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The Atkins diet has become so popular in the last couple of years that American breadmakers have become worried about the future of their industry. Yet last week, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine called for an investigation of the potential harmful effects and deaths that may be associated with Atkins-type diets. Have you tried cutting out carbs and going the all-protein route? If so, how did that work for you? What's your personal approach to food?
JENICE: Lately, when I go to the grocery store, I've found myself wandering around. What are you supposed to eat these days? For years, I ate mostly carbs - pasta, pizza, rice and beans, sandwiches and now that's supposedly such a no no because of the carb thing. I'd love to hear what a really good but non-conventional nutrionist might say. I say nonconventional because I don't buy that whole USDA food pyramid thing.
APRIL: I eat a ton of carbs and protein and the combination seems to agree with me....I actually only cut out high fat items.
I know a lot of people I talk to say carbs make them sluggish or bloated, but I find that I truly need them for running energy. The more bagels the better I say!
WENDY: The eating thing is weird. I seem to be able to forget about it for stretches -- and then, BANG, it catches up with me.
Generally, here's what works long-term for me:
If I do that, the rest of it sort of falls into place.
I heard one eating rule recently that I really liked: Someone who eats out a lot said she has a hard-and-fast rule: Either bread, a glass of wine, OR dessert. Pick one and only one.
YVONNE: The more you work out the more you need the right foods and all the literature I read says you should do 40-30-30: 40 percent carbs, 30 percent protein and 30 percent fat. Now I don't do math all day long when I eat. My brain is too small for that. I have protein with every meal and make sure that I don't have more than two servings of carbs at a sitting. That includes juice. A lot of people tend to overlook how much carbs are in juice. My trainer ingrained in me addding protein to juice on the rare occasions I have it to engage the mucles. If I work out at night I don't feel guilty about having a little carbs after, such as half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Going to bed hungry starves your muscles, making them feed off themselves (which is bad) and personally wakes me up in the middle of the night.
THERESA: About a year ago I really started paying attention to my daily calorie intake, after years of idly munching on pretty much whatever I wanted. The Women Fitness database is a first-rate resource for keeping track of calories, fat, vitamins, protein intake, etc. during the day. For several weeks last winter, I kept a food diary on my computer, making note of everything I ate and counting calories religiously. Pretty soon I'd memorized how many calories are in almost everything I like to eat. Since doing this, I've quit eating crackers and cheese, which used to be one of my favorite suppers! And I buy lite yogurt instead of regular and put way less butter on my air-popped popcorn (one of my favorite snacks!) Good nutrition is all about a balance of healthy, not-too-highly-processed foods. I'm not averse to carbs by any means-- oatmeal with raisins is a great breakfast, I think, and I munch on fresh fruit as much as I want. But candy, cake, cookies have to be a once-in-a-while treat. Potato chips are BAD NEWS. French fries too. It's not that I never eat that stuff, but I sure have cut back.
I have found that the more I've increased my protein intake while cutting back on sweets, the less my body seems to crave hits of sugar all day long. I make better choices than I did before. Now one of my favorite dinners is a spinach salad with broiled chicken, tuna, or imitation crabmeat, with low-fat raspberry vinaigrette.
BARBARA: It's hard to figure the diet thing out with every so-called expert coming out with the magic formula. I've come to believe there is no magic bullet, no perfect diet. Eating too much fat, sugar or carbs is not healthy. I think people metabolize foods differently, so I think we all have to kind of experiment to see what makes us feel good and look better. For example, I recently gave up almost all dairy and I feel so much better. I find that eating carbs in the morning jumpstarts my day, gives me energy and doesn't put on weight. So for breakfast, I generally eat a high-fiber cereal with raw oatmeal and organic rasisns, with just a drizzle of soy milk. One or two days a week I break down and have a huge muffin or bagel. I personally feel better if I eat a big lunch and lighter dinner, especially now that I'm not 20 anymore. I try to not eat as many carbs at night because your body stores them and doesn't burn them when you sleep. I'm not a huge fan of the Atkins diet simply because eating meat and cheese isn't my thing and I don't think it's particularly healthy. I'd rather ditch the cheese and scarf on the bread.
LAURIE: For me it isn't so much what I eat as how much I eat. If I can avoid second helpings, that's the best way to manage my weight. I LOVE carbs, but thanks, Barbara, for that tip about eating them at night.
Share your thoughts! We want to hear from you!
As food goes, at times, I've cut carbs completely - candy, cake, pie, cookies, and sugar in tea. I've also cut cream cheese and butter. Often, I've cut bread too. I've replaced these items with lots of fruits and vegetables, yogurt and a list of other low fat, low carb foods I pull from several books I have on good nutrition. I tend to do better when I have the healthy stuff in the house and readily available.
