Diet Trends
Diet Trends
After being in the fitness industry since 1983, I have seen my share of fitness and diet trends come and go. These trends/fads not only drive me crazy - but, many of them can prove to be dangerous. In my last article I addressed workouts that are designed to be done very quickly to get in shape, which as I pointed out is not an option that should get as much media buzz as it’s receiving.
In this article I’d like to address some of the diet trends that have come and gone, and some that just re-market themselves under a different name.
Let’s begin with The Atkins Diet / Keto Diet. Both are low-carb diets that may benefit weight loss, diabetes management and heart health. Their main difference is that you gradually increase carb intake on Atkins, while it remains very low on the keto diet, allowing your body to stay in ketosis and burn ketones for energy. The main problem with both of these diets is the intense amount of animal protein an individual consumes can lead to higher cholesterol levels, muscle weakness, tiredness and dehydration, making physical activity less enjoyable. Plus, diets high in animal protein and low in fiber can wreak havoc on your digestion process and ability to eliminate waste.
In that same category is the Paleo Diet. This one I tried a few years back since it seemed to be a gentler way of eliminating unhealthy carbs such as sugar, dairy, and anything our caveman ancestors could not hunt and gather. In this plan you get to eat fruits and vegetables but still consume a lot of animal protein. Sadly, the Paleo cuts out whole grains, oats, lentils and legumes, which removes sources of certain B vitamins such as thiamine, folate, niacin and riboflavin.
And while Paleo has its merit for stressing whole foods versus prepackaged and processed foods, it can also lead to serious deficiencies. What it all boils down to: our early ancestors had rigorous physical demands of living outdoors; hunting and gathering and foraging for food surely contributed to an overall health but could also lead to certain death. So comparing our modern-day human species with our caveman ancestors seems ‘archaic’.
Lastly, I’d like to discuss the Mediterranean Diet. Here’s a little-known story behind the Mediterranean Diet: In the 1950s people living in the Mediterranean, especially on the Island of Crete, were lean and virtually free of heart disease. Yet over 40% of their caloric intake came from fat, primarily olive oil. If you look at the diet they consumed back then, you will see the Cretans ate mostly fruits, vegetables, beans and some fish. These people also worked hard in the fields, often they were pushing a plow or working other manual labor jobs. Americans didn’t see this diet as eat loads of vegetables, beans, fruit and do loads of exercise; they just accepted that olive oil is a health food and started to consume it in mass quantities. Coincidentally, today, the people of Crete are fat, just like us. They still consume a lot of olive oil, but their consumption of fruits, vegetables and beans is down. Meat, cheese and fish are their new staples, and their physical activity level has plummeted. Today, heart disease has skyrocketed and more than half the population of both adults and children in Crete is overweight. Also, it turns out that ounce for ounce, olive oil is one of the most fattening, calorically dense foods on the planet. It packs even more calories per pound than butter (butter: 3,200 calories; olive oil: 4,020).
So, what should you do if you are trying to lose weight? For starters, don’t go on a diet. As most of us already know, the conventional “solution” to being overweight - low calorie dieting - doesn’t work. The reason for this is simple: for the vast majority of people, being overweight is not caused by how much you eat but by what you eat.
One of my favorite books on this subject, Eat to Live, was written by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. Dr Fuhrman, a world expert in nutrition and obesity research, goes beyond the dietary guidelines set up by the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association. He states, “Your key to permanent weight loss is to eat predominantly those foods that have a high proportion of nutrients (noncaloric food factors) to calories (carbohydrates, fats, and proteins).”
Eating to live does NOT REQUIRE any DEPRIVATION. On the contrary, instead, you can eat large quantities of high-nutrient foods which effectively blunts your appetite, and you lose weight. Think of raw leafy greens such as romaine lettuce, kale, and spinach, just to name a few. A huge green salad, void of cheese, meats and oils is less that 100 calories per pound. Vegetables, eaten raw or cooked can be eaten in abundance. Plus, fresh or frozen fruit, raw nuts and seeds, whole grains and plenty of herbs and vinegars for flavor.
Some readers may be thinking there is not enough protein in a diet rich in vegetables since we have been indoctrinated since early childhood to believe animal protein is a nutrient to be held in high esteem. When in reality nothing could be farther from the truth. Plants are packed with protein, nutrients and minerals; what they lack is animal fat and cholesterol, two toxic nutrients for humans.
I typically have my clients keep a food journal and then we look for ways to make small changes week by week. Change is hard and trying to eat perfectly can be an unrealistic task. But, by being mindful and creating a new diligence in what you consume, you will begin to see changes in your physical, mental and emotional well-being. I am available for guidance and am always excited to help anyone truly interested in developing a healthier dietary routine.
For more information about how to adjust / alter your diet, feel free to email me at kduke65@gmail.com.
Kim Duke is a certified personal trainer and owner of Core Performance Fitness and Training located at 55 Bristol Lane, Ellicottville, NY. Kim resides in Ellicottville where she raised her two sons, Zach and Nik. For more information about her studio visit her Facebook page or www.coreperformancefitness.com.
