Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Battle of the Bulge: Fat is Back

I am a serious potato lover. I have not yet met a potato or its derivative that I did not swoon over. For instance, I was just introduced to the Japanese/Korean/Oriental yam. Holy cow is it good. Roasted with a little salt, pepper, and oil, mmm . . .

Back to the topic at hand: I am not immune to carbs. But for a whittled waistline, carbs are out ("A Call for a Low-Carb Diet That Embraces Fat" by Anahad O'Connor). Also, after many misinformed years of "low-fat" ruling the day, "low-fat" has been shunned.
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/17_Oils.jpg
In a recent study, low-fat faced off against low-carb. Calories were not measured, and both groups were encouraged to consume more vegetables. Result: The low-carb group managed to increase heart health and lose more body fat, even with the butter and oil and some red meat, cheese, and eggs. 

However, the low-fat group lost muscle, not fat. 

The villain? Processed foods. The ones with refined carbs, especially. There really isn't much that can be purchased on store shelves, I've found. So many items on there announce how healthy they are because they are non-fat, but in order to compensate for the lack of creaminess, refined carbs are added. Oh snap. 

Real foods—like eggs—are no longer the bad guy. Fake edibles are on the run, for good reason. Just say no to faux. No fake fats, like trans (that means no margarine and no Rich's Whip), and while I'm at it, no fake sugars, either. 

But once a week, I have my Japanese/Korean/Oriental yam. The ideal diet is low-carb, not no-carb, right?   

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