The
Role of Nutrition
As with exercise, most people know that how they eat affects their
health. What they don’t
know is that most of what they’ve been told about healthy eating
is simply wrong. Most of
us have grown up with the “Food Pyramid” – the foundation of which
is grains (breads, pasta, etc.).
For many years now we’ve been told that in order to lose
weight we need to eat a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet.
Have you seen the reports over the last several months
about how Americans just keep getting fatter and fatter?
Are the obese of America simply gluttons?
We don’t think so – we think that most people who are overweight
have been doing what they’re told – they’re eating a low-fat,
high-carb diet. And they
continue to get fatter and fatter.
That’s because the Food Pyramid is simply wrong.
At
Optimal Health Institute, we recommend a low-glycemic nutrition
plan. Carbohydrates (the base of the traditional pyramid) act as powerful
drugs. Excessive carbohydrate
consumption leads to your body producing too much insulin.
Too much insulin will make you fat, and you simply won’t
feel well. It can even
be dangerous (elevated insulin is the primary predictor of whether
you will have a heart attack).
The key is to keep insulin in a tight range.
The key to keeping insulin in a tight range is to eat
the right combination of protein, fat and carbohydrates.
We recommend that at each meal you eat a combination of
40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fat (comprised of monounsaturated
fats) and that you never go more than 5 hours between meals (sleeping
is obviously the exception).
As a quick example of how different this plan is from traditional “diets” (this
is not a diet, it is a lifestyle change), let’s take one of the staples of the
average American “diet” – puffed rice cakes. Essentially, rice cakes are low calorie, low-fat (or fat-free) and
have been recommended to folks trying to lose weight.
Unfortunately, they have pretty much the highest glycemic index on
record. The higher the glycemic index of
a carbohydrate, the faster it enters the bloodstream in the form of sugar. The bottom line?
All those rice cakes you’ve eaten in an effort to lose weight were viewed
from the perspective of your body like table sugar.
No wonder we keep getting fatter.
The
low-glycemic food pyramid in the Zone is different from what we
learned in school. The foundation consists of pharmaceutical-grade
fish oils.
The next level is vegetables, then fruits. How many of
you get 5 servings a day of fruits and vegetables?
The latest recommendations are that you get at least
9 servings a day! The
good news is if you eat the recommended amount, you won’t have
a lot of room left over for those nasty rice cakes.
The next level is low-fat protein sources.
Above that is monounsaturated fats.
The top of the pyramid?
You guessed it! Breads, grains, starches and pasta – they should all be used sparingly.
The exact opposite of what you’ve been told.
As
part of Your Day at Optimal
Health Institute, we will review how you’ve been eating,
and make recommendations for ways to improve your food consumption
as part of your overall plan for attaining optimal health.
We also recommend that you visit the following sites for
additional information on low-glycemic nutritional plans:
