Have you been diligently dieting for weeks but watching as the scale hovers around the same number?
It’s pretty darn frustrating, isn’t it?
But I have some news that could help you fade that frustration. Even if you’re not losing weight, making changes in your diet could be doing very big things for your health.
Namely, slashing your risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition followed 69 healthy, overweight people who were at risk of developing diabetes. For eight weeks, the participants ate diets that were modestly lower in either fat or carbs — so we’re not talking drastic changes here.
After eight weeks, the people who ate diets lower in fat had "significantly higher insulin secretion and better glucose tolerance and tended to have higher insulin sensitivity," according to the lead researcher on the study.
Translation: A decreased risk for diabetes.
Now, all of these benefits came without the participants in the study losing any weight. They ate enough to maintain their original body weights, just cutting fat or carb intake. In the end, the researchers determined that taking fat consumption down to 27 percent of your daily calories could do big things for diabetes prevention.
When it comes to food and diet, quality is as important as quantity. We already know that taking in plenty of good-for-you foods can do great things for your health — it’s just easy to lose sight of that fact when you’re not seeing visible results.
The researchers emphasized that the diet used in the study is an easy one to adopt. Participants dined on meals like sesame chicken with rice accompanied by snow peas, carrots, broccoli, cheese, oranges, and a dinner roll.
That doesn’t sound too much like diet food, now does it? But the benefits seem to be major.
Ms. O’Brien has written for Nutrition & Healing, Healthier Talk and a variety of other natural and alternative health outlets. She believes in the power of natural medicine and her goal is to open people’s eyes to the benefits of alternative and integrative medicine.
Christine is passionate about helping people help themselves without having to turn to harsh drugs or invasive surgeries.
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