Can Water-Rich Foods Help Maintain Weight?
Drinking cold water, some researchers say, can help you burn a few extra calories. The science behind it is fairly straightforward; because the temperature of the water is far colder than that of your body, you burn a few calories warming it up. As you can tell, I'm not all that impressed.
Nevertheless, water - be it cold or tepid - is a vital part of a healthy diet. No news there. What may come as a bit more of a surprise, however, is that consuming a great deal of water may help with weight loss - especially if that water comes from food.
A recent study from the University of Tokyo revealed that women who ate a diet rich in high-water-content foods had a lower BMI and smaller waistlines. Health magazine examined this water/weight relationship in their current issue, suggesting that the water in foods fill you up, thereby making you less apt to eat more than you should.
Want to add some water-rich foods to your diet? You may want to try:
- Broccoli
- Grapefruit
- Lettuce
- Radishes
- Spinach
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
And, for some great recipe ideas with many of these foods, visit the Health website at http://www.health.com/water-recipes
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That cold water thing is just a misunderstanding. People learned that a "calorie" is the amount of energy to raise 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius. They didn't learn that a "Calorie" in food is 1000 calories.
So if you drink a very large quantity of very cold water, you can burn a few (less than about 20) Calories shivering as you warm back up. It's not useful.
ReplyI am going to create the "Do not dress warm for winter diet" Shiver that weight away!
ReplyAlthough there is merit in your idea, you will have to move somewhere else or you will have no cred, Southern California :-)
ReplyIf you live in Southern California you can afford the lipo, right?
ReplyI forgot about that :-)
ReplyWell no secret that these water-rich foods are also fibre and nutrient rich too.
ReplyI think it's a good reminder to eat vegetables. There are so many people on very low-carb diets who just completely cut vegetables out and they are so, so very important to good health.
ReplyWait a minute. All these water rich foods are also healthy veggies. So in other words, a healthy diet rich in vegetables was associated with a lower bmi and smaller waistlines. It probably has nothing to do with the water content at all.
ReplyI agree with some of the other commentors, that I'm somewhat skeptical if it's the water in those foods that cause the weight loss. However, I think the underlying point is that we seem to always be better off by eating these types of foods, fruits and vegetables, anyways regardless if the water content makes a difference or not.
ReplyIt makes sense to me. Foods that are rich in both fiber and water fill up your stomach for very few calories, so you ingest fewer calories. If you think about it, you'd have to eat a LOT of Doritos to get the same satisfaction that a plateful of broccoli would give you and you'd probably have to eat about 2000 more calories' worth of the Doritos. So yeah, this definitely makes sense. I eat a lot of foods with a high water content and I'm hardly ever hungry.
ReplyI've found the idea that water and fiber fill you up ends up not being true in practice. If you eat a bunch of these foods, your stomach may be full, but you still feel hungry. Many people have told me they have this same reaction to fruits, vegetables, and other low-fat foods; so I don't believe I'm unique in it. I'd rather eat a small bit of nutrient-dense animal foods and feel full than eat a lot of plant foods and feel miserable.
ReplyWhat usually works for me is to combine a meal that is mostly vegetables with a small amount of protein or fat to help slow down the digestion process for a while. Pure vegetable or fruits tend to move through your system pretty quickly and they aren't as satisfying.
Replyoh my god, eating vegetables and fruits can help you lose weight??!! STOP THE PRESSES!!
ReplyYep, we needed researchers to tell us that eating plants is healthy!
ReplyThere is probably some validity to all the comments on this topic. Whether it is the food you are eating or the amount of water you are drinking - those two things are vital to a healthy body weight.
ReplyI thought cold water will not help you to lose weight.And I agree that eating vegetables will surely help.That's what I did before.
Reply"Health magazine examined this water/weight relationship in their current issue, suggesting that the water in foods fill you up, thereby making you less apt to eat more than you should."
-Boy... there's a shocker. I guess sometimes you need to be reminded of the obvious.
Btw, the high-water foods listed can be used to make a kick-ass salad! Try it!
- Sahil M
ReplyFlawlessFitnessBook.com
This is kinda silly research. Of course, potato chips, cookies, and candy bars don't have much water.
Whereas, fruits and veggies have tons of water.
Not to hard to guess which group is healthier and more conducive to weight loss.
Reply