Eat less processed foods and more whole foods.

Updated 16 December 2016,                    by Marc Woodard

Doctor’s and Dieticians tell us to limit bad fats “saturated (animal products, meat, eggs, etc.) including Trans fats, which also correlates with bad LDL cholesterol and plaque buildup in the arteries.”  Both of these fats are associated with risk for cardiovascular heart disease.  Also diabetics are at great risk for heart attack or stroke.

However, too little saturated fat in the diet replaced by carbohydrates is causing an epidemic of obesity and many secondary health issues.  The more saturated fat in a diet, the less likely men will have an incident of stroke and heart disease in post menstrual women.  There is a balance of dietary fats necessary in the diet to maintain good health for men and women.

It appears saturated fats are necessary in the diet because when animal products are consumed this increases HDL’s (the good cholesterol) when metabolized and  also lowers triglycerides.

High carbohydrate intake appears to be a big part of the health risk issue when out of balance in the diet.  It appears the body chemistry requires a certain amount of saturated fats (not manmade Tran’s fats).  And complete avoidance of animal fats does not seem to be a good ideal as far as the body chemistry is concerned.  Science can not accurately tell us the perfect diet.  But it is overwhelmingly apparent you are better off with a “low carbohydrate diet as opposed from animal product avoidance all together.

One big common denominator we did not have when I was a kid was obesity run amok.   Nor do I remember many fast food chains.  We certainly didn’t have energy and diet drinks like we have today.  The fast and convenient foods of the 70’s I recall was McDonald’s, Dairy Queen and KFC.  There was one artificial sweetener I recall [saccharine], and a few artificial flavorings and preservatives in products.

Everything else seemed pretty natural.  Even the Swanson TV dinners, meat pot pies tasted pretty good back then.  And the other thing I remember as a kid, most of the dinner meals consisted mostly of meat, chicken, fish, potatoes and vegetables and a lot of casseroles made out the same staples.   And almost everyone around us had gardens and canned fruits and vegetables.

In today’s marketplace everything has changed to quicker, cheaper, convenient processed foods with lots of chemical ingredients in them.  Be sure to read “Restaurant Foods Healthy?”  If you haven’t read this article, you really need to.  Many restaurant chains serve processed everything.  “That’s why you can’t quit eating at these food places you’re addicted to the food chemicals!”

Also back then we rarely heard about heart disease, strokes, diabetes, cancer, etc., compared to today.  And to see an obese kid back then was really rare.  Today, I see kids while I’m on my daily walks that appear to have body fat typical to those in of my age (25-45%).  The kids I’m talking about appear to be around 25-60%.   I fear our children will experience an epidemic of illness/disease pain and suffering not seen in of our generation when they reach our age.

Now when I look at food and blood chemical science; including my consumption exercise lifestyle today I note the following.  My habits have not changed much from when I was a kid.  For example, I exercise daily through various activity and still consume mostly a meat, potato, chicken, fish and vegetable diet.  However, I do consume the occasional fast food, or additional carbohydrates when pasta’s, breads, chips, soda craving strikes, but not often.  I also did not consume a lot of deserts as a kid.  I guess that’s why I don’t really crave them.  But when I do eat deserts, I do enjoy them.  Of course, when processed foods are so abundant in our marketplace a little bit is going to get incorporated into the diet.  And this requires awareness, especially if one is experiencing weight loss difficulties.

I attribute my good blood chemistry results to my childhood eating habits.  I eat more organic protein type food sources than carbohydrates.  My blood chemistry reflects a High HDL count (good cholesterol), Low LDL count (bad cholesterol) and low triglycerides (read  “Why you should be concerned about triglycerides“).  My eating habits are still predominately high intake of proteins (40-50%), carbohydrates (20-30%) and fats (~25%).

I know if I cut the carbohydrates in half and increased the proteins my blood chemistry would support lowering my body fat weight over a long period of time.  “I would lose weight slow and safe, not fast like extreme dieting.”  I know this because I’ve experimented with blood chemistry lab results and body weight [used as a baseline] and compared those results later.

I’ve changed my fuel mix and exercise habits based on these results to lose and maintain stable weight.  I also use a weight scale every other day and base my weight loss success on how my clothes fit.  If you’re eating and exercising correctly you’ll lean out safely while losing body fat without breaking your metabolisms regulatory mechanisms.

Exercise is an important component to a successful weight loss.  Regardless of age, this is a fact.  The human body is designed to walk in order to accomplish all tasks necessary in life.  And to quit walking and become a couch potato is the worst habit you could get yourself into.  If I didn’t participate in daily exercise activity it would be more challenging to maintain ideal body weight no matter how I balanced my diet because of age, lifestyle habits and slower metabolism.  Balanced consumption and exercise activity go hand in hand.

Reference

Learn About Triglycerides and Levels

Author:  Marc T. Woodard, MBA, BS Exercise Science, USA Medical Services Officer, CPT, RET.  2010 Copyright.  All rights reserved, Mirror Athlete Publishing @: www.mirrorathlete.org,  Sign up for your Free eNewsletter.