We are surrounded by diet
plans. Almost every magazine by the
grocery check-out offers a new one. Our
friends try keto or paleo or vegan. We
see an ad about weight loss by eliminating these two foods or combining these
six or eating only while showering (OK, I made that last one up, but it’s
almost plausible…). Some of them work;
some not so much.
Here’s how to figure out
which ones are which. It’s a two-pronged
approach. Step one is check the
research, if any. (If there isn’t any,
that is a good indication that success is unlikely.) Many of the miracles promised by various odd
food plans come from the fact that people who follow them end up eating fewer
calories than usual, not because of the mystical properties of combining or
avoiding. Checking in with a nutritionist
or doctor can also help.
Step two, if the plan we
are considering makes it past step one, is to try it. We are all individuals with unique variations
on the basic chemistry. We need to see
if the plan in question works for us. “Works,”
in this context, means that when we eat according to the plan, we feel good, we
lose weight, and we improve on things like glucose and cholesterol levels in
our blood.
When we don’t follow the
steps, we can deprive ourselves of needed nutrients. Take, for example, lactose intolerance. Some of us are truly lactose intolerant (more
likely among Native Americans, African-Americans, and Asian-Americans); some of
us lose weight when we eliminate dairy because our major source of dairy is
deep dish pizza. We might be fine with
yogurt, which could help us meet our calcium requirements.
Let’s be smart, people.
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