Stuffed after the salad? Load up to lose weight

MSNBC.com's Nutrition Notes is provided by the American Institute for Cancer Research, which has been pushing the New American Plate program for weight control and better health:

...two extensive reviews of research published last year reconfirm that a plant-based diet also helps people manage their weight. The reason seems to be relatively simple: Vegetables and fruit are low energy-density foods.

That is, vegetables and fruits contain a high percentage of water and fiber per ounce that tend to fill you up. They also have fewer calories per ounce than other foods. Therefore, they tend to satisfy your appetite before you’ve consumed many calories.

“So eating more vegetables and fruits to reduce cancer risk can also help manage your weight. The key to making a plant-based diet work for weight loss is substituting plant foods for foods with higher energy density such as fats,” [AICR's Melanie] Polk said.

Big surprise. Of course, the AICR reaches into the mainstream, recommending a gradual decline in meat and/or dairy consumption, eventually sharing less than 1/3 of one's dinner plate with a high-protein, high-fat animal product. Still, the press release I linked mentions a predominantly plant-based diet -- in conjunction with physical activity and reduced portion sizes -- for maximum health.

I love that this information was slipped into an article about starter salads helping people lose weight because it left them with less room to fill up on meat and other meal items, including dessert. It's like a primer for flexitarianism on the way to vegetarianism.

Tags: health | nutrition