Nutrition...what a confusing subject!
What is the best diet? Atkins, low carb, no carb, high protein, keto, organic, vegan, vegetarian, low fat, gluten free, low sodium, cabbage soup, lemonade, macrobiotic, morning banana, glycemic index, rice diet and the list goes on!
All I can tell you is what I believe is the best diet for me. My philosophy on nutrition is this: moderation, variety and balance. I like utilizing approximately 35% Protein, 40% CHO and 25% unsaturated or healthy fats. This is just approximate and will vary depending on the time of day or particular nutrtional needs for that day. I tend to eat higher carbs early in the morining and higher protein say after my workout. I try to eat 5-6 small balanced meals/snacks throughout my day while always listening to my body. If I am hungry after two hours then I will eat. If I wake up in the middle of the night and hungry, I will eat a small healthy snack. I never starve myself...that's simply not needed but I do watch my portions and try to avoid "binging" at one sitting.
I focus on eating low energy dense foods or high yield foods which supply a lot of nutrients in the form of carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and fiber relative to the calories they contain. You can eat a fairly large amount of foods containing a small number of calories. More bang for your buck! These are not processed foods and not loaded with sugar, fat or additives. I try to do this within each food group.
Low energy dense foods (or high yield) includes colorful fruits and vegetables of red, purple, orange, yellow and green; whole grain carbohydrates such as pasta, sweet potatoes, bread, cereal and brown rice; lean proteins including egg whites (one yolk if I eat 4 eggs), fish, lean meats, legumes or beans and skim milk. I eat heart healthy fats including nuts, olive oil and avocados. These foods take a longer time to eat and lead to an overall lower caloric intake. This will promote weight loss yet still keep you feeling satisfied and full.
I also limit alcoholic beverages in my diet particularly beer and liquor. I do have an occasional glass of wine with my evening meal. Moderate drinking (1-2 glasses of wine or beer but not liquor) has been associated with decreasing the risk for heart disease but drinking heavy is bad. Alcohol can interfere with the body's use of various B complex vitamins as well as increase your risk for osteoporosis and some cancers. You really need to think about your own health risks and your family history and balance them. If your primary concerns are heart disease and osteoporosis, then a glass or two of wine is probably helpful. But if your primary concern is breast cancer, you really need to be careful of any alcohol.
Now let's talk about "bad" vs "good" carbs. It is claimed that "bad" carbs will make you fat. I do not believe this. A "good" vs "bad" carb is based on its glycemic index. High GI foods are thought to be "bad" because they raise your blood sugar more than "good" carbs do which lead to excessive insulin secretion causing weight gain and health problems. Digestion is such a complicated process and is difficult to determine the GI of a whole complete meal. Eating some white bread, pasta, rice or even an occasional candy bar will not make you fat or kill you. Whole grains are the best choice since these are higher in fiber and some nutrients. Fiber is very important in controlling insulin levels limiting which calories will be stored as fat. Fiber also helps to send fats through the intestines before they have time to be fully absorbed.
What about bodybuilding supplements? I do not believe in ingesting many bodybuilding supplements including OTC (over-the-counter) particularly fat burners for leaning out your physique. With proper nutrition and exercise, those fat burners and supplements are really not needed at all, just discipline, commitment and determination. Much of those bodybuilding supplements are not even FDA regulated so how do you know what you are really ingesting? You really don't. Smart food choices are much more effective toward being healthy. Remember supplement companies are about making money and promise you sometimes unrealistic results to make that almighty dollar. So instead of spending hundreds of dollars on pills, go and buy some fresh all natural foods instead.
Lastly, nutrtion is is extremely complex and a healthy diet can vary widely from individual to individual. We are all unique in genetic makeup, environment, and health. If you find you are having trouble losing weight on a healthy diet, I would recommend having some blood work or a medical checkup done to evaluate your biochemistry, metabolism and thyroid levels. You may require some medical treatment before you are able to lose weight.
