The reality of food today as that many people just don’t know what is going on. What is healthy, what won’t kill you, how much should you eat? These are just a few questions that plague the minds of many. Eating healthy is about relearning how to eat and realizing that most of what is out there for your benefit isn’t beneficial at all. Getting into a diet for real weight loss requires some radical thinking, such as the food pyramid is a waste of time.
Any nutritionist will agree with the assessment that the food pyramid is archaic and inaccurate. Basing the bulk of your diet and breads and carbohydrates is ineffectual at creating an environment that fosters weight loss. It should only be, at most for any given meal, 25% of what is on your plate. The base of the pyramid is actually green, meaning it is mostly vegetables.
When it comes to wanting to throw out many of the recommended carbohydrates, the answer lies in a particular foods glycemic index. This index measures how fast a food digests and releases glucose which can adversely affect your blood sugar levels. It is what diabetes worry about when they approach a meal, but the advice applies to anyone.
The issue comes down to how fast things are digested by the body and many processed carbohydrates are digested quickly. This is where the problem comes in because it will cause a spike in blood sugar levels because they release glucose during the digestion process.
Better carbohydrates with a low glycemic index, like those found in sweet potatoes, break down slowly and gradually and thus have a lower impact on blood sugar. This has the added benefit of keeping you fuller longer. Cheap processed foods, with their sugar spikes, wreck havoc on your body’s ability to monitor its appetite.
Back to your now green base, these foods pack nothing but benefits. No one ever got fat just eating vegetables and they can be quite tasty. Along with flavor come a number of vital minerals and vitamins that improve your bodily systems and pass through your body with minimal effort. In other words, passing spinach through your system is much easier than working through to find the nutritional benefits of a donut.
If you don’t believe that vegetables have a terrific flavor, than perhaps you have only had them a certain way. Indeed many people boil their vegetables and not only is the outcome unappealing, it has been sapped of most of its nutrients. Get online and find new recipes because there are truly hundreds of ways to cook a vegetable. Be bold with your spice choices as well because salt is not the only thing that can impart great flavors.
Roasting can bring out nuances in foods, especially vegetables. So, you have a new paradigm with veggies on the bottom. Next up, half would be carbohydrates and the other half would be meats. Meat can be the center of a meal, but that should be for special occasions. It is time to start thinking about meat as more of a garnish that adds flavor and does not dominate a meal.
Fruits are full of good sugars and so don’t feel guilty in indulging, and in the end desserts like cakes and brownies should be eaten rarely. Follow these rules and start eating a diet for real weight loss.
Throwing out the food pyramid will give you real weight loss results. We’ve got the exclusive low down on Diet For Weight Loss now in our Struggerling Dieters guide. Also published at Rethink Carbs For A Diet For Real Weight Loss For Life.