Why healthy people don’t diet and never skip breakfast

New research says the best way to maintain a healthy weight is to stop dieting.

Treat yo’ self

New research says the best way to maintain a healthy weight is to stop dieting.

To shed some light on the habits of healthy people, Cornell University developed an online Global Weight Registry where adults of healthy weight were invited to answer questions about their diet, exercise, and daily routines.

Researchers then examined the responses of 147 participants to reveal some common habits of those who stay slim and healthy.

Their findings showed that 96 per cent of healthy people always eat breakfast and 42 per cent exercise more than five times per week.

And while 74 per cent reported that they never or rarely dieted, 92 per cent said they were “conscious of what they ate.”

So how do they do it? When it comes to controlling their weight, 44 per cent adopted at least one non-restrictive strategy such as listening to inner cues, cooking at home and eating high-quality, non-processed foods.

According to the study’s co-author, Dr Brian Wansink, what stood out most from the findings was that “most slim people don’t employ restrictive diets or intense health regimes to stay at a healthy weight.”

“Instead, they practice healthy habits like not skipping breakfast and listening to inner cues,” he said.

Wansick says being healthy is easier than people think and recommends adding these simple practices to your daily routine.

So you heard it here first, it’s time to ditch the diet and adopt a more mindful approach to eating.

Originally published on bodyandsoul.com.au | Words Fiona O’Callaghan

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