And the winner is…

You’ve heard me say it over and over again. That you can lose weight without suffering. Without denying yourself the joy of eating delicious, decadent foods. Sizzling steaks, juicy burgers, gooey cheese, succulent melons, creamy avocadoes–even rich, dark chocolate.

Food the way Mother Nature intended it to be. Delicious. Satisfying. And minimally processed.

It’s the cornerstone of my New Hamptons Health Miracle. And it’s how my patients turn their diabetes around. How they lose weight. And how they keep it off.

And now, a major new study published a couple of weeks ago in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association supports my years of personal and clinical experience and research.

This study involved 21 overweight and obese young adults recruited from the Boston area. Researchers wanted to determine how three common diets affect a person’s ability to lose weight and keep it off.

• A low-fat diet, with 60% of calories coming from carbohydrates, 20% from fat, 20% from protein. The carbs were “high-glycemic.” In other words, starchy foods like potatoes, bagels, white bread, and white rice.
• A low-glycemic-index diet, with 40% carbs (from fresh vegetables, fruits, and whole grains), 40% fat, and 20% protein.
• A strict low-carb diet, with just 10% of calories from carbs, 30% from protein, and 60% percent fat

In the end, the low-fat diet had the worst results. With the lowest energy expenditure (a.k.a. calorie burn). And increased levels of dangerous triglycerides.

The low-carb diet had the best energy expenditure. When the volunteers followed it, they burned 300 more calories per day, compared to the low-fat diet. However, there were some significant downsides to this super-strict carb-cutting approach. The volunteers had higher levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. And they also had higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker for inflammation that increases risk of heart disease and diabetes.

But the low-glycemic-index diet offered the “best of both worlds.” It didn’t have any of the negative effects of the strict low-carb diet. And it didn’t force volunteers to banish carbs from their diet entirely. Plus, it helped volunteers burn 150 more calories a day than the low-fat diet.

That’s right, the volunteers burned 150 extra calories a day. That’s the equivalent of a 30-minute workout–without the workout! Just by eating the right mix of foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables. Lean protein. And healthy fats.

Sound familiar?

Folks, this is a clear victory for my New Hamptons Health Miracle! If you’re not already following it, there’s no better time to start.

You’ll never suffer. Never be hungry. And, most importantly, never feel deprived.

Source:
“Effects of Dietary Composition on Energy Expenditure During Weight-Loss Maintenance,” JAMA 2012; 307(24):2627-34