J.E.R.F.

J.E.R.F. is a great place to start any nutritional tip/fact segment off with.  This acronym stands for: Just Eat Real Food. This notion is extremely important to our wellbeing due to the fact that the human genome, or more specifically the human digestive system was developed during the Paleolithic Era some 50,000 years ago (50,000 – 10,000 BC).  Over those tens of thousands of years the digestive system evolved, acclimated, and was optimized to function on a diet that was based on natural food sources. However, over the last 250 years starting at the onset of the industrial revolution our food sources and their preparation processes have radically changed.   A large amount of our food now goes through a multitude of chemical processes to give it a better taste, longer shelf life, a nicer aesthetic appearance, and so on.  Many of these processes change our foods content in a way that is not conducive to long-term health. These processes create substances that will be left in the body after consumption that are extremely detrimental to it and its various functions (think high fructose corn syrup or Trans Fat).  In the end, our digestive system evolved over tens of thousands of years to work with the natural food sources available to us; thus, 250 years to acclimate to the radical changes seen in a dominate portion of our food is not nearly enough time for the human body to adapt. 

How you can J.E.R.F.:

  • Stick to the edges (i.e., shop the outside aisles of the supermarket. This is generally where the fridges are and the fresh food is kept).
  • Avoid Sauces (BBQ Sauce, Pasta Sauce, Sald Dressing etc.)
  • Avoid Cardboard Carbs (i.e., Cheez Its, Wheat Thins, Cookies, Potato Chips etc.)
  • Avoid anything with High Fructose Corn Syraup in it
  • Avoid anything with Trans Fat in it
  • Avoid items with extensive ingredient lists
  • Avoid Soda
  • Avoid Pre-Packaged Meals
  • Avoid Fruit Juices (they arent real)
  • Shop at your local Farmers Market
  • Eat Super Foods (i.e., Brocclie, Kale, Spinach,)
  • Cook all your food
  • Grow your own food
  • Join your local Food Co-Op

 

Article Review: The Best Diet is One You Can Stick To

Happy New Year! As the New Year arrives, we start to plan resolutions that will be attempted to reach over the course of the next 12 months. One of the most common and regularly sought-after goals is weight-loss and eating healthier. Many struggle with this because they don’t realize how much diet has to be taken into account with weight loss, and they make it out to be some sort of chore, so sticking to it is next to impossible.

A group of researchers did a meta-analysis on which main-stream diet was the best for weight loss. The diets that were taken into account were strictly those that were considered to be named or branded; for example, Atkins, the Zone, Mediterranean, etc. Low-carb and low-fat “deemed” diets saw the most improvement compared to moderate macronutrient diets (more or less the suggested guidelines of macros). Within the first six months, low-carb diets saw greater weight loss (about a .75kg difference) than low-fat, but after 12 months, the two leveled out each other.

This study shows that from the list of “branded” diets, the ones considered low-fat or low-carb diets showed the quickest results. It also showed that incorporating behavioral modification counseling and exercise programming improved weight loss as well.

In my personal opinion, instead of calling this change in eating a “diet,” I prefer to call it a lifestyle change. In our minds, diets refer to a quick fix that is typically only stuck with for a few days to months at a time; if a lifestyle change was to be implemented, then there wouldn’t be such a high failure and relapse rate. “Diets” can, however, be used to give an individual structure that is easier to follow than just eating healthy.

Although low-fat and low-carb structured diets showed the most initial weight loss, the takeaway message from this article is that as long as the diet consists of a healthy amount of calories, those calories are found in healthy and nutrient-rich sources, it is appropriate for that certain individual and are able to stay consistent with it then that is the best diet. There is no perfect diet, and there will never be one that could/should be followed by everyone, so finding the best one that works for you to reach your goals is the best way to go.