This easy food swap can help slow weight gain, new study suggests
A new study found replacing one type of carbs with another and cutting down on animal-based proteins and fats may help reduce weight gain in healthy adults.
Eating fewer carbohydrates can slow weight gain over time. But it’s not enough to just cut back on carbs.
An analysis of data from nearly 125,000 healthy adults revealed that replacing refined carbs — white bread, white rice or sugary cereals —with whole grain foods and cutting back on animal-based fats and proteins appeared to lessen the amount of weight people gained over a four-year period, according to the report published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open.
“When it comes to a low-carbohydrate diet, quality is paramount,” said the study’s senior author, Dr. Qi Sun, an associate professor in the departments of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “The things people need to pay attention to are high-quality carbohydrates.”
It’s best to stay away from refined grains, like white flour, red and processed meats and saturated fats, Sun said.
The best animal protein would be fish, and then poultry, he said.
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