- With Mayo Clinic nutritionists
Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
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Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
Katherine Zeratsky and Jennifer Nelson
Jennifer K. Nelson, M.S., R.D., L.D., C.N.S.D.
Jennifer Nelson is your link to a better diet. As specialty editor of the nutrition and healthy eating guide, she plays a vital role in bringing you healthy recipes and meal planning."Nutrition is one way people have direct control over the quality of their lives," she says. "I hope to translate the science of nutrition into ways that people can select and prepare great-tasting foods that help maintain health and treat disease."
A St. Paul, Minn., native, she has been with Mayo Clinic since 1978, and is director of clinical dietetics and an associate professor of nutrition at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.
She leads clinical nutrition efforts for a staff of more than 60 clinical dietitians and nine dietetic technicians and oversees nutrition services, staffing, strategic and financial planning, and quality improvement. Nelson was co-editor of the "Mayo Clinic Diet" and the James Beard Foundation Award-winning "The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook." She has been a contributing author to and reviewer of many other Mayo Clinic books, including "Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight for EveryBody," "The Mayo Clinic Family Health Book" and "The Mayo Clinic/Williams Sonoma Cookbook." She contributes to the strategic direction of the Food & Nutrition Center, which includes creating recipes and menus, reviewing nutrition content of various articles, and providing expert answers to nutrition questions.
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
As a specialty editor of the nutrition and healthy eating guide, Katherine Zeratsky helps you sort through the facts and figures, the fads and the hype to learn more about nutrition and diet.A Marinette, Wis., native, she is certified in dietetics by the state of Minnesota and the American Dietetic Association. She has been with Mayo Clinic since 1999.
She's active in nutrition-related curriculum and course development in wellness nutrition at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and nutrition related to weight management and practical applications of nutrition-related lifestyle changes.
Other areas of interest include food and nutrition for all life stages, active lifestyles and the culinary arts.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served a dietetic internship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and worked as a registered dietitian and health risk counselor at ThedaCare of Appleton, Wis., before joining the Mayo Clinic staff.
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Nutrition-wise blog
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April 29, 2009
Cutting liquid calories more effective for weight loss?
By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
Maybe you've heard the adage "a calorie is a calorie." It's been ingrained in many of us. So, the thinking goes, it doesn't matter whether you cut calories in the form of liquids or solid foods. Either way you should lose weight.
A new study, however, seems to challenge these assumptions. The study, which appears in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," looked at beverage and food intake and weight changes in more than 800 men and women, aged 25 to 79.
The "liquid calories" researchers looked at were sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soft drinks, fruit drinks and punch; whole, 2%, 1% and skim milk; 100% fruit and vegetable juices; coffee and tea with sugar; coffee and tea with artificial sweetener; diet drinks, and alcoholic beverages.
Here's what the study found:
- Cutting 100 calories a day from liquids resulted in weight loss of about 0.5 pound (0.3 kilogram) at 6 and 18 months.
- Cutting 100 calories a day from solid foods resulted in a loss of about 0.1 pound (0.06 kilogram) at 6 and 18 months.
- Eliminating 1 serving, or 12 ounces (335 mL), of sugar-sweetened beverages a day resulted in the greatest weight loss — 1 pound (0.5 kilogram) at 6 months and 1.5 pound (0.7 kilogram) at 18 months.
The results are surprising and more research is needed to understand why cutting liquid calories, especially sugar-sweetened beverages, results in greater weight loss.
The authors suggest that one explanation may be the high fructose content in sugar-sweetened beverages. Consuming large amounts of fructose over time may promote fat storage and other changes. Although milk, juice, sugar-sweetened coffee/tea and alcohol contain calories — and some contain some natural fructose — their effects on fullness may mediate the effect on weight loss.
My take: It's difficult to ignore the finding that cutting liquid calories in the form of sugar-sweetened beverages results in more weight loss than cutting solid calories. Sugary drinks are not high on my "most nutritious" list, so cutting them to lose weight makes sense to me.
What's your take? Your thoughts are welcome!
- Jennifer
20 comments posted
- Liwei C, et al. Reduction in consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with weight loss: the PREMIER trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2009;89(5):1299. Epub 2009 Apr 1.
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