What's the Next Fad Diet and Why?

We have all seen the ever popular "low-fat" and "low-carb" diets and how products are rolled out to capitalize on them. I remember seeing treats like Snackwells being marketed as low fat and therefore "healthy" even though there was just more sugar. "Low-fat" has mostly faded, but "low-carb" is hanging around and you can find many products still making their claims.

This topic always gets me fired up since I see/hear so many people make bold claims that one ingredient or the other is super bad or another ingredient is the best one to add to your diet.  Wrong!

After searching for a cure for my writer's block (just like Danni at Healthy Kitschy Vegan currently has), I found a great article about Real Food at Fooducate.com. It basically mentions the past and current fad diets and the problems with each one. The author goes on to explain just like there's not one bad food, there's not one good food either. Here's a quote from the post:

"..It is not about the one bad ingredient that is making us unhealthy. On the flipside, it is also not about the one good ingredient, like beta-carotene, that is making us healthier. It’s about the diet as a whole."

When you eat real food, as the post explains, you include whole grains, fresh fruit and veggies, legumes, and lean protein.  All of these foods contain essential nutrients our bodies need to recover from exercise, energize for the next work out, and just for daily living.

The better the quality (less processed), the better for you.  When you choose convenience foods, chances are nutrients have been altered or removed all together to get the desired taste or look for the mass market. I'd rather have my odd-shaped carrot or lumpy apple over something that looks too perfect and comes in box, bag, or plastic wrap.

For those just starting out on their journey to a healthier lifestyle, here are some great tips that were listed:

Choose products with 100% whole grains as often as possible. Please don’t underestimate your family’s taste buds. Try transitioning them onto the more wholesome flavor by mixing the whole with refined grains at first and slowly wean them off of the simple carbohydrates. There are also a wide array of brands and types of grains on the market today so experiment until you find a taste that you enjoy.

Swap half the white flour called for in your baking recipes with whole-wheat flour. Typically, the sweetener can also be cut in half without the sweetest of a tooth noticing.

Eat tons of fresh vegetables and fruits. Try to include them in all meals and snacks. You can do this by making the vegetable the focal part of your meal and building the rest of the foods around it as a side. For example, a BIG salad, topped with a 3 oz piece of wild salmon and a side of sweet potato.

Think about including beans in your meals and snacks more often. They are a great source of plant protein, fiber, phytochemicals, flavonoids, carotenoids, and lycopene.

Eat fewer convenience and processed foods. They’re full of added fat, sugar, salt, and additives.

Choose nonsugary beverages such as water, green tea (iced or hot), fresh fruit juice, and skim or soy milk.

Of course you can progress as you get more comfortable with the new, healthier way of living. I can't even enjoy another other than whole grains and hardly anything with sugar. I like some sugar, but like to be in control of everything I make.  Crazy, obsessed, weird? Maybe, but have you seen what goes on behind the scenes of food prep?  It's not pretty.

So, if you're following a diet, or maybe have switched with the popular diet of choice, why not try just eating whole foods instead?  Don't omit certain food groups (allergy permitting), and do omit over processed junk that looks like food. Another great quote from the article:

"With the current claim that sugar is a poison, a drug and enemy number one, I can bet what will happen: the food industry will grab hold of the “no sugar fad” and substitute fancy artificial ingredients for natural sugar and guess what? Americans will probably still get fatter."

Agreed! I know I bring this topic up a lot, but it needs to be constantly discussed to get the message across it seems.  I think there is too much of a focus on calories right now and macronutrients are pushed aside.  So now a small single serve bag (wasteful packaging to me) that is only 100 calories makes those oreos "healthy"? Doubtful.

Have you made any changes for the better lately? 

Do you agree or disagree with this stance?

Happy Saturday and thanks for reading! Oh yeah, the Artisana Foods contest has ended, check back on Monday to see the lucky winner!

How to Never Worry About Calories Again!!

Basically, eat whole foods and don't eat packaged food. Cutting out packaged food and making your own snacks and meals from fresh, wholesome ingredients is the key to better health.

Convenient foods sealed in a nice little (or big) package in a perfectly shaped box present a problem for many people; they're convenient! What happens when you pour a bowl of cereal, finish the puffs/flakes/crisps and still have milk leftover? Instead of simply just drinking it or finding use for it in a recipe, many people will just pour more cereal in the bowl.

YES!!

I'm guilty of doing this in the past, and even now, but I don't buy boxed cereal for this reason. I make my own cereal with plain rolled oats and add various ingredients like pureed pumpkin, carrots, eggplant, yogurt, protein powder, peanut flour, chia seeds, mashed banana, nut butter, and more.

Using stevia as a sweetener allows me to cut empty calories from sugar and still have a little sweetness.  If using banana, you'll have the benefit of natural sweetness and comfort.

When you choose to eat whole food that comes straight from farm to table and not in a package, you will naturally feel full and know when to stop.  With plenty of fiber, water, and essential nutrients in whole veggies, you can eat plenty and still have a low calorie meal.

