By Kelly Goff, Baby Boot Camp contributing writer
Maybe you�ve noticed the latest claims on yogurt and cheese labels pointing to studies showing dairy products can help you lose more weight as part of a high calcium, reduced calorie diet. Truth in advertising? Actually, yes. Although calories still count, a study supported by the National Dairy Council appearing in the April 2004 issue of Obesity Research, showed that obese adults who ate a high-dairy diet lost significantly more weight and fat than those who ate a low-dairy diet containing the same number of calories.
�Too many people drop dairy from their diets when they try to lose weight,� says researcher Michael Zemel, PhD, professor of nutrition and medicine at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
�They�re shooting themselves in the foot when they do that. Dairy products contain literally hundreds of compounds that all have a positive effect on human health and enhance the fat-burning machinery,� he explains.
How it works
�When we cut dairy products, we send the body a signal to make more fat,� says Zemel. �When your body is deprived of calcium, it begins conserving calcium. That mechanism prompts your body to produce higher levels of a hormone called calcitriol, and that triggers an increased production of fat cells.�
High levels of calcitriol �tell� fat cells to store themselves in the body, he says. This increase in calcitriol also �tells� fat cells to expand, he says. �So you�re getting bigger, fatter fat cells. And a lot of big, fat cells makes for a big, fat person.� Extra calcium in your diet suppresses this hormone. �Your body breaks down more fat, and fat cells become leaner, trimmer. A high-dairy diet can boost weight loss by about 70%,� said Zemel.
Calories still count
However, it doesn�t mean that just eating more dairy can help you lose weight. Calories are still the bottom line. What matters is the composition of those calories.
Unfortunately, premium ice cream was not one of the dairy choices in the study. Researchers said participants were free to choose from fat-free, low-fat, and regular milk, cheese and yogurt. Serving sizes were 8 ounces or a cup for milk and yogurt and 1.5 ounces of hard cheese (about the size of six dice) or 2 ounces of processed cheese, such as two slices of American cheese.
Zemel says the study also showed that eating three to four servings of dairy products a day is more effective at enhancing weight loss efforts than calcium supplementation alone with pills or calcium-fortified foods.
Find more related articles in the Fitness Center at www.babybootcamp.com
A Note on Internet Safety from the MOMS Club�:
In today�s world, we can never be too safe. Please help us protect our children and ourselves by adhering to the following guidelines regarding our website and Yahoo! Group.
* Posting pictures may not be safe; therefore, if you include pictures, make sure you have permission, in writing, of all adults in the picture before you post it. We suggest no children be pictured on any website. Post only a brief description of any event pictured, and never include names, telephone numbers or where they live!
* Do not publish any sensitive data, personal information or chapter activity locations on your site, even in a password-protected, members-only area. Passwords can be easily by-passed and may lead to a false sense of security about members� personal data and children�s photos.
Guidelines for Toy Selection
Are you concerned about quality toys for your children? Playtime is very important as it is the predominant way a child learns and explores his / her world, and the toys they are encouraged to play with do shape that learning. Here are a few tips and precautions about toys and playtime from a publication found at the Providence Children's Museum called "Toy Action Guide" by TRUCE (Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children's Entertainment). The goal of this organization is to encourage creative and constructive play without the overbearing influence of high powered marketing. TRUCE suggests the following:
-Aim to provide interesting activities and materials.
-Define your values about violent toys and share them with your children.
-Share strategies [with other parents] and ideas for alternatives to TV.
-Recognize toys that have unlimited play value:
*Allow children to determine the play
*Appeal to children at ore than one age or level of development
*Are not linked to video games, TV or movies
*Can be used with other toys for new and more complex play
*Will stand the test of time and continue to be part of play as children develop new interests and skills.