Alternatives to the Standard American Diet: A Look at Today’s Popular Diets

A Look at Today’s Popular Diets

Scientists, medical professionals, and nutritionists are now coming to understand the complex nature of weight control, muscle fitness, and nutritional health.

Genetics, along with dietary choices and exercise, work together to shape our health and physique.

Choosing a diet with the right balance of nutrients and determining the time of day your body responds best to exercise are part of developing a diet and fitness routine that works for you.

In centuries past people ate what they could produce locally, and these foods became part of the traditional cuisine of the region.

Today we live in a highly globalized society with an abundance of different kinds of foods, which can make it tricky to know which diet is best.

The key is choosing a diet that helps you maintain optimum health and fitness.

We’ll take a look at some of the different popular diets and their purported benefits.

Different diets benefit people in different ways. Some people have gluten sensitivities or other food allergies, some have faster metabolisms, and some people exercise constantly while others only occasionally.

It’s important to identify and eliminate food allergens and determine what works best for your body in terms of: •

Keeping weight off

•

Retaining muscle mass

•

Getting the right balance of nutrients for optimum health

Gluten has become a hot topic in recent years. The sticky, stretchy substance is found in wheat bread, wheat pastas, rye, and barley, as well as many processed foods.

Soy sauce, for example, is made with wheat, which means it contains gluten. Some people, including those with celiac disease, have a specific gluten allergy.

In recent years, gluten has been suspected of causing a host of problems in the human body, even in those with no known gluten allergies, leading many to adopt a gluten-free diet. Many people on gluten-free diets report losing weight rapidly and feeling better within weeks.

The idea behind the Paleo diet is to eat as our ancestors did for literally millions of years before agriculture. This means, to the extent possible, eating what our ancestors would have been able to hunt and gather, including: •

Meat

•

Seafood and fish

•

Lots of fiber from non-starchy fruits and vegetables (e.g. leafy greens, berries)

•

Few carbohydrates (especially from grains, sugar and starchy foods)

The Paleo diet has a lower energy density than the traditional American diet, which proponents argue is a good thing, as the typical American diet is associated with high levels of chronic disease.

More than 50 million Americans are lactose intolerant, and around 70% of the world’s population has some level of lactose intolerance.

It is reported that many Americans report trouble in digesting dairy. Symptoms include digestive upset, bloating, sinus congestion and mood disorders.

Considering these numbers, it’s not surprising that many people opt to eliminate dairy altogether from their diets.

Proponents of a dairy-free diet say that it is effective for weight loss and, somewhat counterintuitively, leads to stronger bones, according to a Harvard study.

Vegetarians typically eliminate meat, poultry and seafood from their diets, but they may still eat eggs and dairy. Vegans eat no animal products whatsoever. This means no eggs, no dairy, and, for many, no honey either.

Proponents of vegetarian/vegan diets say that the elimination of meat and dairy can have significant benefits. Medical evidence suggests that a vegetarian/vegan diet can reduce the risks of: •

Overweight and obesity

•

Cardiovascular disease (CVD)

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High blood pressure

•

Type 2 diabetes

•

Some cancers

•

Gallstones and kidney stones

The philosophy behind the raw foods diet can be summed this way: “If you cook it, you kill it.” The idea is that heating foods destroys important enzymes and nutrients naturally found in foods.

Some proponents of a raw foods diet believe that cooking makes food toxic and claim that a raw foods diet can boost immunity, clear up allergies, and improve conditions like arthritis and diabetes.

A raw foods diet includes a variety of organic, unprocessed, and uncooked whole foods including:

• • • •

Raw fruits Raw vegetables Sprouted grains Nuts and seeds

Those who favor a low-sugar diet claim that added sugar (not the kind found naturally in foods like fruit) can be toxic, even moderate quantities. This is because of sugar’s unique molecular structure, which is made up of one part glucose and one part fructose.

Glucose is metabolized by all the organs in the body, while fructose is metabolized exclusively by the liver. Too much fructose can overtax the liver and other organs, leading to metabolic syndrome (which can lead to diseases like Type 2 diabetes).

Sugar consumption has increased tremendously in the American diet in recent decades, and too much of the sweet stuff is linked with an increased risk of disease.

One caveat to consumption of added sugars revolves around exercise.

Vigorous exercise depletes muscle glycogen stores, which fuel the body. Replenishing glycogen stores by eating carbohydrates (including sugars), is important before, during and after exercise to prevent “bonking” or “hitting the wall.”

That’s why athletes and fitness enthusiasts use supplements and nutrition bars like those made by Promax Nutrition™ to fuel their bodies as part of their exercise routines.

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1. http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html 2. http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/prevalence-maps.html

3. http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/green-science/air_pollution_and_obesity 4. http://authoritynutrition.com/paleo-diet-meal-plan-and-menu/ 5. http://www.godairyfree.org/news/dairy-free-benefits 6. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/763435_2

7. http://www.webmd.com/diet/raw-foods-diet 8. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyEati ng/Added-Sugars-Add-to-Your-Risk-of-Dying-from-HeartDisease_UCM_460319_Article.jsp