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