Americans are getting fatter!
2/3 of Americans are overweight or obese. The Average American is 23 pounds heavier than their ideal body weight.
Obesity has climbed dramatically in the last 20 years.
1/3 of Adults are obese today. The amount of obese Americans was 23% in the late 1980's. At the predicted rate, unless Americans change their eating habits the rate of obese Americans could be 50% by the 2030's.
Eating low carb/primal
Since I have changed my diet, I have heard from friends that low carb isn't healthy for you. They also say you can't maintain this diet for long term. You can't give up those items for good.
Is being overweight or obese good for you? I think that may be what people need to consider. It is difficult to stay away from carbs. We are pre-disposed to like sugar, and with all the added sugar in processed foods, there are food cravings that are hard to get away from. I hope it is possible to maintain the low carb/primal lifestyle forever.
I truly think that if we can give up processed foods entirely we can become a much healthier nation and we can change the trend of obesity.
It makes me so angry when I hear comments like these "you can't eat like that long term" or "low carb is unhealthy". Rubbish. I've been low carb now for two years with no problem at all. I think very low carb (less than 20g of carb a day) might be not so good and harder to stick to but we are simply not designed to eat a high carb diet made up of processed junk.
ReplyDeleteBut you know this already :)
Lynda, I am glad to hear that you have done this for two years and are still doing fine. I need to hear that others have been able to make permanent changes.
DeleteTotally correct re giving up most processed foods! I say most, because I guess technically cheese, organic salad dressings, etc. ARE processed. But barely. And not chemicalized up.
ReplyDeleteActually, I don't think we are pre-disposed to like sugar. I think the food industry has MADE us into that. I guess that's splitting hairs though. :)
I don't have a fear in the world I can maintain a primal lifestyle, for life. I hope you start to feel that passionately and secure about it yourself, soon. :)
I am working on it Gwen. I have done very well and I feel good about it. I think I have had a little too much salt. Eating out makes it difficult to maintain low salt levels. I don't have a problem with salad dressings, I used to always eat my salad plain. I'm not sure why I ever started putting dressing on them. It is the salt on the meats that is the problem.
DeleteI agree we have to do something about our weight and our health... For me... and I reiterate, for me... I could not do the Atkins diet, I however; can restrict my calories to an appropriate amount and I can exercise (I know that I will have to live this lifestyle forever...) Maybe not to the degree I am at the moment but I will always have to count calories and I will always have to exercise at least a few days per week once I have reached my goal.
ReplyDeleteI also do not mind having 20-30 pounds of extra weight, most of mine would be on my hips and thighs and I am good with that, as long as I am eating healthy and exercising regularly.
I cannot say what works for other people, only what works for me...
I am not good with the Atkins diet either. This diet starts out a little like that, but I can eat more vegetables and I will be adding in some fruits in a about a week. It is more about the wheat and sugar, and all the processing.
DeleteI agree you can't worry about what works for others, do what you feel good about and what works for you.
Hi Betty - Friends like that are the naysayers. The naysayers quit dreaming. Here's a brief history of the naysayers...if man were meant to fly God would have given him wings...the world is flat...man will never break the speed of sound on land...everything that can be invented has been invented (U.S. patent office - Charles H. Duell was the Commissioner of US patent office in 1899)
ReplyDeleteThe Naysayers also fail to note the long term diets of the Inuit Eskimo's who do not develop heart disease and eat mostly ocean fish, walrus, and seal meat. Or the native people deep in the heart of the Amazon Rain Forest, whose diet is pretty much Paleo based on wild roots and berries and game animals they kill in the forest.
Naysayers do not like it, when their argument is shot down by logic and reason, or science. Pity them, for they do not dream.
I agree! I am good with what I am doing. My husband still doesn't understand the eating plan and is always trying to get me to eat things like pizza. Hopefully in the long term the results will make him see the benefits and he will be ready to get on board.
DeleteMy husband does a low carb diet. I don't since I already have to limit so many carbs anyway since I can't have gluten. I agree that limiting pre-packaged food is important. Some things are okay though since vinegar, olive oil etc are all processed technically :)
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to get rid of processed food in our house for so long but my husband loves his junk food and now so do our kids. We've been slowly working on phasing it out. We have increased our fruit and vegetable purchases so the kids have better choices at home!
ReplyDelete