 Preventive
Medicine and Nutrition
Many people believe that to lose weight they have to go on a low-calorie
diet. That often means starving oneself until the diet is no longer
tolerable. Other people believe that the answer to weight loss
lies in any number of fad diets, such as low-carbohydrate diets.
However, many of these diets also contain numerous health risks.
Any of these extreme weight loss strategies make it unlikely that
anyone will be able to adhere to the diet for very long. Then the
weight goes right back on—and then some. Happily, there is
a much better and easier way that offers many other health benefits,
too.
No More Diets
The first thing to realize is that changing eating habits must
be more than a short-term means to an end. Changing eating habits
is the cornerstone of permanent weight control. There is no way
to “lose 20 pounds in two short weeks” and make it
last. Very-low-calorie diets cause two major problems: They lower
one’s metabolic rate, making it harder to slim down, and
they lead to bingeing.
Fat Versus Complex Carbohydrates
It is a myth that pasta, bread, potatoes, and rice are fattening.
In fact, carbohydrate-rich foods are perfect for permanent weight
control. Carbohydrates contain less than half the calories of fat,
which means that replacing fatty foods with complex carbohydrates
automatically cuts calories. But calories are only part of the
story. A recent study in China found that, on the average, Chinese
people eat 20 percent more calories than Americans, but they are
also slimmer.1 Part of this is due to the sedentary
American lifestyle, but there is more to it than exercise alone.
Earlier studies have shown that obese people do not consume more
calories than non-obese people—in many cases, they consume
less.2,3
The body treats carbohydrates differently than
fat calories. The difference comes with how the body stores the
energy of different food types. It is very inefficient for the
body to store the energy of carbohydrates as body fat—it
burns 23 percent of the calories of the carbohydrate—but
fat is converted easily into body fat. Only 3 percent of the calories
in fat are burned in the process of conversion and storage.4 It
is the type of food, not so much the quantity, that affects body
fat the most.5
Protein
Although protein and carbohydrates have almost the same number
of calories per gram, foods that are high in protein—particularly
animal products—are also usually high in fat. Even “lean” cuts
of meat have much more fat than a healthy body needs. And animal
products always lack fiber. Fiber helps make foods more satisfying
without adding many calories, and it is only found in foods from
plants.
Exercise
Exercise is essential. Aerobic exercise speeds up the breakdown
of fat in the body and makes sure that muscle is not lost. Toning
exercises and weight-lifting help firm muscles and increase muscle
mass. A combination of exercises will help one achieve a slimmer,
firmer, healthier body in a shorter period of time. The trick is
to find enjoyable activities that fit one’s lifestyle. Walking
is popular because it requires no special equipment and can be
done anywhere at anytime.
Conclusion
The best and least complicated choice for a healthier, longer,
happier life is a weight-control program based on a low-fat, vegetarian
diet high in complex carbohydrates, complemented by regular exercise.
References
1. China:
a living lab for epidemiology. Science. 1990;248:553-5.
2. Garrow JS. Energy Balance and Obesity in Man. New
York: Elsevier, 1974.
3. Braitman LS, Adlin E, Stanton JL. Obesity and caloric
intake: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 1971-75 (HANES
1). J Chronic Dis. 1985;38:727-32.
4. Flatt JP. Energetics of intermediary metabolism. In:
Gatrow JS, Halliday D, eds. Substrate and Energy Metabolism in Man. London: John
Libbey and Co., 1985;58-69.
5. Dreon DM, Frey-Hewitt B, Ellsworth N, Williams PT,
Terry RB, Wood PD. Dietary fat: carbohydrate ratio and obesity in middle-aged
men. Am J Clin Nutr. 1988;47:995-1000.
Media
Center | Health | Research
| About PCRM | Catalog
| Join Us | Search
| Site Index | Home
The site does
not provide medical or legal advice. This Web site is for information purposes
only.
Full Disclaimer | Privacy Policy
|
