Vegan for Life - Jack Norris [74]
FAT AND WEIGHT CONTROL
Ounce for ounce, fat has twice the calories of protein or carbohydrate. Advocates of very low-fat diets note that the less fat you eat, the fewer calories you are likely to consume and the slimmer you will stay. Some people find that adopting a low-fat diet helps them lose weight without having to count calories or measure food intake. But for long-term weight control, there is evidence that including some higher fat foods in menu plans is helpful. When researchers compare weight loss on diets with different levels of fat, some subjects feel that the higher-fat diets are more satisfying.15 Eating a little bit of fat—usually in the form of nuts or nut butter—can make it easier to stick to a lower-calorie diet over the long-term.
In the Nurses’ Health Study, nuts in particular seemed to help prevent weight gain. Over an eight-year period, women who ate nuts two or three times a week gained less weight than those who rarely ate nuts, even when they had similar calorie intakes.16
Nuts are unique foods because they are high in protein, fiber, and fat. Their consumption may give a boost to the enhanced metabolism that normally occurs after a meal.17 And whole nuts are hard to chew completely, which might result in incomplete digestion and fewer calories absorbed. This may help explain why peanut butter doesn’t seem to have the same benefits as whole nuts for weight control.
We are not suggesting a free-for-all when it comes to fat intake. It’s definitely hard to keep calorie intake low or moderate if you are dousing your food with oil. But including some plant fat, especially monounsaturated fat, in a vegan diet may have advantages for controlling chronic disease and for weight loss compared with eliminating all fats.
PLANNING VEGAN DIETS FOR WEIGHT LOSS
There is no great secret about how to lose weight: Eat less, exercise more. It’s hardly surprising that Americans are more overweight than ever since studies of eating habits show that we consume more calories than we did a decade ago. Americans are also less physically active than in times past.
While calories are the real issue in weight loss and gain, where you get those calories may affect your dieting success. Good food choices can help control hunger, making it easier to lose weight and keep the weight off. Use the food guide in Chapter 7 to plan your daily intake. Most people need more than the 1,600 calories provided by the minimum number of servings in the food guide, so add servings from any of the groups to achieve a calorie intake that is comfortable for you and contributes to a slow, steady weight loss. As you make menu choices, keep the following suggestions in mind:
• Find that happy balance between too much and too little fat. Some people have success with weight loss by consuming less fat while others find that including some fat in their meals makes the diet more satisfying and helps with long-term weight control. A good goal is 22 to 27 grams of fat for every 1,000 calories you consume. See Chapter 5 for a quick guide to the amount of fat in different plant foods.
• Get enough protein. There is evidence that protein is better at preventing hunger than either carbohydrate or fat—that is, protein can help you feel satisfied with fewer calories. Boosting protein intake during a weight-loss program can also help preserve muscle tissue so that the body burns more fat and less muscle. Protein-rich plant foods like legumes, soy products, and nuts represent the best of all worlds. They are high in protein but also rich in many protective compounds like fiber and phytochemicals. They also happen to have a low glycemic index.
• Choose foods with a low glycemic index. The easiest way to do this is to concentrate on eating whole, unrefined plant foods. It doesn’t mean avoiding all foods that contain carbohydrate.
• Eat lots of vegetables and fresh fruits to fill your stomach with nutrients and fiber without resorting to empty or excess calories.
SAMPLE MENUS
Low GI, Moderate Fat Menu: 1,500