Eating right in a world of fast food and racing to beat the clock may seem impossible, but one Alabama doctor says it is not as hard as people may think.
“God created a great diversity of food groups,” said Dr. Kenneth Olson, Baptist Health System internist, who specializes in nutrition sciences. “If we select from all the food groups on a daily basis to the extent we can (some medical conditions prevent some foods) and be modest in our meat, fat and sugar intake, the strategy is in the selection,” he said.
“It is virtually impossible to overconsume vegetables and fruits because they are naturally high in fiber and full of wonderful vitamins, minerals and trace elements,” he said. “They are naturally very low in fat, and there is no significant sugar content. The natural sugars in fruit are important.”
Unlimited fruits and vegetables make for a good strategy toward healthy eating, said Olson. He also noted that whole grains are also low in fat, low in calories and high in fiber.
“God’s perfect food has to be dried beans,” Olson said. “They are wonderful sources of protein, high in fiber and high in vitamins, minerals and trace elements. They are the staple of the world … and the staple of a vegetarian diet.”
Healthy eating is a lifestyle, not a diet, Olson pointed out. “People can do very nicely with a natural way of eating,” he said. “(The idea) is to eat in an optimal fashion. The principles are similar to those recommended from the Surgeon General, the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society and the diabetes and dietetic associations.”
Olson noted that several years ago the U.S. Senate found these same recommendations as the best pattern of eating to promote a high energy level, a sense of well-being and a preventative for diseases.
“The most common diseases generally have a nutrition background in a causal sense,” Olson said. “They are not the only cause, but they contribute and can accelerate the disease.”
Overweight and obese people have increased risk for all medical problems, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke and hypertension, he said.
“Overindulging in over-appropriate amounts of calories and limiting nutrients can cause problems,” he noted. “Taking inappropriate amounts of anything will cause problems … and supplements are not a substitute for a solid pattern of optimal eating,” he said.
Again proper eating is the key, not fad diets, Olson said. “There are a lot of fad concepts floating around, even among physicians not properly trained in nutritional concepts,” he noted.
For instance, the high protein, low carbohydrate diet is very dangerous, he said. “When you deprive your body of carbs, you deprive it of nutrients found in carb foods, so you have a nutrient deficiency immediately.
“The body needs carbs,” he said. “If you try to substitute, the body does not do good.”
The body will lose weight, but it is water weight and will be gained back as soon as the diet is changed, he said. “You can shift the body by many pounds in a short time by shifting water,” Olson pointed out. “But tissue changes come slowly.”
The same result happens from the “lose 30 pounds in 30 days” diets, he added. “The weight will shift with water loss, but will come back when the diet is stopped,” he said. “If you don’t change what you are doing, then you won’t change what you are seeing.”
More than the constant yo-yo weight gain and loss, fads diets also disrupt the body’s metabolic environment. “It is not uncommon to feel a loss of energy and experience changes in hair, nails and skin. The body’s elimination pattern can also be altered because you are not getting enough fiber for the health of the colon,” Olson said.
“In an extreme form (of poor dieting), you can lose negative calcium and protein balance,” he noted. “You are losing more than you are getting in and … losing calcium can lead to muscle cramps. It would also limit the potassium intake.”
Progressive weight loss
Olson said people will feel better within one week of eating properly. “The weight loss will be at the tissue level, so it may not be as fast, but it is progress. Just losing one-half pound a week is wonderful,” he said. “They are benefiting and they are improving their risks for diseases.”
But how does one begin this lifestyle change?
Olson suggests starting slowly and being patient as the first steps. “Be consistent with the principles, but don’t try to force it,” he said. “Don’t feel guilty if you don’t do it perfectly. The major danger is giving up.”
Staying away from the scales is one way to not get discouraged, he noted. “Weight loss may not happen quickly and we may feel we are failing, when in reality we are moving in the right direction. It is important not to use the scale as a standard of success,” he said.
“Learn the principles gradually and comfortably,” he said. “Practice new ways of doing things. It is no different than learning a new skill.
“Any skill that requires focus and practice applies to optimal eating,” he said. “Once the principles are learned, it becomes potentially easy for the individual to stay on the pattern.”
Optimal eating means no starvation and no deprivation, he noted. “You can have the most ‘sinful’ dessert on occasion and your body won’t be affected.”
In fact, Dr. Olson said as people learn to take in less sugar, fat, salt and “rich” foods, their taste buds become very sensitive to those items.
When they do have those kinds of foods, it takes a much smaller amount to satisfy the appetite than it did previously.
“One can use that strategy to have a special occasion food and truly not feel the need to eat the whole thing,” he said. “They will be content with a small portion.
“The more we take in (of a certain food), the more insensitive our taste buds become and the more it takes to get satisfaction,” he said, noting the importance to limit certain foods.
Olson suggests limiting soft drinks for only special occasions because of the sugar content. He also said artificial sweeteners such as sucrose should be monitored.
Optimal eating
“They can promote appetite and … are not helpful in a program promoting health and well being,” he said. “Headaches and energy could also be attributed to artificial sweetener use,” he added.
Optimal eating does not mean one should feel hungry, Olson noted.
“If you are hungry, then you are not eating enough.”
Eating an unlimited amount of fruits and vegetables, preferably steamed vegetables, should supply enough fiber to subside hunger. “Eat no less than two cups of steamed vegetables and no less than two pieces of fruit a day,” he said. “Use fruit as a snack and having an abundance of fruit as a breakfast is a strategy that can also be helpful.”
People can also learn to eat in restaurants and pick out low fat foods, Olson said. “It is only as difficult as the individual makes it,” he said.
“Fundamentals are fundamentals,” Olson said. “This is a Christian way of eating. God has provided it for us and it is all there.
“God didn’t design the soft drinks nor artificial sweeteners,” he said. “We take in to much sugar, too much fat and are inactive. That is why we are an obese society.”
Still, optimal eating alone will not fulfill a program of weight reduction, Olson noted. An aggressive amount of activity needs to happen also, he said. “Unless activity is equivalent to nutritional intake, you won’t make the same amount of progress,” he noted.
While the people who do the best in changing their body composition exercise 45 minutes to an hour most every day, some activity is better than nothing. “Start where you are and build gradually. Do overdo it,” he said.
But what if someone is doing all the “right things” and is still not making any progress with a healthy lifestyle and/or weight reduction?
That person needs to see a physician, Olson said.
“He or she may have a medical disorder that needs to be investigated and treated,” he said, noting sleep apnea as a fairly common disorder that causes problems with metabolism.
“If you are not making progress, seek medical attention to see if there are any problems that need to be investigated.”
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