(extract from the 'Reduce Your Size' healthy weight loss program for women)
It is the last week of your RYS program - you have read and learnt a lot about healthy food, nutrition and eating, however there are most likely still some things in your head that you've heard about food in relation to slimming that you are unsure of. There is plenty of seemingly contradictory information out there which can be very confusing and leave you baffled as to who and what to believe. So RYS is here to uncover the top 5 most common myths.
Myth #1: EATING ANY FAT IS BAD.
Many people think that to Reduce their Size, the best thing to do is to cut out all fat from their diet. However as you discovered earlier in this program, fat has its place.
The following list shows why an intake of some dietary fat and the possession of some body fat are needed for our body to carry out essential functions.
Fat supplies the body with energy; Fat supplies and transports fatty acids and the vitamins A, D, E & K; Fat protects vital body organs; Fat insulates, warms and regulates body temperature; Fat assists in the growth and promotion of healthy blood, nerves, muscles & skin.
The real issue concerning our intake of dietary fat is the difference between 'good' and 'bad' fats, and how much is okay to have.
Bad Fats
'Bad' fats are the saturated fats which mainly occur in processed and fast foods. They are not good for us as they are a major contributor to the development of high blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which in turn increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, heart disease and stroke. Therefore eat as little of them as possible.
Examples of foods containing saturated (bad) fats are: Fast foods; Deep fried foods; Pastries, cakes and biscuits which have been cooked using commercial & cheap) fats; Chocolate, and some other types of confectionary (eg. toffees); Salami, sausages and other processed meats; and Full cream dairy products. Good Fats
'Good' fats (poly- and monounsaturated fats) in contrast, provide us with the nutritional benefits we need but without the hazardous risks to our health. In fact, good fats even help decrease our cholesterol levels and prevent cardiovascular disease! We should aim to include all of the different types of good fats into our daily diets.
Examples of good fats:
Cold pressed olive and flaxseed (linseed) oil - these are much better alternatives to regular cooking oil, and taste great lightly splashed over a salad! Avocado - delicious to use as a sandwich spread instead of margarine. Nuts - choose a variety of these and definitely ones which are unsalted. Fish - sardines, salmon, mackerel and tuna are rich sources of the excellent 'omega-3 fatty acids' type of polyunsaturated fat.
You may have already noticed that butter or margarine did not appear on the RYS Shopping Guide nor has it been mentioned throughout the program. This is because these fats have very little nutritional value and are only kilojoule loaders. There are healthy and tasty alternatives for spreads and cooking, so do your best to use butter or margarine sparingly.
It is important to consume all fats as only a minor part of your diet as the kilojoule contents are high. Per gram, fat has more than double the amount of kilojoules as carbohydrate or protein! Refer back to your RYS Shopping Guide for recommended daily allowances of these foods.
Myth #2: CARBOHYDRATE FOODS ARE FATTENING.
Carbohydrate foods, such as bread, pasta and potatoes would 'increase your size' if you were to eat too much of them day in day out - but so would every other type of food (well, maybe not lettuce leaves). An excess of kilojoules ingested from any food source will be converted and stored as body fat. It is the spreads, sauces and accompaniments which are added to bread, pasta and potatoes which are the real kJ over-loaders and culprits. So instead of blaming the carbohydrates, the real attention should be focused on what's being added to them!
Here are some ideas to spice up your basic carbohydrate foods - without loading up your waistline!
Bread: use sourdough rye or multigrain (instead of plain white); accompany with honey, avocado or low-fat cheese (instead of peanut butter of chocolate spreads).
Pasta: convert to spelt pasta (instead of the regular wheat pasta); serve with tomato based sauces with lots of veggies (instead of cream based sauces).
Potatoes: lightly spray with olive oil and bake as wedges (instead of making into deep fried chips); top them with natural yoghurt and herbs (instead of sour cream and bacon bits).
Carbohydrates are the most preferred fuel source for your body and they also give the best feelings of fullness. So if you stick with the RYS principles regarding moderation and substitution you can enjoy your carbohydrates to the full!
Myth #3: CHEESE AND ICE CREAM ARE FORBIDDEN FOODS IF SERIOUS ABOUT SLIMMING.
