Wednesday, January 21 2009

THE SMELL of bacon in the morning might do more than just get you out of bed ... it could help you lose weight. A recent study by the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, in Chicago, found a surprising connection between good-smelling food and weight loss.

For six months, 1,436 overweight volunteers sprinkled savoury or sweet calorie-free crystallised smells (called tastants) onto their food before eating, and they lost an average of 30.5 pounds. “Smells are perceived as tastes, so they increase sensory-specific satiety, making you feel full faster,” says study author Alan Hirsch, MD.

But you don’t need tastants to reap these benefits. Simply slow down when you eat, and focus on the smell of your food, says Dr Hirsch. You’ll eat in a less hurried fashion and recognise when you have eaten enough, which translates to fewer calories consumed and more weight lost.

A high-protein breakfast (containing 40 grams of protein) is one key to long-term weight loss, according to new research from Daniela Jakubowicz, MD, and scientists from Virginia Commonwealth University. In their eight-month study, obese individuals who ate a 600-calorie breakfast and a small lunch and dinner lost an average of 40 pounds. The hormones that transform food into energy prevail at sunrise, so a big breakfast with plenty of protein (such as eggs, lean breakfast meats, low-fat cheeses, and protein smoothies) will speed up your metabolism and reduce hunger and cravings later in the day.

No time for a big breakfast? Eat an omelet with smoked salmon or ham and a piece of whole-grain toast (about 300 calories) when you first wake up. When you arrive at work, have a yogurt, blueberries, and a protein smoothie (about 300 calories), says Dr Jakubowicz.

Even if you work out every day or eat perfectly during the week, you can sabotage your flat belly by indulging too heavily on Saturday and Sunday. A recent study in the journal Obesity followed two groups of people for one year: one group on a calorie-restricting diet, and the other on a daily exercise programme. Those in the CR group stopped losing weight on the weekends, and the people in the exercise group actually gained weight, solely from weekend splurging.

The key is to maintain your regular eating patterns on your days off: Try to avoid huge brunches and constant grazing, and consider keeping a food diary to ensure your calorie intake is consistent every day.

Turmeric, a spice common in curry dishes, may treat many inflammatory conditions from skin diseases, Alzheimer’s, and cancer. Now researchers at Columbia University say the spice shows promise in fighting obesity. When they fed obese mice curcumin, the yellow-orange antioxidant in turmeric, there was a decline in the animals’ body weight and fat, even with higher calorie consumption.

The study authors recommend adding one teaspoon of turmeric a day to your diet. The spice is found in yellow mustard and pickles, can be used as a rub on meat, chicken or fish, and makes a tasty addition to vegetable sautees, soups and stews.