Milk: The Weight Loss Drug

Lose Weight - Grab A GlassIn childhood, we heardthemselves."Broth, soups, and juices, along with
it: Drink a glass of milk at everywhole fruits,
meal. Now TV commercials are touting thevegetables, and grains, are high in fiber and
weight-losswater content,
effects of milk and other dairy products. Canand low in fat and calories. "If you have soup
dairybefore a
actually keep weight under control? How is thatmeal, it helps control hunger and you eat less,"
evenRolls says.
possible?Michael Zemel, PhD, director of the"Low-calorie soup takes the edge off your
Nutrition Institute athunger." Just be
the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, hascareful not to eat rich, cream-based soups, they
publishedcould add
numerous papers on this subject. He outlines hiscalories to your diet, she says.When You Add
latestWater Rich Foods, You Add Volume But Few
research in the January 2003 Journal of Nutrition,CaloriesHow it works: Water dilutes the calories in
mousefood. You can
studies showing the role of calcium in weight gainthen eat more for the same calories. When you
and fatadd
storage.Too many people drop dairy from theirwater-rich blueberries to your breakfast cereal,
diets when they try toor
lose weight, he says. "They're shootingwater-rich eggplant to your lasagna, you add
themselves in thefood volume
foot when they do that. Dairy products containbut few calories, Rolls explains.Grapes have more
literallywater content than raisins. For a
hundreds of compounds that all have a positive100-calorie snack, you can eat more grapes than
effect onraisins.
human health and enhance the fat-burningIt's just that simple.Fat Has Less Water Than
machinery," heAny FoodFat has less water than any food
explains.Milk The Why & How"When we cut dairyelement at 9 calories per
products, we send the body a signal, togram, alcohol is next at 7, followed by protein
make more fat," says Zemel. "When your bodyand
is deprived ofcarbohydrates each at 4, Rolls says.Want More
calcium, it begins conserving calcium. ThatExamples?Consider the difference between
mechanism promptschocolate milk and a milk
your body to produce higher levels of a hormonechocolate bar. A 1 1/2 ounce milk chocolate bar
calledhas 230
calcitriol, and that triggers an increased productioncalories, while an 8-ounce glass of chocolate milk
of fatmade
cells."High levels of calcitriol "tell" fat cells to storewith whole milk has 250 calories. For about the
themselves in the body, he says. This increase insame
calcitriolcalories, you get a portion that is five times
also "tells" fat cells to expand, he says. "Sobigger
you'rethan the chocolate bar.Add more vegetables, and
getting bigger, fatter fat cells. And a lot of big,less pasta and fat, to a pasta
fatdish, and you get more food volume. You see
cells makes for a big, fat person."Extra calcium inthe difference,
your diet suppresses this hormone, he says.and feel satisfied when you eat it, she
Your body breaks down more fat, and fat cellssays.Obese people eat more low-water foods
become leaner,than normal-weight
trimmer. A high-dairy diet can boost weight losspeople, big portions of meats, full-fat milk and
by aboutcheese,
70%.But wait, there's more. "It turns out thatfried eggs, high-fat desserts, one study shows.
milk, cheese, andThey also
yogurt are much more effective than calciumate few high-water foods like salads, fruits, skim
supplements ormilk.Psychological satisfaction is powerful, she says.
calcium-fortified foods," Zemel says. Why? Dairy"We're
productstalking about dietary changes that people can
are a complex collection of compounds. Likesustain. If
phytochemicalsfat content is too low, it doesn't satisfy your
found in fruits and vegetables, there's more thanhunger. If
vitaminsyou don't enjoy foods, you are not in the long
and minerals in dairy products. "They are notrun going to
classicallysustain the eating pattern. That's where people
nutrients, but are recognized as having beneficialgo wrong,
effects."Fat Calories Still Count, But Calcium Willthey go too extreme, so they're on the same
Change Your Bodyold dieting
CompositionDairy isn't a weight-loss miracle, saysroller coaster."Make The Weight Loss SwitchRolls'
Zemel. Caloriestheories are right on
still count. But even if you don't restrict calories,the money, says Hassan. "There's a lot of
takingresearch to back
in more calcium will change your bodythis up. Foods with high water content take
composition. You'relonger to eat,
shifting calories from fat to lean body mass. "Onand they generally leave people feeling fuller.
thePeople feel
scales, you may not see a change. But we'vebetter when their plate is full and their stomach is
seen a loss offull."Her advice:Drink two glasses of water or
body fat," he says."We need to think of milk asother non-calorie beverage
more than a calcium-deliverybefore a meal.At a restaurant, either eat a small
vehicle," he says. "It's more than just calcium. It'ssalad or broth-based
soup.At home, fill up half the plate with
high-quality protein, a collection of amino acidsvegetables, one-fourth
thatwith a starch, and one-fourth with protein -- so
provides positive effects on skeleton, muscle,the
and fat."Zemel's research holds water, says Laradominant part is vegetables. If you want
Hassan, MS, aseconds, veggies
nutritionist with the Cooper Clinic in Dallas. Indeed,would be the choice.Before going to a restaurant,
eat a high-volume, low-calorie
"studies are showing that high calcium increasessnack, fat-free milk, a piece of fruit, a cup of
fatlight
oxidation or fat burning, and that results inyogurt. "You won't be famished, so you won't
greater fateat a whole
loss, and weight loss if it's a reduced-caloriebasket of chips or bread."If you get the evening
diet.".She cites one study in which obese menmunchies, drink bouillon, hot tea,
consumed two cups ofor light cocoa, or have two cups strawberries
low-fat yogurt a day, and made no otherwith light
changes in theircool whip. "It's a great dessert and only 100
diet. They lost an average of 11 pounds over thecalories,"
course of aHassan says.Tea is calorie-free, has less caffeine
year.Water Heavy Foods Tell Your Brain You'rethan coffee, and
FullTomato juice, tomato soup, vegetable soup,is a great source of antioxidants. However, tea
water-heavy foodswon't
like these seem to trigger receptors in thedo much to help weight loss, Hassan tells
stomach thatWebMD. "Sip
tell the brain you're sufficiently fed, says Barbaratea to get full, but I would never tell someone it
Rolls,would
PhD, a professor at Pennsylvania Stateboost metabolism."The bottom line for weight
University and authorloss, follow a reduced-calorie,
of The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan: Feel Fullhealthy eating plan, get regular exercise, and do
on Fewerweight
Calories.In fact, satiety, that "I'm full" feeling, istraining to increase lean body mass and speed up
the secretmetabolism,
ingredient to weight management. "People don'tshe says.Original URL: may reprint or publish this
like to denyarticle free of charge as
themselves. They feel a sense of failure whenlong as the bylines are included.
they deprive