How to Achieve Weight Loss Healthily

How to achieve weight loss healthily. Learn more in our easy-to-understand videos on the latest research.

The largest study ever to compare the obesity rates of those eating plant-based diets was published in North America. Meat eaters topped the charts with an average body mass index (BMI) of 28.8—close to being obese. Flexitarians (people who ate meat more on a weekly basis rather than daily) did better at a BMI of 27.3, but were still overweight. With a BMI of 26.3, pesco-vegetarians (people who avoid all meat except fish) did better still. Even U.S. vegetarians tend to be marginally overweight, coming in at 25.7. The only dietary group found to be of ideal weight were those eating strictly plant-based (the “vegans”), whose BMI averaged 23.6.

People who had once eaten vegetarian diets but then started to consume meat at least once a week were found in one study to experience a 146 percent increase in odds of heart disease, a 152 percent increase in stroke, a 166 percent increase in diabetes, and a 231 percent increase in odds for weight gain.

But vegetarians may suffer high rates of chronic disease if they eat a lot of processed foods. Take India, for example, where rates of diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and stroke have increased far faster than might have been expected given its relatively small increase in per-capita meat consumption. This has been blamed in part on the apparent shift from brown rice to white and substitution of other refined carbohydrates, packaged snacks, and fast-food products for India’s traditional staples of lentils, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.

The dividing line between weight loss-promoting, health-promoting, and disease-promoting foods may be less plant- versus animal-sourced foods and more whole plant foods versus most everything else.

A dietary quality index was developed that simply reflects the percentage of calories people derive from nutrient-rich, unprocessed plant foods on a scale of 0 to 100. The higher the score, the more body fat may be lost over time and the lower the risk may be of abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high triglycerides. The standard American diet was found to rate 11 out of 100. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates, 32 percent of our calories comes from animal foods, 57 percent from processed plant foods, and only 11 percent from whole grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, and nuts. That means on a scale of one to ten, the American diet would rate about a one.

For more in-depth data on this topic, check out Dr. Greger’s book, How Not to Diet. It hones in on the optimal criteria to enable weight loss while considering how these foods actually affect our health and longevity.

For substantiation of any statements of fact from the peer-reviewed medical literature, please see the associated videos below.

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All Videos for Weight Loss

Dr. Greger's books How Not to Age and How Not to Diet

Daily Dozen Diet Put to the Test for Weight Loss

What did a pilot study on How Not to Die’s Daily Dozen and How Not to Diet’s 21 Tweaks find?

Regulators Put the Squeeze on Juice Plus+

The Better Business Bureau and Federal Trade Commission explore the claims of Juice Plus+, a multi-level marketing company.

The Risks and Benefits of Mild Trendelenburg Position to Reduce Body Fat

Other than a “space headache,” what might be the downsides of sleeping at a slight head-down tilt to accelerate fat loss?

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How Much Water Should You Drink Every Day to Lose Weight?

When we get dehydrated, the shrinkage of our blood volume can lead to the release of angiotensin, which can lead to weight gain.

A person drinking water wearing exercise clothing

Does Drinking More Water Help You Lose Weight?

Those who stay hydrated tend to maintain a healthier body weight, but is it cause and effect?

How Much Exercise Does It Take to Improve Aging Cognitive Function?

If the relationship between exercise and dementia prevention is cause-and-effect, as much as 20 percent of Alzheimer’s disease may be attributable to physical inactivity.

How to Preserve Your Sense of Smell

Loss of sense of smell can have serious consequences.

The Secret to Weight Loss Through Exercise

Exercise ramps up appetite, helping to explain why calories burned don’t necessarily equal calories lost, so how can we lose weight through physical activity?

The Exercise “Myth” for Weight Loss

Why is it so hard to outrun a bad diet?

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How Much Licorice Is Safe?

Eating licorice or drinking licorice tea can cause the loss of body fat by blocking the effects of a stress hormone, but at what cost?

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Diet and Caloric Restriction for Longevity—The Monkey Trials

How can we make sense of the disparate results from the four primate studies on caloric restriction and lifespan?

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Acid Reflux Medicine May Cause Osteoporosis

Stomach acid–blocking proton pump inhibitor drugs—PPIs with brand names like Prilosec, Prevacid, Nexium, Protonix, and AcipHex—appear to significantly increase the risk of bone fractures.

