“There are two kinds of people in this world: those who can’t just eat one potato chip, and liars!”–Understanding Healthy Eating, Renaissance Periodization
As an exercise physiologist and a college professor, I get frustrated with the level of nonsense marketed to consumers looking to be healthier and more physically fit. There are endless lists of “the 5 foods you should be eating”, “the 5 foods you should not be eating”, “the 5 exercises you should be doing”, “the 5 exercises you should stop doing”, etc. (What is it about the number 5??) I am bombarded with sponsored posts of “scientifically proven” exercises and diets. Truth be told, science doesn’t “prove” anything! Science is based on probabilities that an effect is real. Nothing is ever “proven” per se. Science only brings us closer to the truth through numerous well-planned studies. Individual “scientific” studies that are sponsored by companies that are trying to market a product certainly do not offer substantial “proof”. (Look carefully at the marketing material, usually in the form of a sponsored article—big red flag! The so-called “scientific” study is probably not published in a reputable peer-reviewed journal—i.e., it is not scrutinized be respected experts in the field.) So, buyer beware!
For the many of us who just want to eat healthy and achieve/maintain a healthy body weight, the diet options are over-whelming. (Over-whelming, that is, if you want to take the fad diet route—the route that promises a quick fix to your body fat problems.) “Science” tells us that the Paleo diet is healthiest. “Science” also tells us that vegetarian diets are beneficial. Some professionals tell us we can eat what we want as long as we “stick with our macros”. Some tells us to eat small frequent meals. Others tell us that “intermittent fasting” is effective for fat loss. The recent reality show, My Diet Is Better Than Yours, showed us the diversity of “celebrity” diet plans. When did dieting become so difficult? If there is anything to consider about the diet of Paleolithic man, it is that he didn’t put this much thought into eating!
I don’t believe humankind is intended to spend so much mental energy considering what one should eat. Early man certainly did not consider the fat content of the animal before him as he raised his spear, or the effect of a fruit on his cognitive abilities. Early humans ate what was available and when it was available. Food was for survival. Today, we worry about the little details of our food, yet we are no closer to ending the epidemic of obesity.
We are constantly looking for the quick fix to our weight problems and fail to understand that the issues are simplest when we remove marketing from the equation. Unfortunately, simple common sense is not profitable.
I have made it no secret that I am a fan of Renaissance Periodization. While I have not utilized their diet templates, I have read their books and followed their literature. I find their approach most informative and simple. Best of all, it is founded on a solid understanding of current nutritional science. I highly recommend their latest book, Understanding Healthy Eating, as well as, The Renaissance Diet, for straight forward dieting principles. [Please, note, I get no financial benefit from endorsing these books—though, if they would like to pay me….]
The authors offer a practical “6 principles of dieting” and a weight to the effect these have on health (and weight management). Most important is calorie balance (60%). In other words, the most important factor in maintaining a healthy weight is calories in v. calories out. Food composition accounts for 20%. This basically means that 80% of our healthy eating is governed by how much we eat and how much of that is whole and healthy food versus junk food. The amount of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins we eat accounts for 10% of our healthy eating. The rest? Nutrient timing (the frequency of meals and timing of macro-nutrient consumption) accounts for 5%. Hydration and supplements only account for 2.5% each. (And how much are you spending monthly on nutritional supplements??) These principles of dieting only come into play when the weightier principles are well-controlled. In other words, not supplement is going to fix a diet that has excessive calories and is made up of junk!
From the above information, we can see that our diet is far less complicated than the “professionals” might lead you to believe. Reality is, stick to a simple plan and with the appropriate amount of time (and physical activity), you will achieve your healthy weight—without alienating your friends and family!
Be your best today; and be better tomorrow.