Posts Tagged ‘food groups’

The Truth About Low Carb Dieting

December 1st, 2007

Every day you walk down the street it is becoming more and more apparent that the average person is becoming larger and this trend has escalated over recent years. Why are they getting fatter? Here are some reasons…

Less incidental activity
Automated and computerized lifestyle
Longer working hours and less leisure
Increased consumption of processed foods
Our food servings are larger than ever

Being overweight, or obese, has now moved from a social nuisance and domestic embarrassment to an official disease. The American Heart Association has announced obesity is a major risk for heart disease.

Obesity itself has become a major and dangerous epidemic. More than 70% of US adults are overweight and that figure is rapidly increasing.

What do most people do to rid their body of unwanted fat? They diet! Dieting is now a trillion dollar industry and just about every month a new diet is announced. If you do have weight problems how do you find a diet that is safe, effective and sustainable?

What you do is try to find a diet that includes a variety of foods that you can live with
comfortably. You have to take a long-term view and include plenty of exercise. A good diet is one that supplies all of the essential vitamins and minerals, and is not high in fat or protein.

Research on people, who have successfully lost a lot of weight and kept it off long term, shows that the vast majority succeeded by consuming a low fat diet high in fibre coupled with strength training and cardiovascular activity.

Be wary of diets that

Ban a specific food group
Promise a quick fix
Replace a balanced meal with a drink or a snack bar
Make recommendations based on single studies
Make recommendations to help sell a single product

Excess weight does not appear overnight and nor will it disappear overnight! In fact the faster you lose weight, the more likely you are to pile the pounds back on. Seek out a program that will help you maintain long-term body fat losses by providing attainable solutions such as a program that promotes lifestyle changes, healthy eating and regular exercise.

Regular exercise is important (i.e. strength training) as it burns fat, boosts your

metabolism and also increases your energy levels. Dietary changes can lead to initial
weight loss, but this is only for the short term. Exercise is essential for maintaining weight loss for the long term.

Now lets take a closer look at what food is made up of and then you will have a good idea of what to look for in your daily eating plan. Firstly we need a wide range of nutrients to perform various functions for a healthy life.

These nutrients include carbohydrates, proteins and fat and are all present in the food we eat on a daily basis.

The foods containing these nutrients are cereals, legumes, nuts, vegetables, fruits, milk products and flesh foods (fish, meat and poultry).

We need all these nutrients to live and thrive and since we receive them through the food we eat, our food must be well balanced and in the proper proportions. Food is a fuel; the body requires this fuel for energy, which is measured in fats, carbohydrate and protein.

Each of these nutrients provides different amounts of energy and these are measured in calories.

Nutrient Calories per Gram

Carbohydrate 4
Protein 4
Fat 9

Lets look at carbohydrates first, carbohydrates supply energy for our body, they provide fibre for the prevention of disease and taste and texture to food. They are found in cereals, potatoes, fruits and vegetables.

They come in two basic forms, simple and complex. Simple carbs are easily identified by their taste and are sweet. Complex carbs, such as potatoes are pleasant to the taste buds, but are not sweet.

They are then divided into two groups, high fibre and low fibre.

High-fibre foods are the healthiest choices for nutrition and the intake of these foods is associated with a lower incidence of cancer and diabetes. Carbohydrates supply the sort of calories easily burned during cardiovascular exercise.

They are often wrongly feared and considered fattening, but the most important factor in weight control is balancing the energy (calories) consumed.
Please remember:

Energy In is more than Energy Out = Weight gain
Energy In is equal to Energy Out = Weight maintenance
Energy In is less than Energy Out = Weight loss
Different foods affect the ability to exercise at different levels. High levels of exercise
(cardio and strength training) require carbohydrate as a fuel source; at lower levels it is fat.

A lack of carbohydrate in the diet will lead to fatigue, the inability to exercise
effectively, and excess fat consumption. When our food is digested, carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars.

These sugars are absorbed by the body and used by the muscles or stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver. As our glycogen storage capacity is limited, carbohydrate needs to be continually topped up by the foods we eat.

But the Body has an Unlimited Storage Capacity for Fat!

The average person is extremely vulnerable to fad diets and extreme dieting behaviours. The low carbohydrate diet is one of the latest eating plans to hit the streets. This current diet craze is very popular but there are safer and more effective methods based on scientific research, to reduce body fat levels.

Low Carbohydrate Dieting is Simply Wrong

Why is this? Just as a car runs better on a certain fuel, so does the human body.
Unfortunately the latest low-carbohydrate fad diets are not the fuel mix the human body was designed to run on.

Carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram, whereas fats contain 9 calories per gram. For weight loss, the priority is to decrease total calorie intake. Reducing the amount of fat in the diet will make the biggest difference in reducing total daily calorie intake and hence weight loss.

Carbohydrate intake is not fattening.
Excess calorie intake is fattening.

If you aren’t having enough carbohydrates in your diet you will experience:

Fatigue due to low blood sugar levels inadequate intake of vitamins and minerals
Low fibre intake, which may affect bowel movements
‘Bad breath due to the breakdown products of fats (called ketones)

The bottom line for carbohydrates and weight loss is to:

Try to balance carbohydrate intake with activity levels
Maintain energy levels by eating carbohydrate rich foods on a regular basis
Carbohydrate rich foods are normally low in fat and nutrient-rich

A real weight loss program includes all the food groups, strength training, and low-level aerobics, a slight decrease in your daily calorie levels and a program that can be followed for life.

Above all try to achieve a balanced diet, eating a balanced variety of foods will help you to feel great every day, ensure better long-term health and improve weight control.

About the Author

Gary is the author of several ebooks, including “Maximum Weight Loss in Ten Weeks” – the complete ebook and time-saving solution for burning away unwanted fat, and “Maximum Weight Gain in Ten Weeks” – easy-to-use and follow techniques that serve as a guide to muscle growth without having to “live in the gym”.

Visit Garys website at http://www.maximumfitness.com/

Written By: Gary Matthews

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Carbohydrates: What You Must Know

September 20th, 2007

This scares me to death, every day you walk down the street it is becoming more and more apparent that the average person is becoming larger and this trend has escalated over recent years. Why are they getting fatter? Here are some reasons… Less incidental activity Automated and computerized lifestyle Longer working hours and less leisure Increased consumption of processed foods Our food servings are larger than ever

Being overweight, or obese, has now moved from a social nuisance and domestic embarrassment to an official disease. The American Heart Association has announced obesity is a major risk for heart disease.

Obesity itself has become a major and dangerous epidemic. More than 70% of US adults are overweight and that figure is rapidly increasing.

What do most people do to rid their body of unwanted fat? They diet! Dieting is now a trillion dollar industry and just about every month a new diet is announced. If you do have weight problems how do you find a diet that is safe, effective and sustainable?

What you do is try to find a diet that includes a variety of foods that you can live with comfortably. You have to take a long-term view and include plenty of exercise. A good diet is one that supplies all of the essential vitamins and minerals, and is not high in fat or protein.

Research on people, who have successfully lost a lot of weight and kept it off long term, shows that the vast majority succeeded by consuming a low fat diet high in fibre coupled with strength training and cardiovascular activity.

Be wary of diets that

Ban a specific food group Promise a quick fix Replace a balanced meal with a drink or a snack bar Make recommendations based on single studies Make recommendations to help sell a single product

Excess weight does not appear overnight and nor will it disappear overnight! In fact the faster you lose weight, the more likely you are to pile the pounds back on. Seek out a program that will help you maintain long-term body fat losses by providing attainable solutions such as a program that promotes lifestyle changes, healthy eating and regular exercise.

Regular exercise is important (i.e. strength training) as it burns fat, boosts your

metabolism and also increases your energy levels. Dietary changes can lead to initial weight loss, but this is only for the short term. Exercise is essential for maintaining weight loss for the long term.

Now let’s take a closer look at what food is made up of and then you will have a good idea of what to look for in your daily eating plan. Firstly we need a wide range of nutrients to perform various functions for a healthy life.

These nutrients include carbohydrates, proteins and fat and are all present in the food we eat on a daily basis.

The foods containing these nutrients are cereals, legumes, nuts, vegetables, fruits, milk products and flesh foods (fish, meat and poultry).

We need all these nutrients to live and thrive and since we receive them through the food we eat, our food must be well balanced and in the proper proportions. Food is a fuel; the body requires this fuel for energy, which is measured in fats, carbohydrate and protein.

Each of these nutrients provides different amounts of energy and these are measured in calories.

Nutrient Calories per Gram

Carbohydrate 4 Protein 4 Fat 9

Let’s look at carbohydrates first, carbohydrates supply energy for our body, they provide fibre for the prevention of disease and taste and texture to food. They are found in cereals, potatoes, fruits and vegetables.

They come in two basic forms, simple and complex. Simple carbs are easily identified by their taste and are sweet. Complex carbs, such as potatoes are pleasant to the taste buds, but are not sweet.

