Fat Loss Nutrition - When Myths Become Big Fat Lies
More people than ever are on a diet and yet obesity is now epidemic. Diet foods such as low-fat and low-carb products are a $7.6 billion-a-year business but if they worked, then fat loss would not be an issue. The simple fact is that the food industry keeps you fat with processed foods, so it can sell you more diet products. Avoidance of both is the path to weight loss.
Fat loss nutrition needs to be understood, along with the right kind of exercise, to ensure successful and healthy weight loss. Many diets are not balanced and are not designed to encourage healthy eating habits to help you keep the weight off once you stop the diet. When the weight creeps back on, people turn back to the multi-million dollar diet industry for help. Fat loss nutrition takes a more balanced approach. You should be thinking of about 4 grams of carbohydrate and 1.5 grams of fat for every 3 grams of protein you eat at a meal. The types of fat, carbohydrate and protein you eat are crucial.
The Good Fats, Bad and The Ugly in Fat Loss Nutrition
The secret to healthy weight loss is not low-fat, it is quality fat. The fats to avoid are the toxic 'trans' fats or hydrogenated fats in processed and fried foods. We also have an excess of omega-6 fats in our diet which can lead to insulin resistance (see the section on Carbohydrates). It is important to reduce the amount of vegetable oils, grain-fed beef and many processed foods (omega-6 fats) in your diet. At the same time you will probably need to increase the omega-3 fats in your diet to obtain the ideal 1:1 ration of omega-3 to omega-6. Oily fish, fish-oil capsules, or flaxseed oil are the best sources of omega-3 fats.
Saturated fat is not the enemy it once was - a myth perpetuated by the polyunsaturated vegetable oil industry. Coconut oil, which is a good saturated fat, has been shown to increase weight loss as it helps to stimulate metabolism, and regulate blood sugar, so even helps in burning fat for energy. You might be surprised to know that it is also good for your heart, as well as being a weapon in the fat loss nutrition arsenal.
The fat loss nutrition advice is to keep your extra-virgin olive oil for salad dressings and use coconut oil for cooking.
Fat Loss Nutrition: Carbohydrates
It is not so much the fat in the foods we eat but the excess carbohydrates from our starchy and sugary diet that is making us fat and unhealthy. The reason is due to insulin resistance. You can reverse this with the fat loss nutrition approach, which is easy to do, and then the fat burns off and you will lose weight in a healthy and controlled way.
Our diet of bread, cereal, pasta, corn, rice and potatoes, mostly as processed food is primarily responsible for our bulging stomachs and rolls of fat. These processed carbohydrates lead to too much insulin being produced, which leads to insulin-resistance. Your body has no choice but to turn the sugar into fat. Good for the diet food industry, but not for you.
Increasing the fiber in your diet plays a powerful role in fat loss nutrition and weight loss. Eat brown rice rather than white rice or pasta. Grains should be limited to start but when you do eat them, make sure they are whole grains. Fill up on vegetables which are a great source of fiber.
When Protein Helps in Fat Loss Nutrition
Protein helps to stabilize blood sugar by slowing down the digestion of carbohydrates, which means that you do not get a sugar surge. This does not mean eating red meat at every meal, which is associated with higher risk of colon and possibly prostate cancer. There are plenty of other sources of protein to choose from such as lean white meat, fish, beans and lentils.
A little bit of protein at every meal is an important fat loss nutrition approach to blood sugar balance. Even a handful of pumpkin seeds eaten with an apple can slow digestion and even out your metabolism.
Is Fat Loss Nutrition Really This Simple?
Weight loss has little to do with willpower. Fat loss nutrition is all about the right balance and quality of foods, and the right exercise. This balance is easily obtained by avoiding all the low-fat, low-carb, high-protein, high-fat diet fads and avoiding processed foods as much as possible. If you get the fat loss nutrition right, you don't have to be overly concerned about how much you eat and you won’t go hungry.
Natalie Beech discovers the truth about fat loss nutrition and healthy weight loss. Get the latest information from a nutritionist's point of view at the Fatloss-Fitness Website
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