Is it right that eating a few portions of dairy foods every day can help you lose more weight and lower your body mass index? Initial studies appear to show that there is definitely a link between dairy and weight loss. The benefit appears to lie in calcium’s effect on fat cells, breaking down and burning fat deposits at a quicker rate than it is normally burned. But before you start gulping calcium supplements, you should know that studies have compared the findings of taking calcium supplements vs eating dairy foods containing calcium, and the dairy foods yielded the best results.
Hence you should be in a position to eat as many dairy foods as you want and still lose weight, right? Not precisely.
Remember that dairy and weight loss aren’t always synonymous. Some dairy foods are laden with fat and calories, like whole milk, cream, cheese and yogurt. Those calories will still add up and forestall weight loss if you eat too many of them. Opting for fat-free dairy goods is a better idea, since most low fat dairy goods contain fewer calories. Even better, fat free dairy products do not seem to reduce the fat-burning effect . The USDA recommends getting 3 portions of dairy foods daily.
A serving size would be equal to 1 cup of milk or yogurt, 1 1/2 oz of cheese, or 1 cup of yogurt.
If you’ve a sensitiveness or allergy to dairy products, unfortunately you must avoid them. But you may be able to compromise by eating plenty of calcium-rich foods and taking a calcium supplement. Even though the fat burning benefits appeared to be stronger when calcium came from dairy foods, that does not imply calcium supplements are worthless.
These are some non-dairy foods that are rich in calcium: broccoli, kale, kidney beans, garbanzo beans (chick peas), walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, sardines, salmon, soy milk with added calcium, white flour bread, white rice, white pasta, figs, oranges, apricots. It is shocking how many non-dairy foods contain calcium, once you start researching it.
Dairy and weight loss seem to be a match made in heaven – but recall that you’ll still have to watch your calorie intake and exercise faithfully.
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