For those among us whose New Year’s resolutions include losing weight or maintaining a healthy lifestyle, here’s an article of interest: a recent New York Times piece discusses some findings from a new study detailed in JAMA (the Journal of the American Medical Association).  The study — and the article — suggest a focus on a healthy diet rather than on counting portion size or calories. Specifically, focusing on reducing either fat or carbohydrate intake was shown to be successful. Study participants who ate less sugar, refined grains and highly processed foods while concentrating on eating vegetables and other non-processed foods — without worrying about counting calories or limiting portion sizes — lost significant amounts of weight over the course of a year.

MCNTalk has frequently focused on food consumption and health, whether in discussing rising global rates of obesity, rewarding food stamp beneficiaries for selecting fresh produce over processed foods, or the serious adverse impact of sugar on human health. A common theme in these stories, as highlighted by this new JAMA study, is the reduction/elimination of processed foods rather than a focus on calorie consumption to maintain health.