Throughout the years we have seen our fair share of diet fads: The Cabbage Soup Diet, The Apple Cider Vinegar Diet, Hollywood Cookie Diet, even the Twinkie Diet and sometimes they "work". If you define work as losing weight rather than becoming healthier. Lets face it, we could all drop weight pretty easily by not eating. Is that healthy? Of course not, but it works.
What we need to create is a SUSTAINABLE and REALISTIC nutrition plan (notice the omission of the word "diet" because of its negative connotation. We associate "diet" with deprivation and in truth, a healthy diet should be a satisfying way to nourish and replenish your body's resources.) We can begin doing that by understanding the BIG 3 MACRONUTRIENTS: Carbohydrates, Fats, and Proteins. I am not a nutritionist but I am a trial and error expert.
One of the biggest fad diet offenders who's "principles" condemn one of the Big 3 is the Atkins Diet. In its hay day, the Atkins Diet's popularity was largely due to the immediate results people saw when beginning this program (you know we like a quick fix). This once popular diet has now been referred to as the "Nightmare Diet" by the American College of Nutrition. The basic takeaway most of us got from this artery clogging experiment is that "carbs are the devil". I have a vivid memory of the Molly Shannon on the original Rosie O'Donnell Show being praised for all the weight she lost following this diet and the teenage me believed this was the answer.
Now, my basic knowledge of nutrition helps me understand that calories are energy; what you don't need is stored for later use. The foundation of weight loss after all is calories in vs. calories out. Have no fear we are not doomed to a life of calorie counting (although I am a firm believer in food journaling made easier thanks to the scanner option on the myfitnesspal app).
We need to get the most out of the calories we take in which means that choosing foods with the lowest calories per serving (aka my previous M.O.) is not always the best option. Although I do appreciate being able to add flavor to a food without adding calories I need to remind myself that when the stats read: NO CALORIES/NO CARBOHYDRATES/ NO FAT it really means NO NUTRITIONAL VALUE.
Lets take the Big 3 one at a time starting with my favorite, CARBOHYDRATES. I used to joke that I am a reformed carb-o-holic when what I really mean is that I am a reformed REFINED carb-o-holic. This isn't breaking news refined carbs are a misnomer. They sound fancy but refined really means stripped of most nutrients. Basically, simple carbs (think refined sugar, white flour, and white rice to name a few) lead to a spike in blood sugar because they are introduced into the blood stream rapidly whereas complex carbs (fruit, grains, nuts, legumes, etc) have to be broken down delaying the process and keeping you satisfied for longer. In Skinny Chicks Eat Real Food, author Christine Avanti goes into further detail but one key point is that carbs are a necessary component of a balanced nutrition plan; maybe they're not the carbs you know but its time to make some new choices.
LIVE GRAINS sound like something out of a horror movie; at least they did to me. I have been reading up and I am so glad I found the Ezekiel breads. You can find them in your freezer section of your grocery store because their shelf life is very short. At first glance this sounds like something you should be skeptical of. Think about it, if something has a long shelf life that is code for lots of preservatives- if something can survive a nuclear bomb then imagine what its doing you your body. This is one rule I remind myself of often in the grocery store:
So why live grains? My favorite brand, Ezekiel's breads have sprouted grains (active in the growth process) which increases their vitamin and nutrient content making the grains easier to digest and scoring them low on the glycemic index. The combination of Ezekiel's sprouted grains and legumes create a complete protein. This high protein quality contains 18 amino acids including ALL 9 essential amino acids (those the body can't produce). Its truly the greatest thing since sliced bread!
