Fad diets are killing us. That is right; fad diets are
killing us. Well, maybe that is too grand of an
introduction to this month's fitness article, but
nonetheless, fad diets aren't doing anything to help
us live better, longer lives.
What I am saying is that way back in a day, maybe
along about the early 90's, we all were told that fat
in our diet is bad for us. Further, we learned that if
we could take that fat out of our diets, we would all
lose weight and be much healthier.
Later on down the road, carbs became the enemy.
Everyone became carbophobes and many of us
started cutting and slashing carbs of every sort from
our diet. All of a sudden, bread was bad, sugar was
sinful and potatoes might as well have been cupcakes.
Do you remember those days? Perhaps you are still
thinking that following a fat free diet or a carb free
diet is the way to lose weight. In fact, if you do still
believe that way, I would venture a guess that you
have tried these diets many times over and have not
had the ultimate success that you expected. Yet,
every so often, I bet you go right back to trying to
accomplish your weight loss goals with these same
old diets.
Aren't you tired of the same old diet efforts, over
and
over? Are you ready to have some carbs and not
have to feel guilty about eating them? How about
actually adding some fat to your diet and not feeling
like you have just ruined your plans to get in shape?
The good news is that contrary to these "fad" diets
that eliminate most all fat from your diet or keep you
from enjoying most all carbs, there is another way; in
fact, a healthier, more effective way. All that is
required is that you know and understand the
different types of fats and carbs.
As far as dietary fats go, there are good ones and
not so good ones. In general, reducing and even
eliminating fats known as "saturated fats" from the
diet. These may be found in high levels in foods such
as beef, pork, milk, butter, cheese and many others.
Interestingly, there are variations of all these foods
that would allow you to enjoy them without the bad
fat. For example, use ultra-lean beef, pork tenderloin,
skim milk, margarine and fat free cheese.
There are also dietary fats that may actually help
you become healthier. These include fats known
as "poly and monounsaturated." They are generally
from plant or plant oils and can be found in safflower,
sesame and sunflower seeds, corn and soybeans,
many nuts and seeds, and their oils, canola, olive and
peanut oils, and avocados. These fats should be
chosen over the less healthy saturated fats.
Now, what about those annoying carbs? We all know
that eating carbs makes us fat, right? Wrong. It's
not
the fact that you are eating carbs, it's they type of
carbs that you are eating that you should consider.
For our purposes, let's consider two types of carbs,
simple and complex.
Simple carbs are the type that enters your body
(actually, we choose to put them there, but that's
another article) and very quickly convert to glucose
(blood sugar) in your system. Foods that are contain
simple carbs include table sugar, cookies, sodas,
refined white bread, sugary cereals etc. These are
the ones to either avoid or use very infrequently.
The complex carbs are ones that the body has to
work harder to convert into glucose. They include
whole grains, vegetables, brown rice, beans and
many fruits. These carbs are the less refined, more
natural choices that your body will use for longer-
term energy and glycogen replacement after hard
workouts. You are working out, right?
You can see that eating a diet composed of the
proper fats and carbohydrates can be very healthy
for you. You should also consider keeping a balance
in your diet with the proper amount of dietary
protein. The proper daily level of protein for you will
vary depending on factors such as age, weight,
activity level and types of exercise. However, by
choosing complex carbs and healthy fats, you will
also be able to get some quality protein as well. Food
choices such as lean meats, skim milk, nuts, beans
and fat free cheeses have protein in them.
So doing the latest fad diet may not kill you, but
hopefully you don't feel like they are the best way
to
get fit and healthy. I would rather you be a follower
of the original fad diet called "healthy eating." It
really does work! Choose healthy fats over less
healthy ones and try to consume complex carbs over
the refined, simple ones and I think you will be
surprised at how your personal health and even your
body fat level will change for the better.
