Hallo,
Back again to talk a bit about nutrition and, more specifically, the ever-dreaded word "diet". The origin of the word Diet is Greek; meaning a way of living which encompases more than just food. A healthy "diet" includes exercise, human interaction, well-rounded nutrition, etc. Unfortunately, "diet" evolved to be a dreaded word that meant restrictions and deprivation...with a silver lining of potential to get people to their health goals.
I'm sure any one of you could name off at least three popular mainstream diets. Here are a few, you may be familiar with more than you thought:
1. Dr. Bernstein diet
2. Eat Right for Your Blood Type
3. South Beach Diet
4. The Atkins Diet
5. Macrobiotic Diet
6. Raw Food Diet
7. Weight Watchers Diet
8. The Zone
9. The 5 Factor Diet
My favourites are those that are promoted by celebrities (Atkins, 5-Factor, South Beach) because they are always touted as "celebrity-approved". What does that really mean? It usually means that if you follow it, you can lose a lot of weight very rapidly to get prepared for a role in a movie. Is it something you can maintain over a long period of time? Usually not. Is it tied to a celebrity-sized budget? Usually.
I guess the point I'm trying to make is that people in general have become obsessed with a need to be on the "right" diet and it takes very little to sell them (celebrities...really). If one fad diet didn't work, there is another right behind it that will promise to never let you down like the first one did. But then it does. Now don't get me wrong, I do believe and know that the right nutrients will produce the healthiest you. The "right" diet is one that meets the following criteria:
A) Your body's energy demands (Your Basal Metabolic Rate and the energy you expend during exercise and daily activity)
B) Your lifestyle- time constraints, kids, job, etc
C) Your palate
The reasoning behind A) is fairly obvious. B) plays a huge role as well because if you have kids then you'll likely be making food for them as well and need to pay attention to everyone's likes, dislikes, and energy demands. Furthermore, if you travel a lot with work, don't have a fridge nearby, or don't have lenghtly breaks then the foods you eat need to be convenient in order to be consistent and healthy. C) is a funny one because it is obvious and yet I've found that a lot of people will follow diets and eat foods they otherwise would never touch. The end result is such that you fall off the "diet" set out for you. Just like exercises, there are many options food-wise to get the nutrients you need. In short, in order to be consistent something needs to be convenient AND liked. Small disclaimer: the food in question should also be providing your body with the nutrients needed...we all like cookies and they're convenient but we all know they shouldn't be consistently consumed. Fair, right?
Among the popular mainstream diets there are definitely some good elements in a few of them. The Zone, for example, approaches reduced (starch) carbohydrates from the right angle...The Atkins diet does not. Atkins promoted cutting all carbs to encourage our bodies to metabolize fat (lipolysis) instead. It doesn't quite work that way. When you start exercising or doing much beyond resting, your body wants to metabolize muscle glycogen (Glycolysis) in order to meet the new energy demands. Fat oxidation is a long process as far as the body is concerned. I often use the following analogy to explain these two metabolic processes:
You need to make a phone call and there are two scenarios:
1. You pick up the phone, dial the number, and complete the call. (Glycolysis)
2. You tell coworker A who passes it on to B, who passes it on to C, who passes it on to D, who passes it on to E who then completes the call. (Lypolysis)
What we need to remember is that we're built extraordinarily well as humans. In a case like the Atkins diet, our body will win over in the end because it NEEDS carbohydrates to survive and if it had a point of view it would think we were idiots for wanting to cut out something so imperative to our existence. Too much carb (or other macronutrient) starvation and a body will not only suffer lowered muscular performance but reduced brain function as well.
I'll leave with one last thought- that of comparing macronutrients to car parts:
- The Engine parts are protein.
- Gas is Carbohydrates.
- Oil is Healthy Fat.
- Coolant is Water.
They're all needed to make a car run right? In that sense, humans are no different. Treat your bodies well, they dictate everything else we can and cannot do in life!
xoxo,
F
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