If you’re working towards healthy weight loss, it’s not uncommon to fall into a headspace of wanting to make quick fixes to your diet in order to expedite your results. Cutting major food groups or ingredients out of your eating plan may seem like an effective way to ‘save’ calories and create a deficit, but removing certain foods and their accompanying nutrients may actually be causing an adverse effect when it comes to losing weight.
While processed ingredients should naturally be limited and substituted for more nutritionally dense foods to achieve weight loss, there’s one group of food in particular which is often villainized but actually provides significant benefit to both your diet and metabolism. In fact, removing this food may stall weight loss in the long term.
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Dairy
A great source of fat and protein, dairy products such as yogurt, cheese, and milk are often some of the first to go when embarking on a new diet. As the narrative for weight loss is that the foods we enjoy should be eliminated in order to see results and cheese is typically associated with pizza and other delicious foods, it’s frequently cut out without a second thought.
However, removing dairy from your diet may actually be slowing your metabolism in the long run, making it more difficult to lose weight. “No single food can raise or lower your metabolism, however, cutting out dairy is likely not beneficial for speeding up the metabolism,” notes Paula Doebrich, RDN, MPH and owner of Happea Nutrition.
Protein and fat are two of the essential macronutrients needed to nourish the body, and cutting out a valuable source of such only functions to deprive your body. “A diet high in protein will likely contribute to a slightly more efficient metabolism overtime because protein supports muscle growth. More lean body mass usually results in a slightly faster metabolism,” explains Doebrich.
“Protein also requires more energy to metabolize in general and dairy is an excellent source of protein,” she adds. While it’s true that dairy products are sometimes more calorically dense than other foods, they also act as a natural form of protein which can be hard to come by and is one of the most important factors in speeding up your metabolism.
However, protein is not the only nutrient that dairy products are rich in, and cutting this food group from your diet may also put you at a disadvantage in the calcium department as well. “Some evidence suggests that not getting enough calcium in your diet may result in a slower metabolism, especially in women. Early research shows that not getting sufficient calcium in the diet may slow the breakdown of fat, leading to a slower metabolism,” says Doebrich.
Not to mention dairy also contains ample vitamin D which is vital for fully absorbing the calcium into your body, so in removing it from your diet you’re losing out on two necessary nutrients.
The only time it truly makes sense to eliminate dairy from your diet is if you follow a plant-based diet or have a lactose intolerance, as this minor food allergy may inflame your gut and create more problems than benefit.
That being said, keeping dairy in your diet but focusing on lower fat options will allow your body to get the protein and calcium it needs without overdoing it on calories. So yes, have your pizza on a Friday night, but starting out your morning with a Greek yogurt bowl topped with berries and granola is another great way to nourish yourself for weight loss without depriving yourself.
