39. Better Nutrition Part II: "Healthy" Meals?

Uhh... No

A couple of weeks ago I started taking multivitamins to help with my nutrition. Ideally nutrition is improved with both a better diet and commitment to exercising regularly. Today I want to look at one of these and to get a solid answer to a question that seems to have an ever-changing solution: What on earth does a healthy diet look like? The answer is not what you might think...

I need to start with a disclaimer. A healthy diet is not, and never is, "dieting". A diet is supposed to be an ongoing way of eating that contributes to your health. That should be the goal: health. We live in a society where appearance is the ultimate god. Screw that.
LADIES: please remember that before anorexia and implants and exercise addictions, there was something called "sexy". Please recapture this virtue of womanhood. Despite what everything society may tell you, this is what real men want. That said...

A little over a year ago I had 3 family members hospitalized, one fatally, because of heart problems. While this was going on I learned from my doctor that excess weight around the abdomen (i.e., gut fat) exponentially increases a person's risk for heart problems. Since heart disease is obviously somewhat genetic in my family, I made the tough decision to lose my extra weight. One of the results was that I started to watch a number of documentaries on food to educate myself. I ate "healthy" for a while, and I lost weight. But the meal plan didn't stick and I didn't feel very good. Time to reevaluate. Today I'm going to try to condense everything I've learned into a few quick points and actually start following it.

The Food Industry is a Business That is Backed & Regulated by the Government
No, I'm not about to go all conspiracy theorist. But let's think about something. It is widely accepted and little discussed that the FDA makes drug laws under the influence of the pocketbooks of pharmaceutical companies. Hold on... FDA? FOOD & Drug Administration? That's right boys and girls. Most all of the publicly available knowledge on 'healthy' eating in the last century has been regulated by an organization that isn't adverse to a little extra pocket change. These are the folks saying what can and can't be in your food. Isn't America great? So why is this point here? Because you shouldn't blindly trust what you're told about new eating fads and what's healthy. Humans found a way to eat healthy and live long before the FDA, McDonald's, OR Mass Veganism. We'll get to that soon.

Fat Doesn't Make You Fat
Excess calories make you fat. But while this is a good rule of thumb and for most people will be all they need to know to start losing weight, there is a point where it's really not as simple as cutting calories. It very much matters where those calories come from. The vast majority of calories that we consume come from carbohydrates in processed foods. Carbs to your body are like cake to a fat kid - literally. As far as your body is concerned, carbs are sugar. All sugars are high in calories. If your body can't use it up, then it is converted to and stored as fat. Get it? (watch this video to the left) It's not fat making you fat. In fact, your body can't survive without fat. You need it!

Whatever You're Consuming RIGHT NOW Has A 90% Chance of Containing Corn
One of the films I watched was King Corn. It addressed the fact that almost every processed food available contains some variant of corn, usually in the form of corn syrup and corn starch. Corn syrup is in thousands of foods that aren't even "sweet". Seriously. I just ate a pickle. Guess what the fourth ingredient is? Yup. Go raid your fridge and read the conveniently tiny, hard to see labels on the back. I dare you. So what's the problem? Well, corn is a grain. Most species, including humans, aren't designed to run off of grains. But let's overlook that for a more pertinent fact: corn is chock-full of carbs! Are you sensing the trend?

The Balance of the Caloric Trinity v The Deceitful Food Pyramid 

Carbs. Proteins. Fats. When it all boils down, these are the three sources of calories - and your body needs ALL of them, for different reasons. Any good nutritionist will say to keep these in balance. But wait a minute... anyone remember the food pyramid? You know, the one that was approved and taught by the FDA & USDA which has shaped so much of what people think about food? Let's take a look. Meat and poultry is the bulk of where proteins come from. Using the serving numbers suggested, they say that only 11%-13% of your calories should be from protein. Fat calories are hard to determine, but are laced into the meat and dairy groups giving about the same amount: 11%-13%. The rest? A solid 70% carbs, usually more. Yikes! Don't get me wrong, carbs are good and needed - but not in this amount. There is a reason that my childhood love affair with potatoes shot me up to 260 pounds when I was only 12.

Vegetarianism: Not As Healthy As You Might Think
Vegetables are great for you! Specifically the colorful (read: not starchy) ones! They provide many of the vitamins that your body needs and a healthy about of carbs. But they lack something your body needs desperately: fats and proteins. Some veggies have small amounts of proteins, but you won't find something fatty in the produce section. The good thing about vegetarianism is that there are many options for protein including legumes and soy products. But the ideology of the diet shuns fats... which we've already addressed. I know a number of vegetarians. Many fall ill more often than my other friends, and the ones who don't are going out of their way to make sure they are getting what their bodies need. This includes my sister.

So All of This Said...What To Do?

Eating healthy is pretty easy once you know the principles. And you don't have to get aligned with any strict dieting causes to do it. As with all things in life, moderation is key. I've found that you really can eat whatever you want, as long as you don't overdo it. Keep an eye out to make sure you're getting roughly the same amount of proteins, carbs and fats. By the way - all of these are present in a Whopper with cheese! Just make sure to be mindful of the calories, too. The specific foods you eat are less important than what's in them. I love pizza, but I'll make sure to throw some naturally occurring foods into the mix too. Like steaks and veggies! This is my plan, starting today.

Also beware of what is in your beverages. Nowadays this is actually where the most calories are consumed. For the last year I've kept off a solid 40 lbs just by not drinking regular soda anymore!

There you have it, folks! This is a lot of information, but there is a lot more available. If you want to do your own research, I suggest the documentaries Fat Head, King Corn, & Food Inc. as great starting places. Thoughts?