Let me make clear: I'm not a health professional or nutritionist. Just someone who's read, studied and reasoned about food as it relates to health, and these are the conclusions I've come to. Here is my approach to healthy eating.
- As much as possible, eat food that is as close as possible to the way God (or nature, if you will) made it. Whether you believe it's God, Nature, or the Universe, it makes sense that our bodies were made to run best on the foods this planet provides. Any time Man starts messing around with molecules, he's bound to wade into some waters where he doesn't know as much as he thinks he does. (Think DDT, partially hydrogenated oils, and high fructose corn syrup.)
- Every meal should have a balance of protein and good carbs. Harvard School of Public Health sums it up nicely:
- Healthy fats used liberally; trans fats never; and other fats in reasonable moderation. I do not fear cream and butter! My farming relatives grew up on that stuff, and they are and were some of the healthiest people I know. No heart disease, no cancer. Active and sharp-minded to a ripe old age.
- Counting calories is pointless. But that's not a free pass to pig out, either. Portion control makes sense.
- Eat more non-starchy veggies! (The one I find hardest to fulfill.) Not sure what qualifies? Here's a list.
- Any food made with white flour or white sugar should be a rarity. High fructose corn syrup is right out.
- It's okay to splurge on big holidays and special occasions. National Dance Like a Chicken Day is neither.
(I also like Ellyn Satter's definition of normal eating.)
This, for me, is a pretty workable plan. There might be faster ways to lose weight, but I'd rather have a plan I can live with for the rest of my life. I don't know much about his practice, but I like what Dr. Yoni Freedhoff says about this:
Nutrition and Fitness Resources
Nutrition Data. Type any food in the search box at the top, and you'll get a page of comprehensive nutrition info about that food, including its carb/fat/protein ratio, glycemic load, and vitamin content. See this post for more info, as well as a second site for comparing two foods side-by-side.
Harvard School of Public Health Dept. of Nutrition. They were bold enough to refute the ridiculously unhelpful "Food Pyramid," and -- get this! -- based on actual research! In 2011, the USDA switched their recommendation to "MyPlate."
How low is low carb? A brief clarification of the terms "low carb" and "moderate carb."
Be a sugar sleuth. Learn about all the ways sugar hides in cereal and other processed foods in this easy-to-understand article from Harvard School of Public Health.
Nutrition & Metabolism. A medical journal which, if you have the stomach for it (ha ha!), has a wealth of information about nutrition, obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
Don't fear the fat in nuts! Studies reveal that you can reduce your risk of devleping diabetes by almost 30% by including nuts in your diet 5 days a week.
Calculate your target heart rate. Here's a nifty little tool: use a slider to input your age and resting heart rate, and it tells you what heart rate you should be aiming for in various kinds of exercise.
An infographic on why a bagel with low-fat cream cheese will make you fatter than bacon and eggs.
Kalyn's Kitchen. Great source of South-Beach-friendly recipes.
- As much as possible, eat food that is as close as possible to the way God (or nature, if you will) made it. Whether you believe it's God, Nature, or the Universe, it makes sense that our bodies were made to run best on the foods this planet provides. Any time Man starts messing around with molecules, he's bound to wade into some waters where he doesn't know as much as he thinks he does. (Think DDT, partially hydrogenated oils, and high fructose corn syrup.)
- Healthy fats used liberally; trans fats never; and other fats in reasonable moderation. I do not fear cream and butter! My farming relatives grew up on that stuff, and they are and were some of the healthiest people I know. No heart disease, no cancer. Active and sharp-minded to a ripe old age.
- Any food made with white flour or white sugar should be a rarity. High fructose corn syrup is right out.
- It's okay to splurge on big holidays and special occasions. National Dance Like a Chicken Day is neither.
(I also like Ellyn Satter's definition of normal eating.)
This, for me, is a pretty workable plan. There might be faster ways to lose weight, but I'd rather have a plan I can live with for the rest of my life. I don't know much about his practice, but I like what Dr. Yoni Freedhoff says about this:
So why do people gain [weight back after losing it] if it's so important to them? [There may be other factors], but I think the bigger reason is because they've likely chosen inane methods of loss and maintenance.... To lose their weight they've gone on highly restrictive diets... they're regularly white-knuckling through hunger and cravings, they've set ridiculous Boston Marathon style goals for their losses, and they often possess... all-or-nothing attitudes towards their efforts. In short? They've chosen suffering as their weight management modality.
Suffering as their plan? Go figure it ain't working....
My weight management philosophy has always been rather straightforward: whatever you choose to do to lose your weight, you need to keep doing to keep it off, and therefore choosing a weight loss modality you don't enjoy is just a recipe for regain.
...As far as weight loss and maintenance go there are many different strokes for many different folks, but there is one essential commonality for those who succeed where others fail: if you're going to keep it off, you've got to like how you've lost it, enough to keep doing it.Here are some of my lower-carb recipes.
Nutrition and Fitness Resources
Nutrition Data. Type any food in the search box at the top, and you'll get a page of comprehensive nutrition info about that food, including its carb/fat/protein ratio, glycemic load, and vitamin content. See this post for more info, as well as a second site for comparing two foods side-by-side.
Harvard School of Public Health Dept. of Nutrition. They were bold enough to refute the ridiculously unhelpful "Food Pyramid," and -- get this! -- based on actual research! In 2011, the USDA switched their recommendation to "MyPlate."
How low is low carb? A brief clarification of the terms "low carb" and "moderate carb."
Be a sugar sleuth. Learn about all the ways sugar hides in cereal and other processed foods in this easy-to-understand article from Harvard School of Public Health.
Nutrition & Metabolism. A medical journal which, if you have the stomach for it (ha ha!), has a wealth of information about nutrition, obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
Don't fear the fat in nuts! Studies reveal that you can reduce your risk of devleping diabetes by almost 30% by including nuts in your diet 5 days a week.
Calculate your target heart rate. Here's a nifty little tool: use a slider to input your age and resting heart rate, and it tells you what heart rate you should be aiming for in various kinds of exercise.
An infographic on why a bagel with low-fat cream cheese will make you fatter than bacon and eggs.
Kalyn's Kitchen. Great source of South-Beach-friendly recipes.
