It's that time of year when most of us are thinking about our resolutions and trying to adopt some new healthy habits. Theories about nutrition have fluctuated from one extreme to the other in recent years, leaving many people confused about what they should be eating.
One of the biggest and most contradictory debates has centered around low-fat diets versus low-carb diets. Like many Americans, you're probably confused about which one is healthiest and will contribute to the fastest weight loss.
In the 1980s and 1990s, there was a huge low-fat craze. The US adopted the food pyramid as the guideline for how to eat, which recommended huge amounts of carbohydrates as the basis for a healthy diet, and warned us to eat fats in limited quantities. Americans were thrilled to learn that they could eat all the cookies and cakes and crackers they wanted, as long as the items were low-fat. The food pyramid did nothing to distinguish between different types of carbohydrates and different types of fats. We now know that fats from vegetable sources are generally good for you, and saturated fats from animal sources should be limited. Similarly, products made from highly processed simple carbohydrates like white flour are very different from natural grains and other unprocessed vegetable sources of carbohydrates (like potatoes and root vegetables).
A long-term study of 49,000 women (Women's Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial) showed that a low-fat diet did not support weight loss or any kind of health improvement.
"The low-fat, high-starch diet that was the focus of dietary advice during the 1990s-as reflected by the USDA food guide pyramid-is dying out. A growing body of evidence has been pointing to its inadequacy for weight loss or prevention of heart disease and several cancers…The results, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed no benefits for a low-fat diet. Women assigned to this eating strategy did not appear to gain protection against breast cancer, colorectal cancer, or cardiovascular disease. And after eight years, their weights were generally the same as those of women following their usual diets." http://www.hsph.harvard.edu (Harvard School of Public Health)
In contrast, the low-carb diet craze we've all witnessed recently has very different health implications. While severely restricting carbohydrates can result in fast weight-loss, which is very tempting for the desperate dieter, it has many other health risks. To start with, carbohydrates are the source of energy in the body. Eating little or no carbs can lead to fatigue and irritability. Also, carbohydrates are the only source of fiber in the human diet, so digestive disorders are commonly associated with a low carb diet where fruits and vegetables are restricted along with high-quality sources of whole grains.
Sugary drinks are the most dangerous current public nutrition issue in America, in my opinion. Study after study shows that consuming processed sugar in liquid form (even one beverage per day) has disastrous effects on health, including increasing the risk of diabetes, heart disease, gout, and, of course, obesity. If you regularly consume sugary beverages (soda, "energy" drinks, fruit juice, sweetened coffee drinks, etc), I believe the best thing you can do for your health this year is to replace them with water.
Rather than adhering to an extreme diet, I believe it's best to use common sense. We should all strive to drink more water, eat more vegetables and fruits, and cut down on anything processed or artificial. Consuming healthy fats like avocado, coconut oil, and nuts can help you feel fuller and curb your appetite. Eating high-quality protein can satiate hunger and keep blood sugar from fluctuating. The majority of carbohydrates you eat should be from vegetable sources and small amount of whole grains.
Best of luck for a happy, healthy 2015!
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