When Dr. Mark Haub, associate professor of nutrition at Kansas State University, went on a “Twinkie Diet” last year he made headlines by losing 27 pounds in two months while living on a diet rich in Twinkies, Ho-Hos, Little Debbies and other processed junk foods. Although his diet was far from healthful he lost weight because he strictly cut back his daily caloric intake.
Dr. Haub’s weight loss confirms something that we’ve known in nutrition for a long time. Weight gain or loss is a mathematical equation based on the number of calories consumed vs. the number of calories burned through exercise, thermogenesis, and individual basal metabolism.
This colorful study sparked interest in nutrition but it overshadowed a series of studies on calorie consumption that were being conducted at the same time and which had much more revolutionary findings.
A group of scientists from Pomona College in California published a piece in Food & Nutrition Research which suggests that not all calories are created equal. They conducted a study where participants were fed two meals with the exact same number of calories. One meal was composed of whole foods – a sandwich with real cheese on whole grain bread – and one from refined and processed foods – a sandwich with processed cheese on white bread.
They found that the processed meals decreased the rate of thermogenesis (the number of calories you burn when eating and digesting). The rate of thermogenises was found to be 50% less in the processed meal when compared to the ‘same’ whole foods meal with the same number of calories.
The initial indicators clearly suggest that not only are whole foods far more dense in nutritional content but that they also offer a real metabolic advantage when digested.
This provides yet another reason to focus on a holistic approach to nutrition. Quality food and exercise are the best defense against excessive weight gain and the best support against healthful living. Further evidence that whole foods truly are better foods.
Jimmy Wilson, Bauman College Marketing Manager