Tried Every Diet Out There and I'm EXHAUSTED. Give Me Something That Works! Part Two

In , I began introducing to you a weight reduction lifestyle that involved no calorie counting or fat gram tracking. A lifestyle that would simultaneously improve other health challenges or prevent them altogether.  Sound too good to be true? 

The results of numerous sound, scientific studies say not at all. 

Per John McDougall, MD, "All large populations of trim, healthy people, throughout verifiable human history, have obtained the bulk of their calories from starch." The more affluent a society became, the more meat and dairy was incorporated into their diet, and the more chronic diseases began to plague them.

Obesity is often a gateway condition for a multitude of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, type II diabetes, stroke, hypertension, gallstones, osteoarthritis, and some types of cancer. 

The body's biological actions and reactions are so complex and interconnected that we are only beginning to understand some of them. The old adage, calories in calories out, doesn't hold true anymore. Researchers have found that each of the macronutrients are processed by the body in unique ways.

The body does not normally burn protein for energy. Only as a last ditch effort to keep you alive will protein be burned for fuel. Protein is not stored in the body.  What isn't used to repair and rebuild tissue is excreted through the kidneys. That is why high protein diets can put you at risk for kidney issues among other diseases because of the excessive load placed on your kidneys each and every day from high protein consumption. In healthy people with no apparent diseases, it is estimated that they lose about 1/3 of their kidney function by the time they reach the age of 70 because of the high protein nature of the rich, American diet.

Fat undergoes little if any metabolic changes prior to being stored in our bodies. It is not normally used for energy so the saying from your lips to your hips really does hold true. The fat that you eat is the fat that you wear. Fat is only burned for fuel in times of deprivation. Most animal-based food contains between 20-70 percent fat, whereas most plant-based food contains less than 10 percent fat. Eating a variety of plants will provide you with all of the essential fats that you need to thrive.

Carbohydrates are the body's preferred primary source of fuel. It will not convert excess carbohydrates to fat under normal circumstances. It is too inefficient.  Carbohydrates are used as fuel first. Once energy needs are met, any remaining carbohydrates are stored as two pounds of glycogen in the liver and muscle tissue for use when carbohydrate fuel is needed but is not available. The rest is burned off as body heat in a process known as thermogenesis. As mentioned in last week's blog, there are certain cells within your body that will survive only if there is a source of carbohydrates.

Knowing how the body processes these macronutrients provides us with insight into how to eat in harmony with our biological processes, not against them.

Plants provide plenty of carbohydrates, fiber, minerals, antioxidants and other phytochemicals, all of the amino acids and 11 of the 13 vitamins, is adequate but not excessive in protein and essential fats, is low in fat, sodium, microbes, environmental contaminants, and contains no cholesterol.

Eat a variety of colorful, whole plant foods and minimize or eliminate added oils because you know right where they will be deposited after being consumed!  Eat only when you're hungry and eat until you are satisfied.

I am a Plant-Based Nutrition Counselor, a graduate of Cornell University's plant-based nutrition program, and am board certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. I help people to achieve their wellness goals by providing them with the tools that they need to gain control over their health. I hope you enjoy my blogs. If you would prefer individualized assistance with your weight, with a chronic, degenerative disease, with other health and wellness aspirations, or would like me to speak to a group, please give me a call at 724.469.0693 or email me at traceyeakin@gmail.com to arrange a time.

I can personally attest to this lifestyle.  The results are nothing short of dramatic.  I had been a vegetarian for 20 years when 3 years ago I adopted an entirely plant-based lifestyle.  Since that time, I have lost over 50 pounds and have kept it off and resolved an autoimmune condition known as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura or ITP. My body was attacking and destroying my platelets. I could have faced the removal of my spleen or platelet transfusions. A low-fat, plant-based lifestyle changed everything for me. My goal is to help as many people as possible to make similar positive changes in their lives.