The Healthy Diet

There are so many different opinions out there on what is considered a healthy diet! Macrobiotic, vegan, low carb, no carb, low fat, no fat, no grains, nothing white, nothing cooked, nothing processed, and the list goes on and on…

Now this is what you haven’t heard…
Optimal health comes from a healthy lifestyle, not diet. A diet is something you do for an allotted period of time and then stop. A lifestyle is harder to start and easier to maintain. It is hard to start because everyone is unique. A plan for a healthy lifestyle must be custom designed for the individual based on their taste, lifestyle, time management, finances, and body type. Once you have a plan that works for you, it is much easier to stick with it. This doesn’t mean you can’t cheat now and then. As long as you are living an overall healthy lifestyle, your body will be strong enough to handle a cheat here and there (as long as the cheat is not a food allergy).

Here is some general nutrition education to get you started…
There are three macro-nutrients found in foods: carbohydrates, fats, and protein. Carbohydrates are your main fuel for energy however too much of them causes weight gain and too little causes low energy and “foggy” brain. The “B vitamin” series help facilitate the turning of carbohydrates into usable energy. Carbohydrates get broken down and insulin (the storage hormone) takes it and stores it in the liver and muscle for energy later on. The liver and muscle eventually get full. Insulin says, “no problem, I will just start storing what’s left as fat”. The insulin also talks to the fat and says, “okay fat stay where you are, don’t burn as energy cause we have too much energy coming in”. Conversely, when glucagon (the mobilizing hormone) is around it says to the fat, “alright fat let’s break you down, burn you up, and get you out of here”. It also talks to the insulin and says, “calm down insulin”. In this way, glucagon has an inhibiting effect on the negative side of insulin. So what nutrient increases this good guy glucagon the most?

Protein increases glucagon. For this reason it is ideal to have a diet low in carbohydrates with adequate protein. It is best to eat healthy snacks between meals to keep your blood sugar stable.

Here are some more tips and information on how to follow a healthy diet: