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Created on Wednesday, 20 April 2011 18:51

A recent study out of the University of Texas found that blueberries confer an inhibitory effect on the development of adipocytes (fat cells) in mice. They found that giving blueberry polyphenols to mice resulted in the formation of fewer adipocyte cells.  There is a differentiation that has to take place in order to for fat cells to materialize, and that differentiation process- from preadipocyte to adipocyte- was inhibited by the blueberry polyphenols. The result was fewer fat cells. The effect was found to be dose-dependent with the highest dose causing a 74 percent reduction in lipid content.  The concluding remarks were:

"We still need to test this dose in humans, to make sure there are no adverse effects, and to see if the doses are as effective. This is a burgeoning area of research. Determining the best dose for humans will be important. The promise is there for blueberries to help reduce adipose tissue from forming in the body."

Meanwhile, last year, a study out of Israel concerning pomegranates found that college students (both male and female) who were given 8 ounces of pomegranate juice every day for six weeks lost significant fat weight- without altering their diets at all.

For a long time, the prevailing wisdom was that a calorie was a calorie, and fatness was entirely a numbers game. If you consume more calories than you burn, you get fat, regardless of what the source of the calories is.  But, that is rubbish. Some calories are definitely more fattening than other calories. And some foods, such as blueberries and pomegranates, which do  contain some calories (as all foods do) actually help you lose weight.

That’s why I have been saying for years that it is much more important to control what you eat than how much you eat. If you are going to eat junk, then even if you skip meals occasionally, your body is going to undergo a gradual but relentless fatification. It’s not so much a caloric numbers game as it is a degenerative disease resulting from chronic malnutrition.

The key is to eat a lot of unrefined plants, and it’s a good idea to eat plenty of them raw too.  At least, eat raw the ones that can enjoyably be eaten raw, which includes all fruits, all nuts except chestnuts, and whichever vegetables you find tender, succulent, and sweet enough to eat and enjoy raw. They myriad of phytochemicals in whole plant foods not only protect us against disease; they help keep us lean.