By
Tom Venuto,
BurnThe Fat, Feed The Muscle
At least 7 scientific studies have provided strong
evidence that energy containing beverages (i.e., “liquid calories”) do not
properly activate the satiety mechanisms in the body and brain and do not
satisfy the appetite as well as food in solid form.
Epidemiological research also supports a positive
association between calorie-containing beverage consumption and increased body
weight or body mass index. New research now suggests that soda may not be the
only culprit…
The primary
source of liquid calories in the United States Diet is carbohydrate, namely
soda. Now running a close second are specialty and dessert coffees. Did you
know that a 16 ounce Frappucino can contain 500 calories or even more! That’s
one-third of a typical female’s daily calorie intake while on a fat loss
program.
A recent study
at Purdue University published in the International Journal of Obesity set out
to learn even more about this bodyfat - liquid calories relationship.
Researchers
compared solid and beverage forms of foods composed primarily of carbohydrate,
fat or protein in order to document the independent effect of food form in
foods with different dominant macronutrient sources.
Based on
previous research, some experts have recommended targeting specific beverages
as being “worse” than others. High fructose corn syrup and soda has been
singled out the most and you’ve probably seen that yourself in the news.
There’s no
question that soda has been on top of the “hit list” for some time now, by
virtue of the amounts and frequency of consumption alone.
However, this
recent study says that from a pure energy balance perspective, we should be
cautious about ALL liquid calories, not just soda and not just carbohydrates!
Fruit juice for
example, appears to be an obvious improvement over soda, so many people have
swapped out their soda for fruit juice. However, when fruit juice is compared
to an equal amount of calories from whole fruit, the whole fruit satisfies
appetite better (largely due to the bulk and fiber content), and so you tend to
eat fewer calories for the day.
[On an
interesting side note, soup does not seem to apply; soup has higher satiety
value than calorie containing beverages, possibly for mere cognitive reasons.]
If you were to
meticulously track your calories from beverages and you made sure that your
calories remained the same for the day, whether liquid or solid, there would
probably be little or no difference in your body composition.
But that’s not
what usually happens in free-living humans. Most people do not accurately track
or report their caloric intake. Our mistake is that we tend to drink calories
IN ADDITION TO our usual food intake, not instead of it.
Men are
especially guilty of this when they drink alcohol - Men tend to drink AND eat,
while women tend to drink INSTEAD OF eating.
This new
research found that with all three macronutrients - protein, carbs or fat -
daily calorie intake was significantly greater when the beverage form was
consumed as compared to the solid.
Yes, it’s true!
Even protein drinks did not satisfy the appetite the way that protein foods
did!
While you would
think that protein drinks are purely a good thing, because protein foods have
been proven to reduce appetite and increase satiety, if you turn a solid
protein food into a protein drink, it loses it’s appetite suppressive
properties in the same way that happens when you turn fruit into fruit juice.
[NOTE: After
weight training workouts, liquid nutrition may have benefits that outweigh any
downside, especially on muscle-gaining programs]
Why do liquid
calories fail to elicit the same response as whole foods? reasons include:
1) high calorie density
|
2) lower satiety value
|
3)
more calories ingested in short period of
time
|
4)
lower demand for oral processing
|
5)
shorter gastrointestinal
transit times
|
6) energy in
beverages has greater bioaccessibility and bioavailability
|
7)
mechanisms may include cognitive,
orosensory, digestive, metabolic, endocrine and neural influences (human
appetite is a complex thing!!!)
|
8) last but not
least, nowhere in our history have our ancestors had access to large amounts
of liquid calories. Alcohol may have been around as far back as several
thousand years BC, but even that is a blip on the evolutionary calendar of
humanity.
|
As a result, our genetic code has never developed the physiological mechanisms to properly register the caloric content in liquids the way it does when you eat, chew and swallow whole foods.
Bottom line: This study
suggests that we shouldn’t just target one type of liquid calories such as
soda. If you’re trying to beat body fat, it’s wise to limit all types of liquid
calories and eat whole foods as much as possible.
Start by
ditching the soda. Then ditch the high calorie dessert coffees. Then cut back
on the alcohol. From there, be cautious even about milk, juice and protein
drinks.
Drink water or
tea instead, or limited amounts of black coffee - without all the high calorie
extras.
If you do consume any beverages that contain
calories, such as protein shakes, be sure to account for those calories
meticulously and be sure you don’t drink them in addition to your usual food
intake, but in place of an equal amount of food calories.
Remember, those protein shakes you might be
drinking are called “meal replacements” not “free calories!”
For many years I have suggested focusing primarily
on whole foods rather than liquids, even protein shakes. Unlike so many other
fat reduction programs, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle does not require
any kind of liquid meal replacement or protein drinks and our company does not
exist to sell supplements; we are here to educate you and millions of others
about the realities of body fat loss.
We now have even more scientific data that confirms
what Burn The Fat has been teaching all along.
I hope you found this helpful. You can learn more
about “Burn The Fat” at
Burn The Fat, Feed TheMuscle Train hard and expect success,
Tom
Venuto, - Fat Loss
Coach-
Burn The Fat, Feed TheMuscle
Burn The Fat, Feed TheMuscle
Reference: Effects
of food form on appetite and energy intake in lean and obese young adults.
International Journal of Obesity. 2007 Nov (11):1688-95. Mourao DM, Bressan J,
Campbell WW, Mattes RD. Department of Foods and Nutrition, Purdue University,
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2059, USA.
About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified
personal trainer and freelance fitness writer. Tom is the author of "Burn
the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or
supplements using secrets of the world's best bodybuilders and fitness models.
Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting:
