Just Add Cayenne: Don't Diet....Just Eat Whole Food

Too many people, myself included, fall victim to trying various diets to keep healthy. One of the first problems is that we "try" various diets. If any one diet was good, we wouldn't find ourselves trying other types or falling off the path of one.

Just remember, for most diets, there is a person or company, backing the "trend" with their funding seeking their own, monetary, benefit. Diets are tossed around by the media as well for this reason. It took me a while to notice, but money basically drives most of these diets. And the diet with the most money behind it can getter bigger and better endorsements, and so on and so forth.

No Thanks!!

Basically, most of the diets out there will benefit the average person seeking weight loss because most diets are still restrictive in some sense. Taking a person with no structure to their eating pattern, then putting them on a structured eating plan will provide results as long as it's followed. But as I noticed, some of these diets restrict you from foods only deemed "bad" by the plan. For instance, the Paleo Diet (http://thepaleodiet.com/) says no to grains, even whole grains. I do give it a thumbs up for promoting other whole, unprocessed foods, but many grains have a lot to offer in way of nutrition and enjoyment. I tried the diet, and could become pretty irritable a times.....just ask Kelley.

Instead of seeking out a popular diet and its promises, stick with just eating actual food. I define food as something found on the earth, not in a lab. Michael Pollan's view on food is a great view for all of us to adopt. A list of "Food Rules" he created can be found at this site. Please look it over and pick a few to follow and see how you benefit mentally and physically.

Another big problem with starting diets is quitting your current habits cold turkey and starting something new. Try this non-diet approach to eating whole foods by slowly changing things in your current routine so it seems more manageable. Follow this link for a useful list healthy foods to purchase on your next grocery trip. Consuming more whole foods over packaged (even if it says it's healthy on the package) will increase the thermogenic process that occurs in your body to break down and use the food you consume. The more "whole" a food is, the more there is to break down and the more calories burned just for your body to use the food.

I could go on and on about food, but will wait to dive deeper on another day. Basically, making going out to eat more of a treat and eat at home the majority of the time is a great start. Food chains and restaurants are more concerned with "value" and taste (heavy sodium, fat, sugar, or all three) over actual nutrition of food. Think of foods you like, search thousands of recipes on the internet, and get the ingredients to make a meal you like. It's satisfying to create something on your own and rewarding on the waistline as well as wallet (remember healthy = less doctor's visits). Please feel free to ask questions and I will be more than happy to answer to the best of my ability.