Unfortunately, years ago some misleading information was made quite popular. We were influenced to believe that FAT was the ultimate enemy in our diets, which paved the way for the sugar industry to get rich. REALLY rich! And of course, the diet and weight loss industry got rich too . . . but that is another conversation for another time!
Ultimately what happened is that highly processed, low-calorie and nutritionally void sugary foods found throughout the grocery store, and not just aisle 7, became the craze. From bars to chips to breads to pastas to cereals . . . everyone jumped on the anti-carb band wagon and took off at full speed without taking a moment to stop and get ALL the nutrition facts.
We were told, “Avoid the FAT and eat those CARBS!” Hmmmmm . . . what’s missing in this equation?!?!?!?
At the time when this was the accepted view of nutrition and how we should be eating, the bottom of the food pyramid was loaded with breads, cereals, pastas and grains of all kinds and we were told to eat 6-11 servings per day of these foods. WHAT?!?!? Fats, on the other hand, were reduced to a very small section at the top of the pyramid. As we now know, this has been proven to be incredibly poor advice.
What’s oddly ironic ironic and at the same time refreshing is that these roles have slowly reversed over the past decade giving us a much better perception of what “nutritionally dense” foods are and how we should be eating. People are beginning to wake up and realize that healthy fats are amazing for the body while high carbohydrate foods spike our blood sugar levels and negatively impact our desire for more sugary foods.
Sugary foods affect the brain like a narcotic and we crave them more intensely the more we consume them. I’m not talking about sugar that is naturally found in fruits and vegetables. These sugars are combined with fiber which helps the blood sugar response and also help you to feel satiated longer. These foods are not the enemy, however, like All things fruits are to be consumed moderately and along with a variety of other foods to support healthy brain and body function as well as to sustain a healthy weight.
If you find yourself “stuck” in what seems to be a hard to get out of cycle of over-consuming the less healthy carbohydrates don’t despair. Start small by including things like more veggies into your snacks and meals, especially the green leafy variety. Expand your shopping path to include more items from the outside sections where you will find more foods in there natural states, lean proteins, whole food dairy and other options that are of greater benefit to your health than what is found in “that OTHER isle!”
Over time you can build on this success and eventually drastically reduce your intake of artificial and overly processed food items. You can still enjoy your favorite foods from time to time and you can still have cheat meals. The goal is to reduce the unhealthy cravings to a more manageable level making your desire for unhealthy sugars much lower.
So, eat more healthy fats every day, drink more water with every meal and reduce processed carbohydrates by substituting with healthier choices. Those 3 things alone if done consistently will lead to faster weight loss and a happier, healthier you!
