October 25, 2007

Fat Loss Nutrition - The Big Fat Lies

by Natalie Beech

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions. Yet more people than ever are on a diet. So what is going wrong? The fact that diet foods such as low-fat and low-carb products are a $7.6 billion-a-year business might have something to do with it. The food industry keeps you fat with processed foods, so it can sell you more diet products. Avoiding both is one of the key factors in fat loss nutrition.

Fat loss nutrition needs to be understood, along with the right kind of exercise, to ensure successful and healthy weight loss. Many diets are not balanced and are not designed to encourage healthy eating habits to help you keep the weight off once you stop the diet. When the weight creeps back on, people turn back to the multi-million dollar diet industry for help. Fat loss nutrition takes a more balanced approach. You should be thinking of about 4 grams of carbohydrate and 1.5 grams of fat for every 3 grams of protein you eat at a meal. The types of fat, carbohydrate and protein you eat are crucial.

Fat Loss Nutrition: Good Fats, Bad Fats

The secret to healthy weight loss is not low-fat, it is quality fat. The fats to avoid are the toxic 'trans' fats or hydrogenated fats in processed and fried foods. We also have an excess of omega-6 fats in our diet which can lead to insulin resistance (see the section on Carbohydrates). It is important to reduce the amount of vegetable oils, grain-fed beef and many processed foods (omega-6 fats) in your diet. At the same time you will probably need to increase the omega-3 fats in your diet to obtain the ideal 1:1 ration of omega-3 to omega-6. Oily fish, fish-oil capsules, or flaxseed oil are the best sources of omega-3 fats.

Saturated fat has been demonised for so long that it is quite difficult to convince people otherwise. Coconut oil, which is a good saturated fat, has been shown to increase weight loss as it has the ability to help stimulate your metabolism and actually burn fat for energy. It also helps regulate blood sugar, an essential in weight loss - and it’s good for your heart too!

Fat loss Nutrition Tip: Use coconut oil for cooking, and extra-virgin olive oil for salad dressings.

Carbohydrate Quality and Fat Loss Nutrition

Insulin resistance is the key to weight loss. Reverse it to burn the fat off. It is not so much the fat in the foods we eat but the excess carbohydrates from our starchy and sugary diet that is making us fat and unhealthy.

Our diet of bread, cereal, pasta, corn, rice and potatoes, mostly as processed food is primarily responsible for our bulging stomachs and rolls of fat. These processed carbohydrates lead to too much insulin being produced, which leads to insulin-resistance. Your body has no choice but to turn the sugar into fat. Good for the diet food industry, but not for you.

Fat loss Nutrition Tip: Fiber plays a powerful role in weight control. Brown rice and vegetables are high in fiber. When you do eat grains, make sure they are whole grains.

Fat Loss Nutrition: Protein

You can slow down the release of sugar into the blood stream, the ‘sugar rush’, by eating protein with your carbohydrates. This is not a recommendation to eat red meat at every meal, which has been linked to colon cancer. You just need to eat a little of other sources of protein such as beans, lean white meat and fish.

A little bit of protein at every meal is an important fat loss nutrition approach to blood sugar balance. Even a handful of pumpkin seeds eaten with an apple can slow digestion and even out your metabolism.

Is Fat Loss Nutrition Really This Simple?

Yes, it is. Weight loss has less to do with willpower than the balance of fat loss nutrition and the quality of foods. The right exercise helps too. Just avoid all the low-fat, low-carb, high-protein, high-fat diet fads and processed foods where you can. You will not have to worry about quantity of food or feeling hungry when the fat loss nutrition is under control and you keep your blood sugar balanced.

Natalie Beech reveals more about fat loss nutrition and healthy weight loss. Find out the truth that can help you lose weight and benefit your long-term health at the Fatloss-Fitness Website This article is available as a unique content article with free reprint rights.