SUPERFOODS FOR WEIGHT MANAGEMENT: IS THERE SUCH A THING? Introduction Before you start reading this article, I want to set you a little task; just type the following into a Google search, ‘superfoods for weight management.’ I’ll wait a second... This search generates an astonishing number of results. I think the last time I did this, it read 38,000,000 results found. So, your first question should be, where do I start? Hopefully, this article will be the ideal place for you to start to first understand the conversation around weight management. But what is meant by the term superfood? Before we dig into the main detail of this article, we need to give the heading a little more context.
the same calories they expend, they will maintain weight. This is a very simple explanation of the first law of thermodynamics. This being that energy cannot be created or destroyed, simply transferred. Within this article, we will be talking about if there are any superfoods that can help someone eat fewer calories, which in turn will assist them in losing weight. When talking about nutrition we always need to give the conversation some context. Do Superfoods help create a calorie deficit? What the title of this section should read is; are there any foods that are
there that are superior to others in creating that deficit. When typing in the heading of this article, the first result I clicked on was from this website: https://www.ndtv. com/food/top-10-superfoods-forweight-loss-you-must-include-in-yourdiet-1842166 Here the heading states “The top 10 superfoods for weight loss that you must include in your diet.” I will not go into what is wrong with this heading, as that is for another article, however, they include foods such as apples, blueberries, green tea, and more. What I want to do below is highlight three superior foods, food groups or supplements that have been extensively researched to assist with weight loss and weight management. Protein As I am sure many of you are aware, protein is one of our Macronutrients and has numerous benefits to us regarding weight management, body composition and weight loss.
When talking about weight management, the primary conversation is around weight loss and then trying to maintain this new weight. To understand this, let us have a quick look at what we mean by energy balance. The general rules around this are that if an individual consumes more calories than they expend then they will gain weight. If someone consumes fewer calories than they expend they will lose weight. Finally, if someone consumes
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superior to others in creating a calorie deficit? A calorie deficit (eating fewer calories than you are expending) is both necessary and sufficient for weight loss; meaning that if someone is wanting to lose weight, firstly it is a must to create a calorie deficit and, secondly, it should be the primary goal for that individual. Once the individual is aware they need to create a deficit, they then might ask themselves if there are any foods out
A study published by the American Society of Nutrition (2008) concluded that “Body weight management is a complex task involving the interplay of behavioural components with hormonal, genetic, and metabolic processes. “Protein has the potential to play a key role in several aspects of body weight regulation. The mechanisms by which increased dietary protein regulate body weight are multifactorial”. By increasing the amount of protein in one’s daily diet, roughly 1.5g/per kg BW, we can unlock the benefits protein consumption has on weight management, body composition and weight loss.