The Risks and Benefits of Mindfulness for Weight Loss

Contrary to popular perception, the evidence for even the most well-founded benefits of mindfulness meditation is not entirely conclusive.

Mindful Eating vs. Cognitive Defusion for Food Cravings

Of all the mindfulness skills, cognitive defusion appears to be the most effective, simple, and efficient approach to manage food cravings.

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Which Foods Are the Most Anti-Angiogenic?

For cancer prevention, researchers suggest “constant consumption” of anti-angiogenic foods.

Targeting Angiogenesis to Lose Weight

Expanding body fat releases blood supply-generating factors that may end up hooking up tumors, too.

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Are Beyond Meat Plant-Based Meat Alternatives Healthy?

The SWAP-MEAT study puts Beyond Meat products to the test.

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Fecal Transplants for Aging and Weight Loss

Does poop from centenarians have anti-aging properties?

Assortment of whole food plant-based foods

Fasting to Detox

How might we help flush the pollutants stored in our fat that come spilling out into our bloodstream during weight loss?

How Hot Peppers May Extend Your Life

Spice can hack your brain by making foods taste saltier.

Better to Exercise Before or After Meals for Weight Loss and Blood Sugar Control?

If people burn more fat on the days they exercise before eating, rather than afterwards, why doesn’t this translate into more weight loss?

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The Best Time to Exercise for Weight Loss

Burn off significantly more body fat exercising before meals, rather than after them.

Improving VO2 Max: A Look at Vegetarian and Vegan Athletes

Plant-based diets improve the performance of athletes and nonathletes alike.

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Fat-Blocking Benefits of Hibiscus Tea

What did a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of hibiscus tea for weight loss find?

Plant-Based Diet for Treating and Reversing Stage 3 Kidney Disease

I share a touching story of the power of plant-based eating for chronic kidney failure.

A Case of Stage 3 Cancer Reversal with Fasting

I go over a case report of water-only fasting, followed by a whole food, plant-based diet for follicular lymphoma.

Is Swimming Good for Weight Loss?

Exercising in cool water or under cool conditions on land can lead to an increase in post-workout calorie intake.

Round bowl of beans, greens, and other whole foods on a white surface

The Impacts of Plant-Based Diets on Breast Cancer and Prostate Cancer

Why do people who eat more plants get less breast and prostate cancer?

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Vinegar for Blood Sugar Control and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) Treatment

Apple cider vinegar may help with ovulatory function in those with PCOS.

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Does Getting Enough Sleep Help You Lose Weight?

Even getting just one more hour of sleep a night may help with weight control.

Does Lack of Sleep Cause You to Gain Weight?

Those randomized to 8.5 hours of sleep a night lost significantly more body fat than those who got 5.5 hours.

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The Best Diet for Fibromyalgia and Other Chronic Pain Relief

Anti-inflammatory diets can be effective in alleviating chronic pain syndromes.

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The Fat-Blocking and Appetite-Suppressing Effects of Thylakoids

What is a natural way to cut down on unhealthy food cravings?

Photo of Dr. Greger and video title on a green background

Answering Your Questions About Cholesterol and Diabetes

I answer some common questions I’ve been asked about cholesterol and diabetes, such as “What is the ideal LDL?” “What’s going on when someone eats healthfully but their glucose is still out of control?”

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Using the Cigarette Tax Playbook Against Big Food

How might we replicate one of our great public health victories—the reduction of smoking rates—in the field of nutrition?

Is Allulose a Healthy Sweetener?

Are rare sugars like allulose a healthy alternative for traditional sweeteners?

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The Impacts of Weight Bias in Health Care

How might weight stigma be a vicious cycle?

Weight Bias: Hating Their Guts

How common is weight stigmatization in health care?

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Pomegranate: A Natural Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Pomegranates are put to the test for weight loss, diabetes, COPD, prostate cancer, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Onions Put to the Test for Weight Loss, Cholesterol, and PCOS Treatment

Weight loss, cholesterol, and PCOS treatment with diet. What can an eighth of a teaspoon a day of onion powder do for body fat, and what can raw red onion do for cholesterol?

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