Remember what was covered in Week 3 - Day 2 about forbidding foods? Forbidding foods, leads to cravings, which lead to binges, which leads to overindulging, which leads to a deflated self and more eating... hence forbidding any food is a big no no! Most cheeses and ice cream varieties have high fat contents, so of course a high consumption is not acceptable. Better choices for your dairy foods are low fat yoghurts, low fat cheeses (cottage cheese), and low fat milk products. 2 - 3 servings per day whether you are aiming to Reduce Your Size or not is what authorities rightly recommend.
Dairy foods are excellent sources of calcium (which is a vital mineral needed for strong bones and teeth), however there are other foods which can also give you the daily intake of calcium that you need. The RYS Recipes have included a few of these foods to give you an idea as to how to use them but their uses are almost limitless. Add them to salads, soups, casseroles - whatever you think of!
Extra and/ or Alternative Sources of Calcium: Sesame seeds Almonds Parsley Sunflower seeds Broccoli Spinach Pumpkin Celery Raisins Tops of beetroots (yes, they are edible!)
Myth #4: I SHOULD EAT ONLY FRUIT AND VEGETABLES TO LOSE WEIGHT.
This is definitely not correct. We must include other food groups in our diets so that our bodies have the large assortment of nutrients it needs to function to the best of its ability. Besides, imagine a diet that only consisted of fruit and vegetables? It would be so boring that there is no way anyone could happily stick to it long term.
It is important to ensure that the majority of your food is made up of fruit and vegetables but make sure you vary your intake. Even with fruits and vegetables we can overdo it if we eat too much of the same thing - for example, too much fruit will result in undesirable high blood sugar levels and sometimes even unwanted thrush. So keep them in balance: aim to eat 3 - 4 servings of different fruits and 5 - 7 servings of different vegetables per day.
Myth #5: THE HIGH PROTEIN DIET IS THE BEST FOR FAST WEIGHT LOSS.
High protein diets are effective in helping to lose 'weight' in the short term but (and this is a very big BUT!) there is more and more evidence that there are mild to severe consequences associated with this type of diet. Many people on high protein diets suffer from bad breath, headaches and constipation. In the longer term, it is very possible for high protein diets to cause severe damage to the heart, kidneys and bones.
Last week (Week 6 - Day 2) we discovered that carbohydrates in our bodies store water. If we eliminate carbohydrate foods from our diets, consequently our bodies have less water stored in them. That is why there is seemingly such quick 'weight loss' results from protein diets, and hence why they are so popular.
Another drawback of the protein diet is that many people instantly increase their intake of red meat products. Red meat is a valuable food group because it is rich in iron however eating too much meat increases a person's intake of cholesterol and bad fats, consequently increasing their risks of cardiovascular and heart disease.
Red meat should only be eaten 2 - 3 times per week as part of a balanced and healthy diet. To keep your daily intake of protein adequate eat a variety of other foods which contain protein.
Extra and/ or Alternative Sources of Protein · All vegetables · All grains · All nuts · All seeds · All legumes
Don't be swayed by fad, dramatic diet plans where particular food groups are targeted (or eliminated). The important thing to remember about such myths is that at the end of the day, people are out to make a buck. The temptation to twist the truth or take a fact out of context to create a ground breaking new 'diet' or 'weight loss' miracle is often irresistible. If anything sounds too good to be true - then it most probably is!
The healthiest and happiest people with nicely sized bodies are people who have diets which are varied, balanced, nutritious, flexible, inexpensive and naturally good!
To attain your freedom from endless dieting and food fixation all you need are the RYS Principles already covered in Day 2's reading of each week. Learn them, practise them and persist with them until you have achieved a healthy relationship with food, you have nutritious and regular eating habits and you have successfully Reduced Your Size!
Your freedom awaits!
About the Author
Leanne Hamilton and Maree Farnsworth are the creators of the 'Reduce Your Size' weight loss program for women - the only program needed to achieve the body you desire without the hassle of calorie counting, dieting or weighing yourself ever again! www.reduceyoursize.com
They are both university degree qualified in health and fitness education, as well as having personally experienced the challenge with and triumph over the 'battle of the bulge'.
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