Americans jump from one diet trend to the next. But where has this obsession with healthy eating gotten us? Obesity continues to rise – now affecting one in five Americans. And incredibly, over 60% of American adults are now overweight.1
Somehow, our “diet obsession” has turned us into the fattest people in history. We’ve also seen an explosion of other diet-related problems. Here in my clinic, so many of my new patients just can’t figure out why they’re so tired.
In today’s Health Alert, we’ll look at where we’ve gone wrong. I’ll also give you a few tips for getting back to a more natural routine.
Americans: Overfed but Undernourished
Our tastes naturally guide us to food that’s good for us. Unless our ancestors were starving, they didn’t eat grains because grains didn’t taste good. Without processing, grains are hard, gritty, tasteless and difficult to digest. A natural balance ensued. The grains escaped mammalian predation and we stuck to foods we are adapted to eat.
In the recent low-carb trend, Americans got a little closer to the mark, but they still didn’t hit it. Not all carbohydrates are equal. Vegetables are a great source of carbs. They’re high in fiber, which slows the conversion of carbohydrates into glucose. That’s important because it also slows your body’s release of insulin.
Fruits, nuts, and seeds are good as well. You can eat all these in their natural form and they are all good carbs.
Grains, potatoes, and corn can’t be eaten without processing or cooking and turn out to be problematic. They’re higher in starch and create huge amounts of blood sugar eventually leading to insulin overproduction, which only leads to weight gain.
Lumping vegetables in with grains just because they’re both carbohydrates, ignores these critical differences and just doesn’t make nutritional sense.
We also tend to focus on single foods, sometimes declaring them the path to true health. Take soy for example. Many will tell you that soy prevents heart disease and cancer, lowers cholesterol, and is an all around good thing to eat. But it just ain’t so…
Research links soy to decreased fertility, a higher risk of some cancers, and hormone imbalances. Still, the food industry grabbed hold of some promising study early on, some misleading tidbit of information, and created a booming market for soy. It’s now in 70% of processed foods.4
Revolutionize the Way You Think about Food
Do you think more about what you like to eat – or what you are supposed to avoid? One perspective leads to fulfillment and satisfaction. When you feel good about what you’re eating, you naturally eat less. The other leads to guilt, regret and a propensity to eat more.
First, think about what’s good to eat:
• Eat more protein. Eggs from free-range chickens and grass-fed beef or bison are my favorites.
• Eat more vegetables and fruits.
• Eat more nuts and seeds.
• Enjoy a bit of chocolate now and again. A glass of wine most days won’t hurt either.
Next, how to eat:
• Don’t skip breakfast.
• Make dinner an event. Plan the meal. Invite the family. Set the mood. And enjoy each other’s company as much as you enjoy the meal.
• Chew. Slow down and savor the meal.
• Pause. Set your fork down between bites.
• Pay attention. When you feel comfortable and not hungry, decide to be done.
Eating healthy is as simple as eating the foods you were built to eat. Having a healthy attitude toward food is as simple as enjoying the foods you eat, taking your time to taste them, and not worrying over the meal in front of you as you eat it.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
1 “Overweight and Obesity: At a Glance,” The Department of Health and Human Services. 3/15/2005
2 Sears, Al MD. Eat for Life, (Self Published).
3 Pereira, MA et al. “Effects of a Low-Glycemic Load Diet on Resting Energy Expenditure and Heart Disease Risk Factors During Weight Loss,” JAMA 2004; 292(20): 2482-90
4 “The Truth About Soy,” Dr Joseph Mercola’s eHealthy News. ( www.mercola.com) 12/4/2004