An unexpected research finding with great practical
significance is that experimental animals live longer with much
lower rates of disease when they consume less than the
recommended daily allowance of calories. The finding is
unexpected because we associate less-than-optimal nutrition with
poor growth and health, and common sense tells us that we do
better if we are well nourished. In fact, most of us may be
overnourished, and too much of a good thing may be doing us harm.
An adequate diet is one that provides not only enough calories
but also all of the nutrients necessary for efficient metabolism
without any excesses that promote disease. What constitutes a
good diet is a matter of controversy, and much of the
controversy is based on emotion rather than reason.
An average person needs less than 2,000 calories daily, with
300 to 400 of the calories coming from fat. Present labeling
laws are helpful in determining your caloric intake, but
maintaining your weight or losing weight is much more
complicated. The FDA supports two ways to diet: increase
exercise and decrease the intake of food. Dieting Can Make You
Fat.
That's it? The secret to a long and healthy life is diet and
exercise? Not really! Metabolism slows down during a diet, and
the body burns fewer calories, causing more fat to be stored as
a protection against extended "famine." When the food supply is
restored, the metabolism is slow to respond, and the body stores
even more fat. In humans, this yo-yo phenomenon is harmful -
starvation diets simply fool the body into starting a famine
cycle. Once the diet is over, we are back to where we started,
or worse.
Granted, exercise programs help keep the metabolism active, but
most of us are about as committed to our exercise programs as we
are to our diets. We fall off the exercise program at the same
time we end the diet, increasing the yo-yo effect. Then how
should we combine dieting and exercise into a healthy life?
First we need to modify our diets, lowering caloric content
without greatly reducing the amount or the appeal of food we
consume. The best way of lowering caloric content is by cutting
the fat content in our diets. Fat has almost twice as many
calories per gram as protein and carbohydrate.
Second we need to restrict caloric intake either by fasting or
by eating a limited diet one day a week. Our body's metabolism
will not react quick enough to begin a "famine" cycle during a
one-day diet. Fasting should include plenty of liquids, with
enough fruit juices to maintain a minimum caloric intake. When
fasting, reduce the intake of supplemental vitamins and
minerals, as some supplements may become toxic if not consumed
with adequate amounts of food. Vitamin Supplements
Our bodies don't benefit from the food we eat, but rather by
what is digested, assimilated and eliminated. The food is taken
in, broken into smaller and smaller parts until it can be
absorbed and the by-products discarded. Enzymes digest all of
our food and make it small enough to pass through the intestines
into the blood. Enzymes are a part of every metabolic process in
the body, from the working of our glands to the proper
functioning of our immune system. Enzymes require vitamins and
minerals to do their work.
Many manufactured vitamin and mineral supplements, because they
are fractionated (broken down into basic elements), are treated
as toxic waste in the body. Some minerals in an unnatural form
can accumulate and cause harmful effects. Fortunately, many
commercial vitamin and mineral supplements are so badly
formulated that they pass right through our digestive systems
without breaking down and being absorbed. Unfortunately, we
haven't received the benefit that we paid for.
Many people are now using all-natural herbal forms of vitamin
and mineral supplements. Because these are in a natural form,
they are more easily absorbed than manufactured supplements.
They are also much less concentrated than manufactured
supplements, and so are often safer. However, it is always best
to consult with your personal physician before taking any
nutritional supplement.
The proper supplements, combined with proper diet and exercise,
can help you live a longer and healthier life.
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Herlan Westra is the editor of Rhode Island Foghorn Online
Magazine, which provides information and entertainment for a
rapidly-growing audience nationwide. Herlan welcomes suggestions
for future articles.
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