Study: Vegetarian Diet Could Be Twice As Effective As Just Slashing Calories
A win for all the vegetarians out there: A recent study examining weight-loss methods found that, instead of simply cutting calories, going the vegetarian route could be significantly more effective when it comes to dropping pounds. We’re talking twice as effective.
As Science of Us Reports, a small study published in the Journal of American College of Nutrition examined 74 participants with Type 2 diabetes, assigning a chunk of them to follow a vegetarian diet — which really sounds more like a mostly vegan diet, comprised mostly of fruit, grains, veggies, nuts and low-fat yogurt (the only animal product consumed) — while others were assigned to stick to a standard low-calorie, anti-diabetic diet.
After six months of sticking to their respective diets, there was a weigh-in. Drumroll … folks following the vegetarian diet lost, on average, nearly 14 pounds (6.2 kg), while the those sticking to a low-calorie diet averaged a loss of about seven pounds (3.2 kg). And, while this study focused on weight loss, lead study author Dr. Hana Kahleova said in a statement that these findings about consuming a vegetarian diet are applicable to anyone who wants to “stay lean and healthy.”
Soooooo … veggie tacos for dinner?
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