IN Low Carb
It is becoming increasingly known that starches and sugars impact insulin production and therefore our tendency to increase fat stores. People already living with metabolic disorders or diabetes are doing well in restricting their carb intake as a means to manage blood sugar levels. Science is catching up to what many already know as the key to managing weight and heart health and a very low carb (ketogenic) way of eating has become quite the topic of conversation. There’s even an entire sub reddit devoted to it.
OUT Low Fat
We are getting much better at reading our food labels and one look at a low fat label shows us that the fat was replaced with sugar and fillers to make it taste good. We also know now that eating fat has less impact on cholesterol than was once assumed and that it helps to keep us feeling full. Fat is essential for brain development in children so what makes us think that grown ups no longer need it? The case for low fat just isn’t making sense any longer.
IN Fasting or OMAD
Fasting is not a new idea but the way people are fasting is key to this strategy. It works well hand in hand with a low carb diet but restricting calories isn’t without risk, especially for those with disordered eating patterns. Many are turning to a once per day meal intake pattern (One Meal A Day) consuming their daily allotment of calories all at once then fasting the rest of the day. More research is being done on the impact of fasting on longevity.
OUT Eating many small meals
In theory, eating many small meals often over the course of the day does help to keep insulin production levels steady. But there is less and less science to prove that this structured schedule will make much of a difference for weight loss. In fact the theory behind fasting is that while your body isn’t diverting resources to digestion it can handle other tasks like breaking down damaged cells or fighting viruses. The biggest reason to give up many small meals is that it’s sort of a hassle to be eating all the time!
IN Peer Support
Social media has made it much easier to find peers with the same goals and support each other. The rise of fitness wearables even allows you to compete on who takes the most steps in a day. Peer support is a great way to join in on shared strategies and ideas. You can start a peer support group on Facebook, with step counters like FitBit or by using a shared hashtag.
OUT Diet Culture
So much damage has been done by way of diet culture which essentially assigns moral properties to foods and health related actions. Sugar = bad, running marathons = good, carrots = good, birthday cake = bad. More or less these statements are true but when it translates down to “someone who eats birthday cake is a bad person” then we have a problem. It allows for power struggles, bullying, coercion into joining diet culture snake oil fads and more. We’re over it.
IN Flavoured Water
You’ve likely had cucumber flavoured water if you’ve ever gone to a spa, but there are so many other ways to fancy up your H2O. Enjoying a fresh and tasty approach to hydration has never been so enjoyable. Try berries, fruit, herbs, veggies and more to flavour your water – with or without carbonation.
OUT Pop / Soda / Cola
People are giving up cola left right and center. It’s the tobacco of our day. We know it’s not good for us and we’re not giving it to our kids like we used to either.
IN Ferments and Probiotics
So much information is coming out about gut biomes and how the bacteria we grow in our bellies effects our health. Kombucha, kimchi, vinegars and probiotic supplements are just a few ways to get your good bacteria count up.
OUT Counting Calories
It’s a simple concept – consuming the amount of calories your body burns in a day will keep you from either gaining or losing weight. The problem is that nutrition is not simple. To complicate matters even more, my body will treat consuming and burning foods differently than say, how my child’s body or my sister’s body will treat it. While a general calorie count can be a good broad stroke guideline, keeping an eye on our macro counts (carbs, protein, fat) will give us a much better idea of how the foods we consume will behave after we consume them.
No matter what you decide to focus on for your health goals in 2018, do your research. We are much less likely swayed by infomercials at 3am and much more apt to ask our doctors, nutritionists AND consult many articles on the web. Getting information from many sources is always a good idea and we seem to be getting better and better as we practice. Keep it up.