Counting Calories is Old News

Harvard has done it again, folks. Upon first glance, you might shake your head and say...duh. But, really, this is a big deal!

A study from the New England Journal of Medicine linked specific foods to the likelihood of weight loss or weight gain over a four year period. It actually even states the specific poundage likely gained or lost from consuming 1 additional daily serving of each food over a four year period.

Basically, this suggests that counting calories is old news...and really it's about counting specific foods.

So, what did they find? Per every 4 year period, 1 additional daily serving of the following foods were associated with the correlating amount of weight gain.

Butter                                           0.30 pounds
Sweets and Desserts                     0.41 pounds
Boiled, baked or mashed potatoes 0.57 pounds
Processed meat                             0.93 pounds
Unprocessed read meat                 0.95 pounds
Sugar-Sweetened drinks               1.00 pounds
Potato Chips                                 1.69 pounds
French fries                                   3.35 pounds

Wow!!! Who would have thought that potato chips and fries would be so much higher than sugar-sweetened drinks?!!!

Here's the good news. The study also found a way for you to be proactive!! 1 additional daily serving of the following foods were associated with the correlating weight loss over a four year period.

Yogurt                                          -0.82 pounds
Nuts                                             -0.57 pounds
Fruits                                            -0.49 pounds
Whole grains                                 -0.37 pounds
Vegetables                                    -0.22 pounds

Glad I don't own a potato farm!! Here is what Tim O’Connor, the president and CEO of the U.S. Potato Board, stated about the study’s methodology. “Details of the study would indicate that they didn’t control all the variables,” he said. “In particular, they didn’t control for calorie intake. They blamed weight gain on potatoes but didn’t control total calories consumed by individuals.”

Regardless, it's hard to argue the point that fries = fat ass. Sorry, Tim. Count your losses on this one - I'm sure you won't be hurting for money...how many McDonald's regulars are grabbing the Wall Street Journal these days?

(Thanks for the article, Dad!!!!)