"Potent" is a big word for any food. A fair way to test it is a study that followed what people actually ate and what happened to their weight over many years. One such study came up with five foods on the right side of the scale.
Where the five foods come from
In 2011 a team led by Mozaffarian, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, published an analysis of three long-running American cohorts in the New England Journal of Medicine (PubMed 21696306). Together they covered 120,877 women and men who were not obese when they started, with follow-up running from 1986 to 2006 in two of the groups and 1991 to 2003 in the third.
The researchers looked at weight change in four-year blocks. In each block, people gained 3.35 lb on average, which is about 1.5kg. Then they asked which foods went with more of that gain, and which went with less, when someone ate one more serving a day.
Five foods came out with less gain. Here they are, from the strongest link to the weakest.
1. Yogurt
Each extra daily serving of yogurt went with 0.82 lb less weight change over four years. That was the largest figure of the five, though it is still under half a kilo.
2. Nuts
An extra daily serving of nuts went with 0.57 lb less. A second source tested nuts directly. A 2013 meta-analysis of 33 clinical trials (PubMed 23595878) found that diets with nuts added did not increase body weight, BMI or waist size compared with control diets. The pooled weight change was -0.47kg, but that figure was not statistically significant, so the fair reading is "no gain" rather than "loss".
3. Fruit
Fruit came third, at 0.49 lb less per extra daily serving. The abstract does not break fruit down by type, so it says nothing about dates on their own.
The NHS does count dates, though. On its 5 A Day page, a 30g portion of dried fruit, "such as currants, dates, sultanas and figs", counts as one portion, but it should be eaten at mealtimes, not as a snack between meals, to reduce the impact on teeth. For fresh, canned or frozen fruit the portion is 80g.
That 30g is worth weighing once. USDA FoodData Central lists Medjool dates at 277 kcal per 100g, so a 30g portion comes to about 83 kcal. Deglet Noor is almost the same, at 282 kcal per 100g, or about 85 kcal for 30g. A portion fits easily into a meal. A jar left open on the desk is a different matter.
4. Whole grains
Whole grains went with 0.37 lb less per extra daily serving. One way to act on that is to swap some of the white rice, white bread or refined noodles in a week for their wholegrain versions, rather than adding a new food on top.
5. Vegetables
Vegetables were fifth, at 0.22 lb less. There is a catch hiding in the same results. Potatoes went the other way, with 1.28 lb more gain per extra daily serving, and potato chips topped the list of foods linked with gain, at 1.69 lb. The NHS 5 A Day page also leaves potatoes out of its vegetable portions, so the two sources agree that the potato is a separate case.
How potent is potent?
Honestly, not very, one food at a time. None of the five reached a full pound per serving over four years. The bigger number sits in the whole pattern. Across the five groups (quintiles) of overall diet change, weight change differed by 3.93 lb.
Keep in mind that this was an observational study. It shows which foods went with less weight gain in these cohorts after adjusting for other habits. It does not prove that yogurt or nuts caused the difference. The same analysis also tied weight change to physical activity, sleep and hours of television, which is a reminder that no single food carries the result.
So the useful version of this post's title is a swap list rather than five magic foods. Choose yogurt over a sweet drink, a small handful of nuts over chips, a fruit portion with lunch, wholegrain over white, and more vegetables that are not potatoes.
Buying dates in Malaysia
Dates Supplier Malaysia sells at both retail and wholesale prices and delivers across Malaysia, according to its about us page. For a quote, the contact page points you to WhatsApp. You can find more reading on dates on the Dates Supplier blog.
The older version of this post linked to https://KurmaHarga.com, and that link stays here for anyone who used it.
This article is general information, not personal advice. If you are planning a big change to how you eat, talk to your GP or a dietitian first.