How to really stay slender

According to a recent American Journal of Clinical Nutrition review, women whose diets are made up of nutrient-dense foods tend to both eat and weigh less than others. Along similar lines, a new Brown University study followed two groups of volunteers—one eating exceptionally nutrient-rich meals and the other taking in something closer to what Americans consume on average. Here again, those getting plenty of vitamins and minerals had a healthier weight and struggled less with cravings.

What’s happening, says Andrew Drewnowski, the University of Washington researcher behind the first paper, is that by concentrating on restrictions, the vast majority of dietary guidelines are encouraging us to forget what food is for: to nourish our bodies. Our systems need nutrients to keep going, and if what we’re getting isn’t enough, our hunger alarm will keep ringing—regardless of how many calories we eat.

Indeed, yet a third study in the journal Nutrition and Metabolism found that dieting women who were given vitamin supplements actually reduced the amount of calories, carbohydrates, and fats they consumed, while those taking a placebo pill did not.

Over the past few months, writers have been cranking out more and more articles about people abandoning restrictive diets in favor of eating what they want, the idea being that food taboos drive us to eat copiously (full disclosure, I’ve covered it, too).

This new data, I think, adds an important nuance to the picture: It’s not just a question of whether or not to opt out of certain foods, there’s also a value to actively opting in. In other words, substituting, say, low-fat yogurt for ice cream could be an even better bet than eating nothing at all. More interesting still, grass-fed steak (a favorite of mine) may not score a perfect ten for low fat-and calorie content, but it is a great source of omega-3, protein, and iron. And if that, as the studies suggest, hits the mark in terms of appetite control in addition to nutritional benefit, the payoff could well outweigh the cost. It’s food for thought, and I personally intend to do my thinking over a wedge of (yes!) calcium-rich cheese.

-Sara