BY BRITTANY SMITH Men’s Fitness
New study finds junk food is not the leading cause of obesity in the U.S.
Candy bars, fast food burgers, and soda have been our scapegoats for years—the reason behind all our obesity-related issues in America. But are we pointing our fingers in the wrong direction? According to a new Cornell University Food and Brand Lab study, we are.
“While a diet of chocolate bars and cheese burgers washed down with a Coke is inadvisable from a nutritional standpoint, these foods are not likely to be a leading cause of obesity in the United States,” said the researchers in a press release. Nor are they related to Body Mass Index in 95 percent of the population.
Turns out, it’s way more about how much you eat, rather than what, at least when it comes to obesity. As we already know, even healthy food can make you fat if you eat enough of it. Overall diets and physical activity are what widen or shrink your waistline, and demonizing certain foods or food groups won’t make any real difference.
If you’re struggling to lose weight, try paying more attention to your overall consumption patterns—like snacking and portion-size—and put more time toward physical activity. If you want a donut from time to time, have one—the key words here being “time to time” and “one.”
Source: http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/what-to-eat/its-ok-eat-donut-after-all
