Is There Anyone Who Knows Weather A Low Carb Diet Or Low Fat Diet Is Better. I Try To Eat Low Fat, But Alot Of Friends Say Low Carb Is Better. I Do Try To Work Out At The Gym About 3 Days A Week. I Weigh 130 And I Am 5 Ft 1 In. I Would Like To Loose 5 To 10 Pounds.
Hi Scary, Each has its advantages and disadvantages. A low-fat diet promotes excessive carb intake and a low-carb diet promotes excessive fat and/or protein intake. Neither promotes optimal health and both have associated risks.
IMO the BEST diet strategy is to find a middle ground. This is accomplished by balancing your macronutrients in a way that strengthens metabolism and protects your vital organs (kidneys, liver, heart). I recommend consuming about 50% of calories as high quality carbs, 25% of calories as protein, and 25% of calories as fat. Here are some recommended foods for each category:
Carbs: whole grains (whole wheat, brown rice, oats), green and leafy vegetables, starch vegetables (potato, corn, legumes), whole fresh fruits
Fat: Mono- and poly-unsaturated fats such as olive, peanut, canola, grapeseed, flaxseed, and fish oils
To determin percentage of calories, you simply need to know that 1 carb gram = 4 calories, 1 protein gram = 4 calories, and 1 fat gram = 9 calories. Assume that you eat a 400 calorie meal, using the recommended ratio of 50/25/25, 200 calories will be carb, 100 calories will be protein, and 100 calories will be fat. Now simple convert to grams. At 4 calories per gram, 200 carb calories = 50 grams. At 4 calories per gram, 100 protein calories = 25 grams. At 9 calories per gram, 100 fat calories = 11 fat grams.
Here is what to avoid:
All junk carbs including white bread, flour, processed sugar, cakes, candy, cookies, sodapop etc.
Highly processed convenience foods including deli meats, bacon, processed cheese slices, soups, gravies, sauces, bottled dressings, frozen entrees, boxed entrees, and some dairy products.
Chemical additives and preservatives - read labels. Always choose items with the shortest ingredient list.
Artificial sweeteners
Coffee
Alcohol
What is wrong with coffee? Is it the caffeine? I eat really well, basically the way you described above. However, I do drink a cup of coffee every morning. I never knew that it was listed in the "bad" foods.
i don't think you will die from 1 or 2 cups of coffee/day..but don't push it..and, drink it flat..no milk/no sugar..preferably espresso coffee is best..i wouldn't worry...
jdi.. is a real perfectionist..
What is wrong with coffee? Is it the caffeine? I eat really well, basically the way you described above. However, I do drink a cup of coffee every morning. I never knew that it was listed in the "bad" foods.
Amanda, I am firm believer that you can dramatically improve your health AND strengthen your metabolism if you focus on reducing your toxic load.
Your liver is responsible for keeping your body free of poisons from food, drink, and environment, but it is also the control center for your metabolism, converting your food into fuel, transporting nutrients into your bloodstream, and flushing fat from your body. Now, imagine a balance scale, with detoxification on one side and metabolism on the other. You must maintain balance so that the liver can do it's job properly. If your liver has to work too hard to detoxify the body, it will work less hard to metabolize your food. In summary, the greater your toxic load, the less efficient your liver becomes, which leads to weight gain, high cholesterol, diabetes, and many other undesireable illnesses. The theory is that if you reduce your toxicity, the liver will do an extremely efficient job metabolizing the food you eat, helping to keep you energized, build and repair cells, lower your cholesterol, and keep you healthier, in general.
So how do you know what your toxic load is? Its not really possible. If you are generally healthy, not on medications, don't drink or smoke, maintain a healthy weight, get excercise, and eat healthy foods, your toxic load is likely very low. If you are sick often, have high cholesterol, are battling a variety of chronic illnesses, and are overweight, chances are your toxic load is high.
Drinking coffee is just one thing that contributes to toxicity. It would be far worse if you drank 10 cups of coffee, were taking several medications, ate lots of preservatives, and were overweight. The key is to choose your poisons carefully and in moderation to give your liver break. If you really want to drink coffee every day and love it, give up something else.
Thank you, jdi. That makes perfect sense and I agree with you. I would say my toxic load is relatively low. I am not overweight, I don't drink or smoke, I exercise regularly, and my diet is really good. I have actually been thinking about replacing my coffee with green tea, so it can only get better, right?!
In my opinion, low carb dieting isn't a good long term approach, especially if you are working out. I like Jd's idea, a moderate carb/protein and lower fat intake is effective and healthy. That's the approach I've been taking and it works fine, and I have sustained energy, unlike when I tried the low carb diet, I felt extremely tired all the time and didn't have the energy to work out.
and didn't have the energy to work out. 
