We have all been there, counting calories, keeping a food journal, cutting out carbs, cutting out sugar...you name it we've all tried it! Yet the majority discover none of these "diets" actually work. I remember being a kid when "diet" products were introduced and my Dad (born and raised in Poland) did not allow us to eat any of them! He didn't understand why would you take any food and change it, add a "sugar substitute" and take out the fat, and call it "Healthier"?? Now, look at the people who live on these foods, most are overweight!! The problem isn't the food (well, not the regular food), but the additives and man-made crap we have put into our food to make it healthy!
I don't diet, I don't eat anything "sugar-free", I stay away for HFCS as much as possible, I eat as much natural food as possible! Being a Personal Trainer, I hear the same story over and over again..."For breakfast I had an Atkins food bar, for lunch I had a Lean Cuisine, for a snack I had a sugar-free cookie, and for dinner I had a low-carb meal". I'm sorry...nothing you ate has any nutritional value, it's all man-made food substitutes, that's the problem! Take yourself back in time...remember having dinner with your family? It was always a balance of veggies, lean protein, and a starch/carb...all cooked at home! Breakfast used to be a hard boiled egg, or toast with peanut butter, a bowl of oatmeal, or just some fruit! An after school snack was an apple or banana, a glass of milk, or carrot sticks! Now...why did we ever stop practicing such normal and healthy habits?
I often tell people, the worst thing you can do to your body is look for fast, easy, and man-made fixes! The ONLY way to stay healthy & fit is to feed your body foods that are as natural as possible! fruits and veggies should be #1 on your list, lean protein, lots of beans & nuts, and whole grain food should all be a part of your diet. Sugar and dairy should be eaten in moderation, and man-made processed foods should be eaten sparingly! It's so simple...NO ONE EVER GOT FAT FROM EATING TOO MANY FRUITS & VEGGIES!!!
So, skip all the diet foods, sugar-free foods, low carb, South Beach, & Atkins, and eat whole foods as much as possible! Stop the diet madness!! The human body needs fuel...good fuel, so eat up...just think about your food. Is your food created in a lab and advertised over and over again on TV? When was the last time you saw a commercial pushing apples (not apple juice), or veggies (not salad dressing) or beans (not the baked ones)?? That's the food we need to eat, the food that gets very little attention!
