If anyone knows anything about fitness, it's that a low fat diet is the healthiest way to avoid serious diseases, right? Maybe wrong.
In many instances quality research has shown just the opposite?that a low fat diet, sometimes even a vegetarian diet, can be harmful to your health. Although vegetarian and low-fat diets have been proven to reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels, they have not demonstrated significant reductions in deaths from any disease.
The Low-Fat Approach
Popular diets of today encouraging low-fat approaches, such as the diets of Dr. Pritkin, Dr. Ornish, Macrobiotics, and Weight Watchers, are generally effective with weight-loss and reduction in blood fats. The low-fat approach has even been proven to overcome serious illness successfully.
But the majority of dieters find these plans difficult to stick with. And most research trials have not shown these diets effective in decreasing death rates from diseases in general, long-term.
Fats in a meal make you feel more 'full'. They slow the time it takes for your stomach to empty, thus ensuring you will not feel hungry too soon.
Generally, high-carb, low-fat meals have the opposite effect. The stomach empties quicker and insulin levels increase following the meal. This means you may be hungry sooner than you'd like.
Research shows the higher insulin levels of a low-fat, high-carb diet may predispose you to adult onset diabetes, hypoglycemia, and even heart disease.
The Low-Carb Approach
These diets claim that limiting carbs, like sugars, grains, fruits, and some vegetables, is the solution. The Atkins Diet, South Beach Diet, and even the Zone Diet all suggest if you cut out the carbs or have a balance of fat/carbs/protein in every meal, you will experience weight loss and better health. Many dedicated dieters find this to be true.
Although a low-carb diet can cause weight loss, the goal of any program should be life long radiant health. It is still up for debate if this approach leads to any significant health advantages. It is possible to hasten heart disease, arthritis, cancer, and aging with a diet too high in the wrong fats and too low in essential nutrients from various fruits and veggies.
Many health care professionals find it difficult to prescribe to either of the above theories. If there is no definitive answer in either direction that is indisputable, then there must be a middle ground.
A Healthy Solution for Everyone
It is difficult to imagine that reducing intake of the wonderful fruits and vegetables that keep people well is the way to a healthy future. Research will back this up. The average American already ingests too little fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other factors present in whole, unprocessed fruits and vegetables.
In much of our history, it was rare to have many of the diseases we live with today. Most people in native cultures eating diets dictated by availability experienced vibrant health. Their death was caused by accidents, bacterial or viral diseases, or by old age. Very few died of our number one killers: cardiovascular disease and cancer.
People did not begin to experience heart disease and cancer in such great numbers until the advent of our more modern diet and lifestyle customs.
These "advances" included:
With the human tampering of food overall health took an undeniable turn for the worse.
Almost exclusively we now eat, even in so called 'healthy' or 'organic' foods, the following: refined products, products with added sugar, preservatives, additives, petroleum products, animal products laden with antibiotics and hormones, and animals that are fed diets that they would never eat in the wild (wild cattle do not eat other cattle, poultry by-products, or even grains; cattle eat grass).
Native cultures worldwide, before being indoctrinated with more westernized food choices, eat remarkably similar diets.
Since many food products spoil without refrigeration or freezing, most people fermented their foods. This supplies necessary probiotic bacteria, which many people supplement with today since we eat natural fermented foods so infrequently.
Whether or not they inhabited the same regions, most people ate a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and animal products in season. Very few societies tip the scales by eating mostly animal products (Inuit cultures) or mostly vegetarian (a few tribes in Africa and South America).
The similarities that bind the historical human diet together are:
Wisdom passed down through the ages says that a varied diet with foods found abundant in nature is best. In almost all cultures this means a diet, as available, of fresh or dried wild meats and fish, fermented cheeses, fresh whole or fermented milk, butter, eggs, fresh, dried, or fermented fruits, fresh or fermented vegetables, whole grains (these were fermented normally, even if dried), some beans, and water or fermented beverages to drink.
It is interesting to note that instead of eating fresh foods or those naturally fermented, we chose to cook or destroy what could spoil in our foods then add additives and preservatives. Are these 'foods' as digestible? Do they supply the same nutrients? Does the magic number of carbohydrates versus fats or proteins really matter? What if the answer lies in ancient wisdom and thousands of years of knowledge?
Something to think about.
About The Author
For more information or questions on related topics, please visit www.mywebnd.com. Get all your health questions answered from a licensed Naturopathic physician without the wait for an office visit. Well-researched, reliable information is now available and easy to find.
shuttle to Midway Beardstown .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareWhile exercising isn't complicated, it's very easy to make mistakes.... Read More
We all encounter those hosts and hostesses who feel it... Read More
Who really wants to lose weight? None of us, right?... Read More
Weight loss surgery is fast becoming a very popular way... Read More
Self-acceptance and body love can be tough concepts to grasp... Read More
Weight loss, diets and "carbs" are common household topics. There... Read More
When we hear all the success stories of the gastric... Read More
After patients have had gastric bypass surgery comes a very... Read More
FINDING THE PERFECT DIETArriving at the Perfect Diet is no... Read More
We hear it all the time?lose weight for your health.... Read More
It seems there are two schools of behavior patients follow... Read More
Many patients of gastric bypass report feeling fearful of succeeding... Read More
Are you one of the many people who feel frustrated... Read More
As parents who've had gastric bypass we face many challenges... Read More
A new survey has found that heel pain caused by... Read More
What is "too young" to begin a weight loss program... Read More
Phentermine, like many other prescription drugs, works with chemicals called... Read More
For the past several years one subject has been coming... Read More
WARNING: Don't weight train until after you've lost weight! No,... Read More
Things get so confusing when it comes to understanding what... Read More
? Can you give me an exercise that will get... Read More
What do you think of the hundreds of weight loss... Read More
Are you just exploding with the presence of light all... Read More
Any dietary plan on the market has some portion of... Read More
I received a telephone call from a lady last week.... Read More
Green Bay Hummer H2 SUV rentals ..Negative thoughts, symbolic protection, being who we really are ........ Read More
The diet that worked for meI have had a lot... Read More
Before you try starving yourself or turning to diet drugs... Read More
While exercising isn't complicated, it's very easy to make mistakes.... Read More
Make sure that no more than a quarter of your... Read More
THE 200 POINT SYSTEMWith so many different diets available, how... Read More
Atkins Nutritionals recently announced that they are filing for Chapter... Read More
If you're serious about losing weight and getting fit, you... Read More
I've worked with hundreds of people who were interested in... Read More
Do you know anybody who does not wish to get... Read More
Diet pills have met with many different fates, and come... Read More
Your brain has this really interesting system that is kind... Read More
It's definitely no fun to lose weight -- put it... Read More
Any dietary plan on the market has some portion of... Read More
The overweight and obesity epidemic is a worldwide problem. There... Read More
Cellulite - Reduce The Appearance --------------------------------- Sallie Elizabeth has always... Read More
Did you ever think about the fact that losing 2... Read More
Some of my dieting tips are not conventional. You can... Read More
You don't realize it, but in the next few minutes... Read More
"Life would be perfect if only I was thin." That... Read More
A reader recently wrote to ask why I don't include... Read More
Even if you're not overweight, you still could have a... Read More
Everyone is looking for the secret to losing weight. Everyone... Read More
Fat burners have become very popular in today's society, especially... Read More
The cost of gastric bypass surgery and other bariatric surgical... Read More
Weight Loss |