Introduction
Myths about food and beliefs are engraved within society and affect nutrition. The idea of skipping meals for weight loss has been circulating over the years. The theory originates from the reality that weight reduction is dependent on minimized calories in food consumed. This suggests that foods rich in calories increase weight, therefore skipping meals contributes to weight loss as a result of decreased body metabolic activity due to decreased consumption of food. The assumption is that the more the consumption of food, the more the calories thus translating into weight gain. This essay analyzes the correlation between weight loss and metabolism to establish whether skipping meals can cause reduction in weight.
The essay also investigates whether whole milk is healthier than low fat and skim milk. Ordinarily, skim milk and low fat milk are altered with the removal of fat. More fats in the body increase the levels of cholesterol thus increasing the chances of vascular problems and heart failure. The discussion aims at discovering whether the theories provide a strong evidence-based support to their assumptions. If not, then what are the other support systems that rule out these theories from being definitive.
Weight Loss and Metabolism
Losing one pound of weight requires about 3500 calories to be eliminated. Foods rich in calories therefore need to be eliminated from the diet. When food is consumed, it undergoes the process of digestion and absorption in the digestive tract. Most of it is utilized in the body for various metabolic processes including the provision of energy (Barley et al., 2018). The excess fats are converted into ketone bodies by the process of ketogenesis. During fasting, these ketone bodies are then broken down by the process of ketosis. The stored fats in form of ketone bodies are utilized by the body for energy and other metabolic activities. In the process, more calories are burned down from the body thus contributing to weight loss due to the depletion of stored fats. The idea of skipping meals for weight loss draws its assumption from the explanation above. Other studies suggest that those who skip meals experience decreased levels of glucose in their bodies and thus they become very hungry (Nagata et al., 2019). Upon consumption of food, these people take more than necessary, compared to if they had not skipped meals in the first place.
The metabolism process is more active when food is consumed. The process of metabolism depends on the consumed food so that it becomes activated. When meals are skipped, the metabolism process is inactivated due to a lack of food to be metabolized (Welton et al., 2020). The stored calories cannot be burned down due to the inactivity of the metabolism, meaning the idea to skip meals cannot effectively contribute to weight loss, rather, it can lead to retention of the weight or even weight gain.
Beneficial Aspects of Skipping Meals
Research studies show that skipping meals can be beneficial to overweight individuals. It is also known as intermittent fasting. Overweight individuals who miss some meals ordinarily have lower cholesterol. Low cholesterol in the body leads to reduces risks of developing atherosclerosis, which can lead to decreased chances of developing heart failure and heart attack (Bonnet et al., 2020). Another importance is the reduction of oxidative stress from hydrogen peroxides and increased antioxidants thus increasing the catabolism of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids from the body. Catabolism of proteins from the body decreases muscle mass and eventually weight loss. Skipping meals can ensure one reduces their body weight but this requires strict adherence to set regimens.
The Negative Aspects of Skipping Meals
Skipping meals alters the normal eating pattern. Those who skip meals tend to crave foods high in sugar and fats. Once the body believes that it is starving, it will eventually crave foods with more calories to provide the energy the body needs to be alert and active (Ma et al., 2020). This is caused by the altered metabolism which can cause weight increase and raised fasting glucose and hindered insulin response. The two are the major risk factors for the development of diabetes.
Whole Milk Versus Reduced Fat Milk and Skim Milk
Whole milk ordinarily has its fat content intact, at about 3.5% and it is thick when compared to skim milk. On the other hand, reduced-fat milk contains 2% of fat. Skim milk which is fat-free contains no fat at all. The taste of skim milk is somehow altered and it has lower calories levels (Engel et al., 2017). Both reduced and skim fats maintain an almost identical quantity of proteins but lose some vitamins. Vitamins like vitamin A and Vitamin D are added during the process of fortification (Engel et al., 2017). This ensures milk is more nutritious and fit for human consumption.
The protein content for whole milk, low-fat milk, and skim milk is similar. Reduced-fat milk and skim milk have a similar quantity of calcium which is lesser than the value in whole milk. Skim milk has a higher potassium content than both whole milk and reduced-fat milk (Gallier et al., 2020). Whole milk is composed of 5% vitamin A and 24% vitamin D (Gallier et al., 2020). After fortification, reduced-fat milk has more daily value for vitamin A and vitamin D in comparison with whole milk (O’Sullivan et al., 2020). Skim milk comprises more vitamin A and D than both reduced-fat milk after fortification, and whole milk.
The fortification of reduced-fat milk and skin milk confers them with less caloric content and greater vitamins A and D composition than whole milk. The saturation of fats is also reduced in skim milk and reduced-fat milk (Schmidt et al., 2020). Studies show that saturated milk raises the levels of cholesterol in the blood and thus increases the chances of heart conditions like heart failure and heart attack (Vanderhout et al., 2019). Although reduced-fat milk and skim milk have minimal calories, they encompass extra added sugar than whole milk and the sugar is detrimental to the body. Other studies suggest that saturated fat in whole milk offers greater satiety than skim milk or reduced-fat milk.
Added vitamins in skim milk and reduced-fat milk ensure enriched vision, immune system, and reproduction offered by vitamin A. Vitamin A is also essential for the lungs, heart, kidneys, and other organs to function well. Vitamin D is important in the regulation of calcium and phosphate levels in the body. Both calcium and phosphates are essential in keeping bones, teeth, and muscles healthy. The lack of these vitamins can lead to deformities like rickets in children and bony pains caused by osteomalacia in adults. The eventual outcome of this deficiency is unhealthy human beings whose capabilities are impaired.
Conclusion
Skipping meals can contribute to weight loss but it is not an effective method. Many factors have to be considered before choosing what method to undertake in the process of losing weight. skipping meals has a positive effect on the breakdown of calories but it harms the metabolism process. This whole process thus has both negative and positive implications. The best recommendation is not to skip the meals fully but by reducing the ratio of the meals for the process of metabolism to continue to be active so that stored calories can be burned down in the process.
Low-fat milk and skim milk are healthier than whole milk because of the reduced calories and added vitamins. This is also true at some levels but then, at the time of fortification, more sugars are added to the skim milk and these high levels of sugar are not good for human health. The best recommendation is to consume the milk depending on the body’s requirements. Those who want to gain weight should consume more whole milk than skim milk and low-fat milk. Those who have bone problems and calcium imbalances should consume more skim milk and low-fat milk because of the added vitamins essential for both phosphate and calcium regulation in the blood.
Lastly, the internet has brought diverse knowledge regarding various entities. Different research papers have different implications for different entities but that does not mean that they are telling us the truth. It is therefore important to research both positive and negative implications of the preferred entity so that at every given point, we can be able to determine the right direction to undertake depending on the circumstances. A good example is from the research above; depending on whether we want to gain or lose weight, an appropriate approach needs to be taken for an end good result.
References
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