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Cut the Fat! Cut the Carbs!
You've heard the popular
advice on weight loss diets. Cut the fat! Cut the carbs!
Cut the calories! Eat a balanced diet! But how can you
cut though all of the confusion, and eat a diet that's
balanced and healthy?
Here's the advice from nutritional science:
Cut the JUNK fats: Most people do not
need an ultra low fat diet. But most of us could improve
our diet by cutting out the junk fats. Basically, these
are the processed fats: hydrogenated fats, polyunsaturated
oils that have been heated, and fats that are combined
with junk carbs. Processed fats are the fats most likely
to put on flab and clog your arteries.
Cut the JUNK carbs. Most people do not
need an ultra low carb diet. But unfortunately, so many
people who go on a low fat diet continue to eat highly
processed foods - they switch from processed high-fat
to processed low-fat. And when food manufacturers create
low fat foods, they tend to replace the fat with junk
carbs, which tend to pile on the pounds. Basically,
junk carbs are low-fiber carbs, like sugar, fructose
(and all the other *oses), flour, cornstarch, fruit
juice. Yes, fruit juice is a junk carb too! - After
all, how much fiber is there in fruit juice? - Virtually
none - it's yet another junk carb. You should eat the
whole fruit instead, with its fiber intact.
Cut the JUNK calories. Most people do
not need an ultra low calorie diet. But just think what
your diet would be like if you dropped the processed
fats and the low-fiber carbs. You'd be eating mainly
natural proteins, with lots of vegetables plus whole
fruits - and the odds are that you would be eating far
fewer calories as well. That's the kind of calorie cutting
most of us should be doing.
Eat a balanced NATURAL-FOODS diet. By
natural foods, we mean the foods that would have been
eaten by your hunter-gatherer ancestors: - lots of whole
vegetable foods for vitamins and fiber; moderate to
small portions of meats, fish, seafood, and other animal
and protein foods, grilled, stewed or baked; and small
portions of fresh whole fruit in season. This is the
diet on which the human race evolved, and the diet which,
for the vast majority of people, makes for optimum health
So the next time you're about to order
a meal with fries and sugary soda, think about how it
could be improved. Replace the fries with a salad, and
the soda with mineral water, and you've already made
significant progress towards a healthier, balanced meal.
And at home, look for recipes that use
whole, fresh foods, with a minimum of processing. Make
sure your meals include natural unprocessed foods, with
lots of healthy vegetables, both cooked, and raw in
salads. Avoid processed fats and processed low-fiber
foods.
A sample menu:
- grilled fish with steamed green beans, and peppers
- large mixed salad, dressed with small amounts of olive
oil and vinegar or lemon juice
- fresh fruit platter
Yes - A healthy, balanced diet can be
that simple!
1howto.com
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