A Healthy Way of Eating Part 2

            In a previous post I described my view on “A Healthy Way of Eating,” Now, in this piece I would like to take it a step further. A lot of people find it hard to switch the way they eat in order to become healthier. For this reason the first post is a good starter to get people moving in the right direction. Overall, in this Part 2 version, I will both expand on and tweak a few of my ideas, in order to reach my most favored view on healthy eating.

            In the first post on healthy eating I described a spin off of a plan known as “Paleo.” Paleo, otherwise known as the caveman diet, is a simple way to get people to eat closer to the earth and in doing so omit processed foods. Taking this idea a step further from my prior version, where I allowed bread, pasta, and rice, I would now like to forget them. This is because I believe in healthy eating plans that are low carb and high fat. Now I know everyone who reads that is jumping out of his seat yelling “Atkins Diet!” In a way that is correct, however there are a few differences between what I am describing and Atkins. As humans, our brains and digestive tracks have evolved to process fat and protein. We are poorly developed as carb eaters.

            Most people will hear the words “low carb” and immediately think that it will make them tired and sluggish all day. This idea is not too far from the truth, but only as you start the diet. This is because as a society, we have depended upon carbs for energy for so long. When this happens we lose the ability to use fat as fuel. When carbs are eaten our blood sugar spikes and thus a spike in insulin follows, giving us a short burst of energy. Once we regain our ability to use fat as fuel, as opposed to depending on a burst of blood sugar, the tired feeling that is associated with low carb diets will be replaced with steady energy.

            A second reason promoting the low carb diet is that most foods high in carbs are also high in preservatives and additives. These are added to food to add shelf life and “flavor.” The worst ingredient in foods high in carbs is sugar. Sugar is the main culprit for the obesity epidemic in America. Look around; everything has sugar in it. A typical American diet is packed with sugar. Lets say you have cereal for breakfast, a sandwich and soda/Gatorade for lunch, and pasta for dinner. Sound familiar? To me, that diet screams sugar for breakfast, sugar for lunch, and sugar for dinner. Avoiding processed carbs will help to greatly reduce your sugar intake, as well as unwanted additives.

            The third reason to eat low carb involves the eating of high fat and moderate protein. As previously stated, we are very well adapted to digest and process both fat and protein. Fat is much more energy dense than carbohydrate. We are more apt to digesting fat in order to receive long steady energy. Also, when high fat and high protein are eaten the brain controls hormones that regulate the quantity we eat, and tells us when we are satisfied. Ever wonder why you can eat a whole bag of potato chips, but get full after eating a couple handfuls of nuts? This feeling of satiety will help us to eat less overall. It will also help curve our hunger so that we are satisfied longer. I bet that ten minutes after eating that whole bag of chips you are looking for something else to eat!

            Fat has gotten a bad wrap over the years, especially saturated fat.  Research has recently shown that saturated fat has zero influence on heart disease and obesity. Saturated fat was considered to cause heart disease and obesity because a lot of food that contains saturated fat also contains sugar. Low carb, high fat diets have actually been shown to reduce obesity and risk of heart disease. I am sure that everyone thinks they know what is “good fat” and what is “bad fat.” The true “bad fat” is fat in processed foods, like McDonalds, or trans fats, found in many heavily processed foods. Naturally occurring fats, unsaturated or saturated, are good for you and need to be eaten in higher quantities.

            With all that said, how should you eat? It is simple, like a caveman. Eating non-genetically enhanced fruits and vegetables should be our only source of carbohydrates. We need these to help with digestion, and give us vitamins. Try to avoid high starchy vegetables such as potatoes.  We also need fat and protein. Good choices are organic meats, nuts, oils, fish, eggs, etc. With regards to many of these I recommend the higher fat versions, especially in meat. As I said before, I am not a big fan of counting calories, instead when a balanced diet is eaten your brain will tell you when to stop and when to go. To revise the sample American diet I gave earlier it would be something like this: eggs and a piece of fruit for breakfast, chicken avocado salad with oil for lunch, and mixed veggies and ground beef for dinner, all washed down with some zero sugar water. Simple enough!

            I know a lot of you are thinking that I am crazy and that your registered dietician recommends “higher carbs and lower fat.”  To that all I have to say is follow the money. Dieticians and nutritionists are educated and licensed by governing bodies in the US that are sponsored by companies such as Kellogg’s, Gatorade, and makers of weight loss pills! Of course they are going to promote their sponsors. It’s all about the money. Again, I would like to say that these views and opinions are my own. As an endurance athlete, I myself eat low carb, which is the complete opposite of what most athletes of my sport eat. I have seen and researched many great success stories eating this way, you may take what I say or leave it!