They are then divided into two groups, high fibre and low fibre.

High-fibre foods are the healthiest choices for nutrition and the intake of these foods is associated with a lower incidence of cancer and diabetes. Carbohydrates supply the sort of calories easily burned during cardiovascular exercise.

They are often wrongly feared and considered fattening, but the most important factor in weight control is balancing the energy (calories) consumed. Please remember:

Energy In is more than Energy Out = Weight gain Energy In is equal to Energy Out = Weight maintenance Energy In is less than Energy Out = Weight loss

Different foods affect the ability to exercise at different levels. High levels of exercise (cardio and strength training) require carbohydrate as a fuel source; at lower levels it is fat.

A lack of carbohydrate in the diet will lead to fatigue, the inability to exercise effectively, and excess fat consumption. When our food is digested, carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars.

These sugars are absorbed by the body and used by the muscles or stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver. As our glycogen storage capacity is limited, carbohydrate needs to be continually topped up by the foods we eat.

But the body has an unlimited storage capacity for fat!

The average person is extremely vulnerable to fad diets and extreme dieting behaviours. The low carbohydrate diet is one of the latest eating plans to hit the streets. This current diet craze is very popular but there are safer and more effective methods based on scientific research, to reduce body fat levels.

Low carbohydrate dieting is simply wrong.

Why is this? Just as a car runs better on a certain fuel, so does the human body. Unfortunately the latest low-carbohydrate fad diets are not the fuel mix the human body was designed to run on.

Carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram, whereas fats contain 9 calories per gram. For weight loss, the priority is to decrease total calorie intake. Reducing the amount of fat in the diet will make the biggest difference in reducing total daily calorie intake and hence weight loss.

Carbohydrate intake is not fattening, excess calorie intake is fattening.

If you aren’t having enough carbohydrates in your diet you will experience:

Fatigue due to low blood sugar levels inadequate intake of vitamins and minerals Low fibre intake, which may affect bowel movements ‘Bad’ breath due to the breakdown products of fats (called ketones)

The bottom line for carbohydrates and weight loss is to:

Try to balance carbohydrate intake with activity levels Maintain energy levels by eating carbohydrate rich foods on a regular basis Carbohydrate rich foods are normally low in fat and nutrient-rich

A real weight loss program includes all the food groups, strength training, and low-level aerobics, a slight decrease in your daily calorie levels and a program that can be followed for life.

In conclusion try to achieve a balanced diet, eating a balanced variety of foods will help you to feel great every day, ensure better long-term health and improve weight control.

About the Author

Gary Matthews is the author of the popular fitness eBooks Maximum Weight Loss and Maximum Weight Gain. Please visit http://www.maximumfitness.com right now for your ‘free’ weight loss or muscle building e-courses.

Written By: Gary Matthews

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Atkins & Low-Carb – Part 6

August 20th, 2006

In this series of articles we have focused on low-carb dieting. Is it right for you? We have looked at some of the concerns with low-carbing, we’ve examined the diets of bodybuilders, and we’ve explained exactly how carbohydrates react in the body. In this final article on the topic of carbs, we will attempt to answer the million dollar question: should you start a low-carb diet?

* THE EXPERTS:

First and foremost, please understand that the majority of physicians in the United States will not recommend a no-carb diet. By and large, doctors are going to follow the generally accepted health practices, and those practices require us to partake of all four food groups. Citing the fact that there are no long-term studies available on the effects of carbohydrate deprivation, the American Heart Association does not recommend a no-carb approach.

On the other hand, there are some doctors who look at the results achieved on low-carb or no-carb diets and say (like some of us have): you can’t argue with results!

* THE RESEARCH:

Both sides in the low-carb debate have doctors and studies to back up their claims.

The Atkins group has well-done studies proving that their diet results in weight loss and lower cholesterol. The South Beach folks can quote even more studies. Both groups also do a very good job of trotting out some very convincing before-and-after pictures of people (just like us!) who have seen results on the low-carb diets.

On the other hand, there is no shortage of research proving that low-carb diets are unsafe and ineffective. A study by Linda van Horn of Northwestern University in Chicago assessed more than 4,000 people in the United States, Britain, Japan and China, asking them to write down everything they had eaten over two 24-hour periods. “Lo and behold, what we did find is that without exception, a high complex-carbohydrate, high-fiber, high vegetable-protein diet was associated with low body-mass index (the standard measure of healthy weight),” Van Horn said. The more animal protein a person ate, the higher his or her weight, she said.

