Who wouldn't want to have a fit and healthy physique that you can flaunt to everybody? Who wouldn't want to live longer and happier? Given these, more and more people are now aiming to become fit by embracing a diet plan, no matter the costs are.
Unfortunately, no matter how strong the will of the heart, the temptation of mouth-watering goodness of high-carb foods such as pizza, chocolate, pasta, and ice cream, makes it very difficult to stick to the plan. But experts say, there is no need to fret. A recent study conducted by scientists from the Wake Forest School of Medicine showed an effective diet that could help resist your cravings.
In the study published in the journal Obesity, the researchers suggest how embracing the Mediterranean diet as compared to other kinds can help in curbing your appetite of consuming more food. The researchers were able to find the results of their study after including nonhuman primates as its participants and observing their behavior towards food.
During the study, the primates were given two kinds of diet: the Mediterranean diet and the Western diet. Mediterranean diet includes fruits, whole grains, beans, vegetables, spices, olive oil, herbs, and nuts. According to Sentient Media, Western diet, on the other hand, includes processed meat, red meat, butter, fried foods, potatoes, eggs, corn, refined grains, and high-fat dairy products. Half of the primates consumed only the Mediterranean diet, while the others consumed only the latter.
After consuming the food given to them, what the scientists have observed is that those who ate the Mediterranean diet didn't consume all the food that was served to them. Furthermore, the scientists also found out how these primates were also able to control their weight. Those who consumed the Western diet, on the other hand, gained weight and even crave for more food, as reported by Body and Soul. "What we found was that the group on the Mediterranean diet ate fewer calories, had lower body weight and had less body fat than those on the Western diet," says Carol A. Shively, the study's head researcher.
Why consuming a Western diet makes you want to eat more? "The Western diet was developed and promoted by companies who want us to eat their food, so they make it hyper-palatable, meaning it hits all our buttons, so we over-consume," Shively explains.
Through the study's results, the experts behind the study hope to inspire more people to turn to much healthier food alternatives and finally be able to resist their cravings towards unhealthy goods, for they believe that doing so could be the first step to improve anyone's health.
