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Nutrition Professor Loses Weight on Junk-Food Diet
It's been dubbed "the Twinkie diet" by the media: Mark Haub, a professor in Kansas State University's Department of Human Nutrition, has been surviving on junk food for the past month.
And, he's lost weight.
This might seem to fly in the face of conventional nutritional wisdom. After all, junk food results in weight gain, right?
Haub started the "Twinkie Diet" August 25. Since then, he's been eating mostly swiss cake rolls, blueberry muffins, cinnamon rolls, peanut butter Oreos, and hot dogs.
As well as the junk food, Haub has milk (for protein), and vegetables (for vitamins) with dinner.
By sticking to 1,800 calories a day - around 600-800 fewer than he'd need to maintain weight - Haub lost 10lbs in the first three weeks of his "diet."
It shouldn't come as such as surprise. After all, you could lose weight eating two candy bars a day: it's the calories-in verses calories-out which matter.
Haub isn't doing this because he's a junk-food addict - he admits missing salads and blue cheese. He's trying to open up debate about how people on a low income can't eat healthy (on the diet, his food costs have dropped to around $5/day):
It's unrealistic in some areas of society to expect that you can find fresh broccoli, tomatoes at a price that is affordable. If somebody can get their nutrients from a supplement and then they get their fuel from whatever is available, does it matter that they're not getting fruits and vegetables and whole grains? Is that okay?"
Of course, there are big nutritional questions to be asked about a diet which relies so heavily on sugary, salty, processed products. Nutrition is about a lot more than calories. Plus, most folks on a junk food diet would find themselves so hungry (due to sugar crashes and lack of fiber) that they'd be hard-pressed to stick to a calorie restriction.
What do you think? Is Haub's experiment an important one in a world where processed, packaged foods are often much cheaper than fresh ones? Or is this a dangerous way to diet?
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Comments
It's bunk
You can eat in a healthful manner without spending more. He's having milk and vegetables and claims to be spending $5 per day, so he's doing ok there. Instead of the Oreos (which aren't cheap!) and Swiss cake rolls, he could add meat and potatoes to his diet just as cheaply - potatoes can be had for $5 or less for 10 pounds, they're filling and nutritious (if you leave the skin on and don't fry them in oil or slather them in butter). Buy ground turkey instead of fattier meats - it's cheaper and better for you. He's getting attention, which is his goal, but he's not being honest. Honesty is, we'd rather enjoy junk food than eat healthy!
It really is about calories
The human body is adapted to burn darned near anything for fuel. A one a day vitamin is a good idea for most folks, even those focused on a "healthy" diet. On the flip side, junk food tends to be fortified with vitamins just for the hype value of making it sound less junky. I doubt many people fixing a "healthy dinner" consult charts to determine whether or not all the essential vitamins and minerals are included, then weigh everything out to make sure it's exactly right to hit minimum requirements.
So, yeah, if a bag of cookies holds 3200 calories, you'll lose weight eating half a bag a day. If you pop a vitamin tablet along with it, you won't die of malnutrition. Even if it isn't especially "healthy", you'll likely get tired of eating nothing but cookies long before it would be an issue.
Whatever.
The bottom line is he basically has the right of it. To lose weight, you have to take in fewer calories than you burn. The form doesn't matter. It's the amount that counts.
Keeping it off?
Yes, although the scientific formula for weight loss is:
eat less + exercise more = lose weight
...the fact is that a "diet" like is is NEVER going to be sustainable and that person will ultimately pack on the pounds again. Fad diets aren't the answer (and I think we can all agree that the junk food one is just trying to prove a point).
To answer the last question, "Or is this a dangerous way to diet?" is a given.
Sara
www.healthyweightlossjournal.com
agree
Great points, and in most cases, buying fresh produce and bulk foods saves a lot of money. Unfortunately most people are lazy. I once worked at the local grocery store and I'll never forget the lady that would come through with a HUGE pile of produce, her bill was far less than most people's. Buying in season helps even more too.
Sara:)
Food Chemicals worst than Junk Food
The diabetes and Obesity crisis is the direct result of chemicals in the food supply. This has been proven!. The effects have been the diabetes and obesity tragedy. THe drug makers have made billions$$$ on the dangerous diabetes drugs!While the people are not cured. The FDA allows this tragedy
A filmmaker has been reversing diabetes and obesity in now 10 countries worldwide WITHOUT medications but the drug makers do not promote this
just google SPIRIT HAPPY DIET