It's that usual time of year where you might be thinking of making some healthier food choices. You might be inclined to try out a branded diet, like Keto, or a food lifestyle choice, such as Intermittent Fasting.
Any "diet" that you choose to follow, or pick bits here-and-there from, should be scrutinized. If they don't include any of the following 3 things, then outright quackery might be getting peddled.
Let's dive in!
It Includes Higher Protein Consumption
You might see a low carb or a low fat diet, but you'll hopefully never see a low protein diet. Protein is important for maintaining and repairing body tissues, as well as for producing enzymes and hormones. Consuming an adequate amount of protein can help to build and maintain muscle mass, and can also help with weight loss by making you feel fuller for longer.
And, let's be honest, if you want to be a Beefcake, you've got to eat the beef. If you want to be a Tofu Hunk, you've got to eat the tofu. If you want to be a Tempeh Stud, then you've... okay, we'll stop there.
Quick tip: Try to spread your protein intake throughout the day. Recommendations can vary but it's about 46 grams per day for women and 56 grams for men. Add 10-13g more if you're active.
It Promotes High Fiber
Like protein, fiber can also make you feel fuller for longer. High fiber intake has been linked to a reduced risk of several chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. And if you want to give your immune system a boost, just load up on fiber and let it sweep through your body like a "bowel of righteousness."
Quick Tip: Be careful of high fiber cereals as they are usually loaded with sugar. Healthy fiber is found in apples, berries, beans, and peas, oats, quinoa, almonds and chia seeds.
It is Calorie Restrictive
In general, weight loss occurs when you consume fewer calories than you burn. "Eat less" isn't sexy so branded diets will have all kinds of slogans to disguise this, such as "eat all the bacon you want."
Calorie restriction can reduce inflammation, improve insulin sensitivity and decrease the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
It's important to note that this should be done under medical supervision, as there can be risks associated with restrictive dieting. The aim should always be to reach a balanced diet, providing all the necessary nutrients for the body.
Quick Tip: Start off by tracking your food. This can be laborious in the long-term. But the first step of habit change is awareness. Most people are way off when they try to guess. Try it, even for just a week. The results will surprise you.
And Finally...
Good habits beget good habits. Most studies of diets fail to take into account the second order effects of eating better. They reveal the results, weight loss, fat loss etc... but other, intangible measurements that affected those numbers, such as mood, focus, and motivation, are harder to accurately track.
Eating better usually means you'll sleep deeper, have more energy to exercise, be in a better mood, more focused, etc... and that is a rapid circle that can feed itself.
Quick Tip: When someone says they lost 20lbs on a branded diet, ask deeper questions about other changes that they made. You'll probably find out it was more than just the diet that helped.
Have a great week!
Kevin & Victoria
