6 New Rules For Eating Healthy

The science behind maintaining a healthy weight isn’t perfect, which is why the guidelines change. See how these pieces of advice have evolved

1 YOU USED TO CUT 3500 CALORIES A WEEK TO LOSE 450G FAT

NOW: SLASH 10 CAL (42KJ) A DAY FROM YOUR DIET

The theory once held that 450g of fat equalled 3500 calories, so to lose 450g a week, you’d slash 500 calories (roughly 2100kJ) a day, by eating less, exercising more or a combo of the two. But, that didn’t take into account the fact your metabolism slows as your weight drops. An approach that does account for the slowdown says for every 450g you want to lose, permanently cut 10 calories (42kJ) a day. So to lose 5kg, cut out 111 calories (466kJ) a day. You’ll lose weight slowly but keep it off.

2 YOU USED TO TELL YOURSELF CERTAIN FOODS WERE ABSOLUTELY OFF LIMITS

NOW: FOCUS ON WHAT YOU CAN EAT