-03-22

• Calorie for calorie, junk foods not only cost less than fruits and vegetables, but junk food prices also are less likely to rise as a result of inflation.
• Energy-dense munchies cost on average $1.76 per 1,000 calories, compared with $18.16 per 1,000 calories for low-energy but nutritious foods.
• The survey also showed that low-calorie foods were more likely to increase in price, surging 19.5 percent over the two-year study period. High-calorie foods remained a relative bargain, dropping in price by 1.8 percent.
• the data show that it’s easier for low-income people to sustain themselves on junk food rather than fruits and vegetables

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• Their measurements have shown that heat losses from metabolizing protein are greater than losses from metabolizing fat or carbohydrate. That is, we burn more calories while metabolizing protein than while metabolizing the other two so-called macronutrients. This observation suggests that our bodies might use calories from diets higher in protein less efficiently, resulting in less fat storage or greater weight loss than from a similar number of calories consumed in diets high in fats or carbs.
• Taking a different approach, a 2012 study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that the body may indeed use calories from low-carb diets less efficiently than those from low-fat diets, with greater weight loss as a result.
• Most studies that find significant differences in weight loss in people eating different proportions of protein, fat, or carbs rarely last more than six months. Longer-term studies of a year or more seldom show clear advantages of low-carb diets.
• As a result, most scientific reviews conclude that a diet of any composition will lead to weight loss if it reduces calories sufficiently.
• From our reading of the research, we conclude that, while the precise nature of the relationship between diet composition and weight maintenance needs more research, the number of calories consumed relative to those expended matters more to weight loss than where the calories come from. To lose weight, eat less; it works every time
• One point is clear: Larger portions have more calories. The easiest way to prevent weight gain is to eat less by choosing smaller portions, fewer snacks, and healthier meals in general. It also helps to be physically active and to monitor weight status with regular weighing. Until research convinces us otherwise, we believe a calorie is a calorie.

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