Are you using the same nutritional plan from 5 years ago? Are you counting calories and not eating after 6pm? If you are or even if your not, some new research suggests that you may want to reconsider your nutritional protocol. Research done by 5 nutrition and health experts at Harvard University shed new light on nutrition based on a detailed long-term study done on 120,000 individuals who were healthy and not obese at the start of this particular study. The study looked at things in addition to nutrition such as alcohol, sleep, smoking, exercise, and television viewing. Every 2 years, the dentists, nurses, doctors, and veterinarians involved completed questionairres on nutritional protocol, habits, and current weight.
The study showed through an array of factors over four years that the average individual in the study gained 3.35 pound every four years. The old method of eating fewer calories, everything in moderation, and fewer fatty foods is not an effective way of reducing your weight. People should pay closer attention to the kinds of calories you are consuming in order to have any success. The doctors from Harvard feel that there is too much emphasis on trying to find the magic bullet when a variety of factors come into play in order to achieve the desired weight loss results.
The study also showed that as exercise frequency increases the pounds decreased on average by 1. 76 pounds in the four year study. Nutrition is an integral role in this because if you workout and eat poorly, you can still gain weight. Weight gain increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, breast cancer and colon cancer. The study also showed that gradual weight gain of 1 pound per year seemed to be the average, which means in 20 years you can gain 20 pounds. Some of the foods that contribute to weight gain are: potato chips, french fries, sweets, sugar-sweetened drinks, other forms of potatoes, red meats, and butter.
As you can see this is one of the most detailed long-terms studies that has been done so far on average individuals. Nutritional protocol has changed from 10 years ago and the studies show that there is a variety of factors that come into play. If you are struggling with your nutrition, please give us a call 610 334-4120.