My recently published story on the FASTING Diet has motivated me to continue the diet theme throughout my next three H&W articles. Each proposed change in your eating habits attempts to inform readers of a variety of ways to eat healthier and maintain/lose weight. The word “diet” here then refers to following basic life-altering eating habits that are targeted to improve your health. A multitude of studies have been used to come up with the scientific results on each of my chosen eating patterns: FASTING, KETO, PALEO, and PORTION CONTROLLED. For those needing a healthier lifestyle in nutrition, as well as better weight control, one of these plans might be worth trying. But remember, these nutrition regimens are unlike fad diets from the past which helped you to lose weight at an unhealthy pace, and were never meant for the long term scheme of things. These daily diets are proposed to be present and future life-altering positives for your health.
In an attempt to decrease the amount of Americans suffering from heart disease in the 60s, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) proposed erroneously that Americans eat less fat which led to more carbohydrates, especially processed ones, in their diets. More carbs then signaled their pancreases to produce insulin to decrease blood sugar levels. Less digested fats also meant shorter periods between hunger pangs leading to more consumption of carbs. The result has been catastrophic! ‘Bill Turner, author of “Food for Thought” at The Lake/Lake Geneva Magazine explains, “This is the well-documented ‘carbohydrate-insulin’ model of obesity and diabetes.”
Dr. Josh Axe, author of “Keto Diet: Your 30 Day Plan to Lose Weight, Balance Hormones, Boost Brain Health and Reverse Disease” gives us the following terrifying data: “In 1960, 31% of U.S. adults were overweight and 13% were obese. Today, a whopping 70% are overweight – and more than a third fall into the obese category, where the risks of weight-related health problems are the most dire.”
In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that there are now more than 100 million Americans with diabetes or prediabetes.
As noted in the renowned medical journal, The Lancet, a huge study of 135,000 adults was conducted in 18 countries. The research discovered a high-fat diet led to lower death rates, while a high-carb diet led to a higher risk of mortality. The National Institute of Health performed two more mega investigations in 2016 and 2017. The institute discovered no relationship between heart disease and the consumption of fat. As a result of these findings, the FDA has now officially reversed its earlier teachings on dietary cholesterol being a health factor. For example, the consumption of more dietary cholesterol, as in eggs, has been found to produce less cholesterol in the body, and the opposite is true, as well.
*** Thus, the Keto or Ketogenic diet was born. It includes a program for low-carbohydrates and high-fat content. Unpopular in the 60s, Turner tells us, “The Keto is a new generation of the Atkins diet, like a new generation of the Ford Mustang.”
Part 2: (next publication): How to Get Started with the Right Foods
