Pete’s Blog – February 2020
Over the last two – three months I have been asked on a regular basis, what is the best way to lose weight and directly related to this question what are the best foods to eat to help me lose weight?
Neither question has a simple answer, which tends to be both frustrating and at the same time, thought provoking for the person who asked me these questions. Especially at the beginning of a new year, existing, as well as potential new clients often have a resolution to become as ‘Healthy’ as possible so they can maximise their training results.
With so much information on diet and exercise readily available in both print and digital media, trying to work out what is the best approach to an individual’s healthy lifestyle can be very confusing; with each so-called ‘expert’ claiming their approach to diet is the best way to lose weight and be healthy. The simple truth of the matter is that there is no ‘one’ approach to diet and exercise that is perfect for every single individual. There are certainly some very important principles that everyone should follow, such as – move daily, eat well, hydrate often, sleep lots etc but beyond these basics, there isn’t one diet/nutrition plan that is perfect for everyone.
In a recent issue of the ‘Good Food Magazine’ in the Sydney Morning Herald, there was an excellent article that explored some of the trendier dietary ‘buzzwords’ and then offered some sound advice we can all use to improve our understanding of healthy eating.
The key points from this article are as follows:-
1. Should I be Vegan too?
There is a lot of hype around a recent documentary titled – “The Game Changers”. The central theme of this short film is that a plant-based (vegan) diet is a much healthier diet for the average person; we should stop eating meat and instead obtain our protein from plant-based foods. This documentary ties in nicely with a current trend to being a vegan.
One positive message from this dietary trend is encouraging people to eat mostly unprocessed plant food. Given that less than 10% of Australian adults eat 5 servings of vegetables each and every day, eating more fresh vegetables and fruit will certainly make for a healthier population. However, there is no conclusive data that shows that a vegan diet is any better than a typical omnivore diet, which includes consumption of red meat on 1 -2 days per week.
2. Do I need to Detox?
Simple answer is no.
Our kidneys and liver do an excellent job of breaking down toxins, and then excreting them in urine. The best thing we can do to assist this process is to eat more unprocessed plant food and drink 2 -3 litres of water each day.
3. Healthy Gut Bacteria.
A healthy gut microbiome has been shown to help with improved cognitive function, mood, depression and control of blood sugar.
While eating probiotics such as yoghurt, fermented vegetables such as sauerkraut and kimchi and drinking fermented drinks such as kombucha, eating more unprocessed fibre-rich plant foods provides the prebiotics your gut bacteria need to help maintain a healthy gut microbiome.
4. Is it OK to drink alcohol?
It is OK to dring alcohol in moderation (<10 standard drinks per week but less is probably better). While there is some evidence that Red Wine may have some health benefits, limiting your alcohol consumption is no doubt better for your long term health.
Remember, everything in moderation. Always better to enjoy one or two glasses of wine over dinner with friends and/or family.
5. All Carbs are evil.
The carbohydrates (carbs) we obtain from unprocessed plant food are actually a very healthy food source. However too many Australian adults eat too many highly processed, simple, carbs that are found in cakes, pastries, chips and lollies. These highly refined carbs provide us with too many calories and very little, if any, nutritional goodness in the form of fibre, vitamins and minerals.
While modern and has been living off carbohydrates for thousands of years and they are a very good source of energy, we need to make sure we eat more foods that are rich in fibre such as whole grains, vegetables and fruit.
6. Should I follow a Keto diet?
The short answer to this question is that a true keto diet is very restrictive. While you can lose weight on this type of diet there is growing evidence that a keto diet may not be healthy or sustainable in the long-term, with adverse issues such as reduced bone health in old age. Low-carbohydrate diets may offer some short-term weight loss but a healthy well balanced diet is a more sustainable option in the losing term.
7. Role of Intermittent Fasting
While the research is currently inconclusive about the real benefits of intermittent fasting, e.g. fasting for 12 – 14hrs each day, (normally this is done between dinner and the first meal of the following day), we may become more mindful of what we are eating and how much we eat over the course of a normal day.
If we eat better and eat less highly processed foods, then in the long term this should encourage healthier eating.
8. Which are the best superfoods?
All vegetables and fruits are superfoods!
9. Do I need to take a daily multi-vitamin/multi-mineral?
As long as you are getting sufficient nutrients on a daily basis from vegetables, fruit, whole grains and legumes, there is probably no need to add supplements to your diet. Adding unnecessary supplements will usually result in expensive urine!
10. Should I completely eliminate sugar from my diet?
A little bit of sugar, e.g. from eating fruit is good for you but try to avoid drinking fruit juice, as most juice contains a lot of added sugar. If your diet consists primarily (approx 80%) of minimally processed plant foods a little bit of sugar is not going to hurt you but where possible try to avoid eating processed, refined sugar products.
Conclusion
To sum up we would all benefit from including a larger variety of vegetables and fruits in our diets, there is a lot of sound scientific evidence supporting this.
If you want to try a vegan diet, or a low-carbohydrate diet for a short period of time, or try a form of intermittent fasting, I suggest you do your homework and make sure you will get all of the nutrients you require, including adequate protein on a daily basis before you make the change.
Remember the real personal value is in finding a sustainable plan that is easy to stick with, includes foods that you like to eat, has a focus on whole foods and vegetables and finally, is a diet that you can live with forever.
I would like to finish with a quote from Bruce Lee:
“Research your own experience.
Absorb what is useful.
Reject what is useless.
Add what is specifically your own.”