It’s easy to see that the research conflicts on this issue, as it does on many topics.

* THE ROLE MODELS:

In a previous article we examined the diets of professional bodybuilders and (female) fitness models. Almost without exception, we found that these extremely healthy people did not eliminate all carbohydrates from their diet. Again, almost without exception, these folks did strictly limit the intake of ‘garbage’ carbs (donuts, cake, cookies, etc.).

Bodybuilders and fitness models get their carbs from quality sources including brown rice, vegetables, fruit and yams.

* PHONE A FRIEND!

Yikes! The experts don’t agree and the research doesn’t agree! What to do? Let’s phone a friend…..

Most of us have a friend or family member that has lost weight on a low-carb plan. Sometimes they’ve even lost a significant amount of weight. All that anecdotal evidence can’t be wrong, can it?

As we learned in a previous article on this topic, low-carb diets will help you lose weight! There’s enough research and evidence out there now to fully support that claim. But is it the ‘right’ weight, and is it ’safe’ weight?

Especially during the first two weeks on a low-carb diet, much of the weight loss is attributable to water loss. Falling off the diet, or introducing carbohydrates back into the body, will result in faster-than-normal weight gain from replenished glycogen stores.

Another huge concern with low-carb weight loss success is whether or not it is ’safe’ weight loss. We’re not talking about heart health or cholesterol levels, but right now we’re discussing fat loss vs. muscle loss. After all, nobody wants to lose muscle, do they? When we talk about wanting to lose weight, it’s just understood that we want to lose fat! On a low-carb diet, it is very possible to lose far too much weight from muscle and not enough weight from fat.

So although our friends and family may have experienced weight loss on a low-carb diet, that fact alone is not enough to convince us to try it too.

* CAN WE STICK WITH IT?

As we’ve said time and time again, no diet is going to work for you if you can’t stick with it. The Idaho Press Tribune ran and interesting article in defense of low-carbing (3-25-04, LeAnn Coffelt, Your Health section), where some of the challenges of low-carbing were disclosed: carb withdrawal (compared to nicotine withdrawal), hair loss, etc. Perhaps the most intriguing quote of the story was “One of the silliest things I’ve ever heard is that you will put the weight back on after you stop the diet. Well, of course you will.”

Before attempting to lose weight on a low-carb (or any) diet, you simply must ask yourself ‘Can I stick with it?’. If you love pasta and pizza, then the answer is probably no.

* THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION:

Okay, okay, enough talk about the pros and cons of low-carb life! Should you or shouldn’t you ‘go low carb’?

Sorry to disappoint you, but nobody can answer that question for you. You, and only you, know if a low-carb diet is something you can stick with for life. There is, however, a list of questions you can (and should!) ask yourself before taking the plunge into low-carb mania:

1. Have I discussed this with my doctor?

2. Do I have a family history of heart disease and/or high blood pressure?

3. Do I have a family history of cholesterol problems?

4. Do I have a family history of cancer?

5. Do I think I can stick with it, even through the ‘carb withdrawal’ phase?

6. Have I scheduled regular bodyfat tests to make sure I am losing fat and not muscle?

7. Do I have a support system in place to help me stick to my new lifestyle?

8. Have I taken the time to educate myself on the specific diet, or am I simply following the advice of friends?

Low-carb (or even no-carb) dieting may be safe and effective for you. Only your doctor can help you answer that question. In addition, Low-carb (or even no-carb) dieting may be something you can stick with for life. Only you can answer that question.

* OUR FINAL ANSWER:

You didn’t really think that we’d conclude this article without a reminder to exercise, did you? After all, exercise is the only thing that all the doctors and experts agree on!

Melanie Polk, RD, is the Director of Nutrition Education at the American Institute for Cancer Research. “We already know how to lose weight and keep it off,” said Polk. “It’s not a secret: eat less, exercise more. Instead of eliminating all carbohydrates, choose whole-grain options and beans with the fiber to fill you up and provide energy throughout the day. Add vegetables and fruits while cutting back on animal protein and fat.”

Doctors agree that exercise is critical to achieving a healthy fitness level for life. Not just a healthy weight, but a healthy fitness level!

About the author:

Tracie Johanson is the founder of Pick Up The Pace, a 30-minute exercise studio for women, focusing on fitness, health and nutrition for maximum weight loss. Please visit http://www.letspickupthepace.com/ for more information.

Written By: Tracie Johanson

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Posted in Low Carb

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