So, the “Diet Wars” have been raging for years now, and Atkins type low-carb diets seem to out-muscle other higher carb diets for reliable and easier to achieve short to medium term weight loss. There are some caveats, though. Here’s what you have to know to be healthy and lose weight…
A few years ago, a head-to-head health study comparing popular prototype weight-loss diets pointed to the Atkins low-carb diet as being more effective for weight loss, resulting in higher levels of good HDL cholesterol, and being generally better than low-fat, high-carb diets on many scores. Surprisingly, while the Mediterranean diet fared as well as Atkins when it came to weight loss, Atkins took the prize for chloseterol! That’s not what anyone expected; that’s why we do science. On the surface this seems like decisive evidence, but in reality, the observed benefits could have happened by chance, and in addition, the differences didn’t even account for as much as a dress or pants size.
What is most interesting about this study is that despite the initial commitment and dramatic weight loss, in almost every case there was significant weight gain less than a year after the loss. In fact, less than 5% of the participants who reached their target weight were still there a year later. It’s understandable, since diets can become boring due to limited choices and a lack of variety. The answer is to learn sound nutritional principles, avoid empty calories, and eat “close to the source”. No, that does NOT mean dining while prone, 3 inches from the ground!
We have developed a taste for lean, grass-fed meats, wild caught fish or game, beans, a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, organic egg and dairy products, of course allowing for the occasional whole grain treat (you know, the kind that looks like there is bird seed in it). We try to minimize sugars and flours, and reject high fructose corn syrup and harmful trans fats (hydrogenated oils, etc) whenever possible. You’ll eat like the ancients, but have fun and feel great, because you are on your way to a Healthy U!