WEIGHT LOSS SUCCESS. How You Can Lose That Weight AND Keep It Off. Kindle Edition. |
The US National Institute of Health
which is, of course, part of the US government has some very interesting ideas
on what it takes to slim down and shed the kilos.
You may also be surprised to learn
that these ideas often disagree with what you’ll read in the popular press.
If you’ve been dieting or trying to
lose weight for any time at all you will no doubt have heard that you should
avoid, or at least limit your intake of red meat.
You will have read that eating red
meat makes it more difficult to lose the weight however lean red meat can
actually be a critical component of a healthy diet.
While red meat, together with chicken
and pork may have saturated fats and cholesterol they also contain important
minerals which are needed for your body to operate as it should.
It is important however that the meat
you consume is low in fat, round steak, sirloin and flank are good, and you
should also be conscious of your portion size, which will, of course, depend on
your build, a smaller person will need a smaller portion.
You will have heard that most dairy
products are fattening but the low fat varieties have all the nutrients of the
regular products without the calories and most of the fat.
Dairy products provide you with a
good deal of calcium, protein and vitamin D all of which are essential for good
health.
According to the US federal
guidelines children, teenagers and older people should have at least three
servings of dairy per day and those in between, say aged between 20 and 50
years, should have two servings per day, where a “serving” consists of one cup
of milk or yoghurt or between 25 and 50 grams of cheese.
If dairy products upset your system
you could try the lactose free varieties and you can get your calcium from
juice or fish and your vitamin D direct from the sunlight just don’t get too
much sun, which in itself is not healthy.
You might have considered becoming a
vegetarian in the belief that not eating meat will help you to lose weight, the
fed however, says that becoming a vegetarian will not automatically help you to
shed the kilos.
Studies have indicated that
vegetarians do consume less calories that those who eat meat and they tend to
have a lower body mass index but even vegetarians have to watch their
consumption of high calorie foods.
Another possible problem with a
vegetarian diet is a lack of essential minerals and vitamins such as iron,
calcium, protein and vitamin D which can be missing from such an eating regime.
It is therefore essential for the
vegetarian to find other ways to get what they need, selecting foods which are
not only low in fat but also high in nutrition is crucial.
A way to do this is to choose things
like green vegetables such as broccoli and spinach for your iron and calcium,
eggs are good for vitamin B12 and protein and whole grains offer a whole heap
of benefits.
Nuts, no not you J, are probably on your hit list, they contain high
levels of fat, however a small quantity of nuts can help with your weight loss
plan as the fat they contain is not the kind that will clog up your arteries,
it is actually healthy fat!
Nuts will provide you with protein,
fibre and magnesium but don’t overdo it, about one quarter to one half a cup a
day is sufficient.
The government health department is
adamant that fasting is one of the least effective ways to lose weight, regular
but smaller meals, possibly eaten more often, is a much more successful, and
healthier, way to go.
Food helps to get your metabolism
moving and keeps it going throughout the day.
Does the US government, or any
government for that matter, have all the answers for weight loss?
Of course not but it obvious that
governments all around the developed world have an acute interest in the health
of their citizens and as such all have research departments continually
investigating the various claims made by those promoting weight loss programmes
as well as providing their own nutritional information.
As these government bodies generally
have no commercial interest in weight loss programmes it is reasonable to
assume that the information you get from such government sources is information
you can trust and taking notice of it could well be beneficial as far as your
own weight loss programme is concerned.
If you are unsure about a particular
weight loss claim, you can check the US Federal Trade Commission’s website for the information you need.
