NUTRITION; FIGHTING Your Health In Association With the NHS

By STEVEN SWANSON

Last week we covered some myths relating to exercise. This week, we will look at some relating to nutrition.

When starting an exercise plan you need to look at what you eat if you want to achieve good results. So if you understand the difference between good and bad foods you’re on your way to looking and feeling much better.

Every week I hear of people on diets that simply don’t work. In my opinion, nothing can replace a balanced diet and eating little and often. There is no need to cut out all carbohydrates because they make you fat. Eating carbohydrates will promote insulin production, which can result in weight gain. Therefore reducing carbohydrate intake will not cause weight loss is the way people think.

When you follow low carb diets you will find they do not provide sufficient carbohydrates to be used for daily maintenance. Your body will therefore start to burn stored carbs, (glycogen), to produce energy. Once your body starts burning glycogen, water is released. This then results in a drastic initial drop in weight which consists mainly of water that you have lost as a result of burning glycogen. Also low carb diets are calorie restricted to around 1000 – 1400 calories per day, compared to an average intake of around 1800 – 2200 calories. So you might end up losing a small amount of weight but you will feel really weak, probably get headaches and will have no energy to exercise. All you have done is created a massive calorie deficit, which can be done easily without cutting out carbs; reducing any diet by around 500 calories should lose a pound a week.

I also heard the other day that nuts are fattening. It’s true because once you start eating them you just can’t stop, plus your mouth is dry and you need a pint or some wine to wash them down. They are also calorie dense: 15 lovely cashews contain 190 calories. But if you can actually restrain yourself from eating the whole bowl of nuts and seeds, they can be part of a healthy diet. They are very high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat, (good fats), as well as plant sterols, which have been shown to lower LDL cholesterol. It has also been suggested that eating nuts, (1.5 ounces), a day may reduce the risk of heart disease.

I hope this has cleared a few things up. If you’re trying to lose weight don’t skip meals as your body will go into starvation mode and slow down your metabolism.

Then, because you’re hungry, you will over-eat at the next meal so you will take in more calories than if you just eat little and often during the day. This will result in balanced blood sugar levels and improved energy.

If you understand nutrition you will be able to go to your local stores and choose good foods. Over the next the weeks I will break down the major foods group starting next week with proteins.

Steven and his colleagues at Greens Health & Fitness can be contacted on (0191) 213 0070.

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