Choose to Live Well!

What would you like to learn about on this blog? Submit your fitness, nutrition or weight loss questions to: PremierPhysique@gmail.com

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Low Fat or Low Carb? Part 1

Since the “experts” keep changing their mind, it is no wonder that we are thoroughly confused about proper nutritional techniques for weight loss and maintenance. You probably will not be surprised that my answer is neither. Low Carb, I will say, has its place for certain situations, but this needs to be entirely based on the understanding that our modern diets are easily too high in carbohydrates, and we certainly could all benefit from cutting down on processed breads and pasta. But let’s take a closer look at these two dieting techniques, first understanding what these nutrients are.

Our caloric consumption from food comes from four basic energy-providing nutrients. Carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram, protein 4 cal per gram, fat 9 cal per gram, and alcohol 7. No the latter is not very nutritious, but it is important to note that it is indeed a source of energy, providing more calories per weight than most of our foods. I certainly don’t have a problem with the low-alcohol diet, which is quite beneficial since alcohol calories convert easily into belly fat.

But carbs, proteins and fats are all essential nutrients for health. Yes, even fat. Unfortunately heart disease has only skyrocketed since reducing this important component of our diets over the last few decades. The low-fat craze of the 80s did provide a quick weight loss solution for many. After all, cut out the nutrient that provides 9 calories per gram and it’s easy to create the calorie defecit needed. But like all other popular protocols, the pounds piled back on.

The low-fat philosophy was mostly based on an ideology that just doesn’t stand up to science. If you want to lose fat, eat less fat, right? The truth is that eventually our body’s need for this nutrient will only program our bodies to store more of it. This diet also has shown significantly less results than low-carb dieting in many studies, and one of the reasons is thought to be the difficulty in maintaining it.

Stay tuned for the low-carb review!