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The Different Diet Systems of Today.
Let's take a closer look at some of the supposedly “healthier” diet fads and expose the weak links. I have based them into three different categories but please keep in mind that there are variations to each one. Paleo Diet or Atkins Diet These have been fairly popular the last few years making huge sales with their special diet products, especially Atkins. The main points to these types of diets are high protein and low carbohydrate intake. For example: Your meals would consist of a lot of meat and dairy products with some fruits and vegetables and very little to zero complex carbohydrates such as grains. The main argument that these diets claim is that consuming grains causes you to gain weight and screw up your insulin levels. And they are right, processed damaged grains, which are found in the majority of foods now days, can create these problems. This is why it is so important to consume properly prepared grains. Of course, many people lose weight with this type of diet because they cut out many of the unhealthy over processed, damaged, fiberless grain products such as white breads, pasta, and white rice. Processed grains without their own fiber and nutrients are basically a pile of calories, void of nutrition, that will make you Fat! This is one way sumo wrestlers get so fat, by stuffing down tons of white refined rice. Here are the problems. These high protein diets produce what is called ketosis. This is a state of hyperacidity that is very dangerous to the body. Toxic substances known as ketones are produced as a result of overconsumption of proteins and fats and underconsumption of proper carbohydrates needed to process fat. Another reason these type diets create dramatic weightloss is the fact that large amounts of water are lost from bodily tissues as the body attempts to dilute and eliminate the toxic byproducts of the excess protein ingested. After a week or so the dieter will hit a plateau. When the diet is discontinued, the dieter rapidly gains weight. Dr. Atkins said himself, “I concede that the worst thing about this diet is the rapidity with which you gain if you abandon it.” Eventually most people snap and start binging on some type of carbohydrates. Only because they have deprived themselves of an essential food needed for balanced health, and the body instinctively knows this. But weight gain is not the worst thing that can happen after these diets. Here are some other side effects of a high protein diets.
As you can see these high-protein diets are unbalanced and unsafe for the body. For superior health go ahead and scratch this diet fads off the list. The Raw Food Diet This type of diet seems really good as foods are eaten in their natural state, alive and with there own enzymes. But the problem here is that most raw fooders concentrate on eating mostly fruits and vegetables. These foods are great for the body but there are a couple of weak links; to many simple sugars and not enough complex carbohydrates for calories. Here are the problems Many Raw foodists have the belief that fruit is “The” superior food and once the body is cleansed from all toxic substances man could live strictly off of fruits. This is called “fruitarianism” This is one of those things that looks good on paper but in reality doesn’t work. Fruitarians say that fruit cleans the body and provides many nutrients your body needs. That’s true, but fruits contain lots of simple sugars that release into the bloodstream faster than complex sugars. Now, the sugars in fruits are properly absorbed because they are in their natural state, but because most fruit is 90% water, we now have a problem with proper calorie intake. Fruits do provide some calories in the form of simple sugars but these are used up quickly by the body. If you are trying to be a raw fooder, have you ever noticed that you feel hungry most of the time? Or maybe you just feel like eating all day? This is from too many simple sugars and not enough complex carbs that are slowly dispersed in the body throughout the day. This slow disbursement will give you a longer feeling of being satisfied by your meal. Two ways most fruitarians or Raw fooders try to solve this problem, juicing and avocados. Juicing seems to be a solution to the calorie problem, however, drinking juiced fruits gives you a large dose of sugar each day. This can cause negative side effects in the long run. When juicing your fruit you are able to drink several times the amount of fruits than you could naturally eat. Try eating the same amount of apples it takes to make an 8 oz. glass of apple juice. You will find that your body would tell you to stop eating after the 2nd or 3rd tops. When we chew our food saliva and other components prepare the stomach for digestion. Drinking our fruits bypasses the natural chewing motion dumping several times the amount of sugar into our stomach without proper digestion. This large amount of simple sugars can spike your insulin levels because the body more rapidly absorbs juices than whole foods. Short term, your pancreas and liver may be able to handle this but in the long run you’re looking at diabetic symptoms such as frequent urination and always feeling hungry. Many “wanna be frutarians or raw fooders” have reported these symptoms. I myself experienced these same things