'Spoonfuls of yoghurt' before meals could help you lose weight, claims royal nutritionist
The royals’ go-to nutritionist has revealed a weight loss technique which involves, well, eating a lot of yoghurt – or at least eating it with unusual regularity.
Gabriela Peacock was the women entrusted with devising the Duke of Sussex’s pre-wedding diet, as well as that of Princess Eugenie before her wedding in October last year, according to reports.
But what go-to advice does Peacock, a former model, have for her clients?
One “useful trick” she recommends is to eat “spoonfuls of yoghurts” before breakfast, lunch and dinner, according to a new interview she did with The Telegraph.
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“I tell my clients to eat some spoonfuls of yoghurt before a meal,” Peacock told the publication."By starting your meal with protein as opposed to carbohydrate, you reduce the insulin and blood sugar spikes that come from releasing carbs into your blood stream,” she explains of the logic behind this diet technique.
For those who don’t enjoy yoghurt – or who just want to switch it up a bit – Peacock says a small amount of “cheese or ham” will also do nicely.
As for Peacock’s other advice, she says eating five meals a day can be useful on a weight loss regime – but stresses they must be small ones.
“I suggest breakfast, lunch and light dinners, with snacks in between,” she said in the same interview. "Aiming for flat blood sugar levels without spikes throughout the day is best for weight management. Just eat when you are feeling slightly peckish. You are not supposed to be starving."
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We’ll cheers to that. But how does Peacock’s yoghurt advice stand up with another expert?
Nutritionist Jenna Hope gave her verdict in conversation with Yahoo UK.
She told us she’s all for eating yoghurt as part of a healthy diet.
“Greek yoghurt is a good source of protein which has been shown to keep you fuller for longer. Protein can help to stabilise blood sugar levels too. Yoghurt is also a source of probiotics which is important for maintaining a healthy gut microbiome.
However, she is sceptical of endorsing yoghurt before meals as an effective weight loss “trick”.
“A spoonful is unlikely to have much effect on weight,” she says.
“Weight management is complex, overall diet quality, exercise, sleep and stress all play a role in weight management,” she adds.
“Unfortunately, there is no magic cure to maintaining weight. Health and weight requires a 360 degree approach and one spoonful of yoghurt is not the answer to weight maintenance.”
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Full fat Greek yoghurt – the kind most popularly applauded for its health benefits – contains 146 calories per serving, according to the Nutritionix website.
The NHS website recommends monitoring calorie intake as part of a healthy diet: 2,000 a diet for an average woman, and 2,500 a day for an average man. However, this may vary per person depending on factors such as age, metabolism and levels of physical activity.