I want so bad to explain this to the uninformed, but so many think of this as "too hard" or "there's just no use." Nonsense! I say. If you say you really want to be healthier and change your lifestyle, then do something about it!

NO!!

Give it a chance; if you're buying something packaged, make it baby carrots or a veggie mix that's precut.  These are great for snacking alone or dipping in no or low calorie dips like mustard or plain non-fat yogurt.

If only I had thought to become a nutritionist or something health and food related, I could establish a practice and help more people.  Isn't it funny (really sad) how I could try and tell an unhealthy person a few simple ways to be healthier, but they will quickly ignore my suggestions and take advice from advertising on a box of "low calorie" chips.

It should be a red flag when you see a product trying to pass itself off as being healthy by just saying it is low cal.  Then you read the ingredients and see 50+ items you can pronounce. Really? Is that healthy? NO!

So, sorry for all of the jumping around, my head spins when I get caught up thinking of the vast information out there and how people listen to the wrong things.  Usually it ties into what's easier.

The takeaway? Don't follow some diet, don't listen to or even purchase packaged food, do choose whole food like fresh produce, lean cuts of meat (if applicable), and plain legumes. Here are a few past posts for some great ideas to get started:

Healthy Food Swaps

15 Healthy Cooking and Eating Tips

Diet Fads and How to Avoid Them

Why Diets Don't Work

Simple and Healthy Snack Ideas

Hope these help! Are you stuck in a convenient food rut?  Were you in the past? If so, how have you prevailed to overcome the "easy route" and choose fresh food instead?

Do you agree with my assessment?  Whole foods = natural calorie regulation, no counting needed!  The stripped down boxed stuff will leave you constantly craving more and more and may not ever keep you satisfied.

Have a great weekend!

Thursday Rant: People's Lack of Healthy Food Knowledge

 I am bothered by general lack of knowledge on healthy food; something our bodies depend on every day. As mean as this soundss, it’s really because I care about the general health of friends, family, and other people around me. I know I have a lot to learn (you never stop, really), but it’s something I seek out as much as possible and feel others should do the same.

The media has butchered what is considered healthy and what’s not. Basically, “healthy” foods that are promoted by mainstream media are usually backed by big companies that sell their processed and packaged "healthy" foods….not the small, independent businesses and farmers selling whole unprocessed foods. I continually seek out information on my own and take what the labeling on packages say with a grain of salt.

My devotion to good health is why I started this blog and why I prepare most of the meals I eat. Seeing and hearing how ignorant people can be shouldn’t get to me like it does, but….it does. Why is this? I can only assume it has something to do with how passionate I am about an area that is important to all of humanity and feel everyone should be the same. I understand kids, if raised in a setting where nutrition is not discussed and food is just food, then they will not know better to question their food; they just eat what’s in front of them. But, with health being a main topic across all media sources, grown adults should try harder to teach their offspring to care more and seek information for what they don’t know.

Good health, after all, is directly related to a person’s diet as well as activity level. I am a huge advocate of daily exercise, but diet is the main contributor to health. If more of us cared to learn about nutrition, I bet there would be lower health care costs across the board and it wouldn’t be such a big issue as it is now. Yeah yeah, I know this is far fetched and can’t / won’t happen over night, but I can dream, right?

I consider this blog as a great way to help try and inform people on a healthier lifestyle that can still be enjoyed. I have a great time in the kitchen and it helps relieve stress while learning new things myself. I don’t have a kid now, but when I do, I want to make sure to pass on the importance of living healthily and how to do so. I try to teach others (sometimes without them wanting) about foods and their benefits or what to use instead of another, less healthy choice.

As mainstream as it is, you’d think some things are obvious, but many people are still clueless. Here are a few ways we can help educate people, please comment if you have more ideas and hopefully this can help all of us to educate the World on food and health

- Parents can and should get in the kitchen and cook healthy meals with their children (allowing them to help with what is appropriate). This increases bonding as a family and passes on healthy values to the next generation.

- As mentioned, blogging on healthy topics will help to increase any reader’s knowledge and hopefully they will enjoy the good read.

- Offer advice to people at the grocery store if they have a confused look or you hear them questioning something. Sometimes it’s well received, I’ve had good and bad experiences with this, but at least I tried

- If you’re into cooking healthy foods, make some for friends, family, and co-workers (hopefully they’re friends too) and let them taste how healthy food is good food. If they like it, you can show them how to prepare at home.

I took today’s post as day to rant (another great use for blogs!) about something I hold dear. Like I said, I know I can’t let how others feel about good health bother since it can’t be forced upon them; they have to want to know. But I remain persistent and will fill the ears of anyone who cares to listen.
I read a lot of blogs by other healthy foodies and can see many others who are as passionate about health as I am.

To all of you healthy foodies (bloggers and non-bloggers alike), do you ever feel this way? Besides blogging, how else do you try and get information across to others?