Posted by: Yvette on November 24, 2003 06:35 AMAny oversimplification is a problem with nutrition. The label "carbs" is dangerously misleading as is the food guide pyramid. Refined foods are a problem, not carbohydrates in general. White bread (which includes the ingredient wheat flour as opposed to whole wheat flour), refined sugars (sugars removed from whole foods like fruit), white rice, and other processed items add an increased number of calories to the diet in a tight package. When the fiber is removed, which is what happens when these items are refined, all the protective benefits (vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals) of the items are stripped, and the consumer is left with a nutrient-depleted source of calories. The same is true of oils. Fats themselves are not a problem when they are consumed in whole form (and some are actually necessary), but many of the fats are consumed in a refined form (refined from vegetable items) or a fiberless form (animal products). The fiber helps to protect our bodies from the damage foods can do.
The Atkins diet has been tested and shown not to support long-term weightloss and can actually be damaging in other ways. Like any diet that causes weight loss, it restricts calories, in this case by eliminating a major source of calories. However, it can cause other health problems (weight isn't the only issue in health). Chemotherapy causes weight loss, but that doesn't make it a healthy way to lose weight.
When finding a diet that works for you, consider this:
1. Is this a diet you can live with for the rest of your life? If not, don't bother with it because you'll gain back the weight when you "end" your diet.
2. Does the diet consist of nutrient-dense foods that have been shown to improve health time and time again (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes)? If not, the diet may cause weight loss, but you'll end up with other problems like cancer or a depleted immune system.
3. It takes the taste buds about six weeks to adjust to a new way of eating (as long as you don't cheat) so if a healthy diet seems unappealing at first, stick with it for a while and give it a chance. Soon, you'll find that it's the most delicious choice you can make.
If you'd like to ask these questions and learn from an expert, Brenda Davis, RD, will be in Philly Dec 3 presenting "Exploding Nutrition Myths." For info, go to http://snurl.com/34ha or e-mail philly @ clubveg.org.
Posted by: Club Veg on November 24, 2003 09:15 AMWow, Yvette, good for you! I couldn't do that, much as I might want to because I'm sure it's healthier and good for weight control. I do eat a lot less butter than I used to -- but I'm still scarfing the bread.
Posted by: Laurie on November 24, 2003 09:56 AMI understand the concern for any eating plan to takes out whole sources of foods. But knowing your body also is important, and I know that I am carb-sensitive. I will blow up like a balloon when I eat too much of the processed carbs that Allison talked about. After I eat a plate of pasta, I feel like I a going into a coma, I get so tired.
That's why I am trying the South Beach diet. Like Atkins, it's a no-carb diet for the first two weeks. Then relaxes after that and introduces the good carbs back in. It's less restrictive than Atkins, and so I am trying that. I will eat whole wheat and multigrain bread again someday! But I don't think I will ever consume a lot of white potatoes or pasta ever again. What will I miss the most? OJ! If someone could come up with a low-carb OJ substitute, I would be a happy woman!
The first few days were hell, and I did have withdrawal symptoms. But after that, I felt better. And today, day 8, I feel just fine. I don't have as much energy to exercise as I did before, but I know that's because I don't have the sugars to draw from. I hope once I reintroduce the carbs in a few days that I get my energy back.
Posted by: Yvette W. on November 24, 2003 10:47 AMMy boring solution to all of this is Weight Watchers. Once you learn the system, you find that you automatically have a calorie counter in your head and you turn down foods when you're not hungry. Take a look at the online membership at WeightWatchers.com.
I am wondering if the holidays will turn off the calorie counter in my head, however. I am a little worried about that. Halloween wasn't my best moment this year.
Posted by: Ellen on November 24, 2003 10:54 AMI did my best when I was counting calories and eating foods low in fat. I switched from white bread to low fat wheat bread, white rice to brown rice. Chicken or fish were part of my diet every day, along with alot of fruits and veggies. And don't forget exercise. Not only did I feel better, but lost some weight that I needed to do.
Posted by: Roz on November 25, 2003 07:01 AMStay balanced! That's the key to healthy eating for a lifetime, as opposed to dieting that is temporary and potentially harmful if handled improperly. In spite of what the diet/fitness gurus tell us, we do not have one-size-fit-all-bodies. Each of us need to be in tune with what our individual bodies need to maintain health, or we could unwittingly cause inbalances that could adversely affect our bodies and/or mental functions and emotions.
Handle with care!
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