when I was trying to strictly eat fruits, I had to use the bathroom several times a day sometimes even having to get up a couple times during the night interrupting my sleep time, which I have to admit is very annoying. Besides the sugar shock your system receives, a high intake of fruits and fruit juices(sugars) will aggravate, hunger, cravings and binge eating. Many frutarians and raw fooders (I can personally attest to this also) end up “crashing and binging” on high caloric food. The so-called “experts” say that the cravings and feeling of hunger are only a sign of detox until the body becomes clean enough. This is simply not true. High sugared diets make you more hungry because the body craves different foods for a more balanced blood sugar level. The next theory is to eat avocados because they have a high calorie count from essential fats. They do supply a good source of calories but Avocados do not naturally grow in most places. So does this mean that you can only have the purest diet where avocados grow? No. Is there a nutritious food that grows just about everywhere in the world that can supply calories and slowly release sugars into the blood stream that will satisfy your hunger and give you sustained energy throughout the day? Yes. We'll discuss it in greater detail in a futur section. Many raw fooders have reported tooth damage. The emamal begins to erode off of the tooth because most fruits are slightly acidic. Yes, some change into alkaline substances, after they have been digested in the stomach but not in the mouth. So to combat this tooth erosion, most raw food gurus say to eat tons of green leafy vegetables so you will get plenty of minerals for your teeth. In reality, most people are not going to chow down tons of green leafy vegetables like moutain gorillas in Africa. Most of them will stop because of the taste and inconvenience. Then you end up spending tons of cash buying bottled green supplements to try and get your mineral requirements. High fruit and vegetable diets are good in theory but in reality many people have had problems with unbalanced sugar levels, not enough calories, enamal erosion, etc... Research from an Orthopathic and Natural Hygiene doctor. Dr. Bass from New York performed over 100 different diets on white mice in his lab. In one experiment he gave 40 mice a variety of different fruits to eat. Even with the exception of corn and avocado. After the 3rd day, much to his surprise, he found 8 dead bodies with the heads missing and different body parts eaten. He immediately added raw milk cheese, grains, cooked food, ect. The mice stopped killing each other 4 days after these different foods were added. Two years later he performed the same experiment with the exact same results. There were some nutrients, even with all the fruits, that the mice instinctively knew their bodies were not receiving. The deficiencies shown in the mice would be the equivalent to a human on this diet after 2 months. The Macrobiotic Diet Though there are some slight variations, the macrobiotic diet consists of one eating a balanced diet of mostly grains, vegetables, seeds and some local fruit. This type of diet is consumed in many countries in the east such as Asia, India, Japan, and the Philippines just to name a few. As we all know the people of eastern cultures(the ones that haven’t been influenced by fast food yet) are less obese and much healthier than westerners. This is also the type diet that the music diva Madonna follows. And I have to admit, her body is lookin pretty good and holding up strong for her age. Many other famous actors and actresses have used this type of diet to maintain a healthier body. This type of diet is very close to what the ancient Essenes, Yogis, and Tibetian Monk’s consumed, though there are a couple of weak links in today’s modern macrobiotic diet. Here are the problems with this diet today. Over the years refined white rice has taken over instead of the use of natural brown or wild rice. White rice comes from natural brown rice only it has been stripped of its outside cover, which contains many of its nutrients. Once white rice is cooked it is basically just a heap of calories with little to zero nutrients and very poor fiber. The once natural and healthy sauces made for certain oriental dishes have now been industrialised into unhealthy concoctions containing high fructose cornsyrup(sugar) and MSG (monosodium glutamate). When these High Fructose Cornsyrups (sugars) are added to grains fermentation takes place in the gut causing bloating and indigestion. Have you ever noticed this after eating at your local Chinese restaurant? MSG's or monosodium glutamate can cause 'Chinese Restaurant Syndrome', I know that sounds a little weird but that term is even in the dictionary. It can cause a group of symptoms including dizziness, facial pressure, sweating, and headache. For more information about MSG Click Here. Many eastern dishes also contain foods fried in vegetable oils that should be avoided. These fats will be discussed in future sections. There are also several hot spices added to these dishes. These hot spices act as an irritant to the lining of the stomach and the rest of the digestive tract. This is why many people get the “squirts” after eating hot spicy foods. Though the macrobiotic diet is very well balanced try to avoid the above weak links for better health. |