A biologist has sounded the alarm on the potential misleading nature of calorie labels found on supermarket foods, explaining why certain diets “don’t work”.
Eran Segal from the Weizmann Institute of Science suggests that the term “diet” often leads to confusion. He believes many people mistake them for a quick fix rather than a long-term lifestyle change.
The scientists also believes diets often “focus on the wrong thing” meaning they won’t have the desired effect. This, Segal claims, is because the way each person is affected by food differs.
READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson’s pub makes desperate decision to stop thieves – but locals demand more
READ MORE: Met Office reveals exactly when snow should hit Cheltenham
On Netflix’s Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut, he said: “The word diet is really confusing. Most people understand it to be a sprint that I’m going to do for some period of time to lose weight and then I can go back to my previous patterns of eating whatever I want to eat.
“But a diet is really about changing your lifestyle for life. Another reason why diets don’t work is that they focus on the wrong thing.
Dietician Adam Enaz shared his simple meal swaps that can help save you calories without giving up the food you love
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
“In that sense, they actually could be misdirecting us. When we put these calorie labels on boxes we think ‘okay, this is the amount of energy that we will all extract if we ate that same food.’ But of course, that is not true.”
His colleague, Eran Elinav, also from the Weizmann Institute of Science, concurred, noting: “If you would give an identical apple to three different people, each of these individuals would show a different response to the same apple,” reports Surrey Live.
Read More
Related Articles
Read More
Related Articles
Segal sheds light on the fact that everyone processes foods distinctively, gleaning varied nutrients and energy from each item consumed. He elucidates further: “Now we focus on the blood glucose levels in the two hours after you eat a meal because we understand that your blood sugar levels after a meal are directly connected to weight loss and weight gain and also to the development of multiple diseases.”
Insightful research by Kings College London, involving ZOE pioneer Tim Spector, identified unmistakable differences in food responses among individuals, including identical twins, putting the spotlight on the gut microbiome’s role in our health.