boomerhealthandfitness.com

Improve and overhaul my diet.

This is a big one because I have a sweet tooth and it’s easy for me to delude myself into believing that my diet is better than it really is. With that in mind, and knowing that moderation is more difficult for me than total deprivation, I decided to make drastic changes to what I eat.

The basic dietary guidelines are:

1. No junk
2. Minimize packaged and processed food
3. Drastically lower carbs; get most carb calories from vegetables and low glycemic fruits
4. Increase lean protein and fat (yeah, increasing fat was a surprise to me, too)
5. Use targeted fasts to decrease overall caloric load and improve insulin sensitivity

Junk food is out. That means anything made with white sugar or flour….donuts, cakes, cookies, bagels, ice cream, etc, etc. I’m minimizing packaged and processed foods which will help reduce my intake of high fructose corn syrup (very bad for lipid, glucose levels and overall general health) and other unsavory chemical concoctions. That doesn’t mean I’ll never have anything that comes in a man-made package, but I’ll check the labels carefully and only succumb when absolutely necessary. (There’s the added benefit that limiting packaged food will also create less trash for the environment.)

One change that has already resulted from limiting packaged and processed food is that my consumption of protein and energy bars has decreased from at least one per day to none. They were a quick and easy snack for me, but were far too readily available if I started eating out of boredom. Plus, as processed food goes, they’re healthier than a Twinkie, but they still contain ingredients that were dreamt up in a lab somewhere. The money that I used to spend on bars is now being spent on vegetables.

Some people don’t like vegetables. I’ve always been a big fan and that’s a huge help if you’re trying to improve your diet. My grocery cart is being filled with green peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, broccoli, celery and spinach. And, although it always graced our table at Thanksgiving, I’ve discovered that butternut squash is not just for holidays! The video below shows Ray Burton of Fat to Fit demonstrating his quick and easy butternut squash recipe. I like to throw a cup of the squash, some canned chicken and about half a cup of pineapple together. Yum!

Fruit consumption is considered a necessity by some and problematic by others. Too much sugar, even that found naturally in fruit, can cause problems with blood glucose and insulin levels in someone who is diabetic or already dealing with a compromised insulin response.

In the past, it was not unusual for me to consume several pieces of fruit in a day. I am now restricting my intake to no more than one piece of fruit per day and am opting for fruit with a low glycemic load, e.g. apples, berries, grapefruit. I’ll substitute additional veggies for fruit servings.

Increasing lean protein consumption isn’t that difficult. Chicken, turkey and fish are part of my diet now. I’ll just increase the amount and stay faithful to one or two protein shakes a day. I’m aiming for 100 to 150 grams of protein a day which would be 400 to 600 calories. I haven’t figured out a total daily caloric value as a target yet and I may not. Eating with total calories in mind hasn’t worked in the past so I may opt for a different method to track my intake.

Increasing fat consumption goes against almost everything I’ve read and the recommendations of most diet “experts”, but recently I’ve come across information that is favorable to the increased intake of fat via foods like avocadoes, nuts, and coconut oil. Fat has no impact on insulin levels. I intend to link to people far smarter than I on the benefits of fats, saturated fats in particular, in the future.

Targeted fasts or intermittent fasting is one way to reduce calorie intake. Personally, I find it easier to refrain from eating for an 18-36 hour window than to spend every day concerned with how many calories I’ve ingested so I don’t exceed a predetermined limit. And for a day or day and a half, I don’t have to worry about eating or food preparation giving me time for other pursuits…..like exercise…..or blogging. Granted, some of my friends do not understand my fascination with fasting or my current mantra of “sugar is poison”.

Caloric restriction (CR) has also been demonstrated to increase the lifespan of rats. I know we’re not rats, but forced CR led to weight loss and better lipid and blood sugar profiles at the Biosphere Two experiment in the early 1990’s. Dr. Roy Walford was the physician to the Biosphere’s crew and cited some of the health benefits of their calorie restricted, nutrient dense diet in his book The Anti-Aging Plan.

Basically, that’s the diet plan. The vast majority of my carbs will come from vegetables and some fruits which will help reduce my total intake of carb grams. I’ll aim to consume food that comes in its “natural” packaging rather than a box or wrapper. And I’ll increase my lean protein and fat intake for reasons of satiety and to minimize insulin response.

Exercise, a four letter word to some, is the final part of my plan.  I’ll have that post up in a few days.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS