Maintaining Good Health isn't Rocket Science

Maintaining good health isn't rocket science. It just takesThis is just another example of the media
some common sense and to avoid fad diets. Any longexaggerating the results. No wonder people are so
term sustainable health program should be based onconfused about health advice. The media's constant
exercise and meals that balance carbohydrate, proteinmisinterpretation of the data makes people think that
and fat in reasonable portion sizes - you don't have toresearchers are always changing their minds on health
be a mathemetician to figure it out. This week theissues.
media claimed, "A calorie is a calorie". They were citingIt's all about BalanceMaintaining health is really not that
a new study, which found that burning a caloriehard. Many of us over-think the problem. Using a
through exercise or removing it from your diet is equalcommon sense, maintaining a diet balanced in fats,
for losing fat. The study was somewhat controversialcarbohydrates and proteins, taking a quality multivitamin
because it has long been accepted that combiningand getting some exercise goes a long way.
exercise with dieting makes it easier to lose weight.Balance is a critical issue in any dietary change. Fad
Exercise increases your body's sensitivity to its owndiets that tout low-carb or low-fat are very short sited.
insulin and that makes it easier to lose fat, especiallyMost people are surprised to hear that the brain is
around the mid-section. However, the new study said it60% fat! And several types of fat needed for brain
didn't make any difference. They concluded that it isfunction must come from the diet - meaning the body
not possible to lose weight from 'target' areas and thatcan't make them. What this means is that trying to
your genes dictate where your weight loss comesremove too much fat, especially polyunsaturated fat,
from. I see several problems with their arguments.from the diet can actually starve the brain.
Is a calorie a calorie?First, the new study only lookedWhen is fat good?In fact, a report that came out of
at a small number of people and that makes it difficultSweden this week showed that some kids were
to make general assumptions. Second, the study onlyoverweight because they didn't get enough of the right
used a very strict diet, making it difficult to generalizekind of fat. The Swedish researchers found that kids
for many types of foods. Third, the study onlywho didn't eat enough poly-unsaturated fat, mostly
employed cardiovascular exercise and not weightomega-3 fats, actually had a higher chance of being
training, which has been shown to increase insulinoverweight.
sensitivity. So, although the experiment told usThe brain is also an energy hog. It uses about 10% of
something about how exercise burns calories, thethe energy you eat even though it only accounts for
conclusions went a little too far.about 2% of total body mass. Where does most of
Finally, the media's interpretation of the study wasour energy come from? - carbohydrates and fat. A
misleading as well. In stating that 'a calorie is a calorie'balanced diet is about 15% fat, 60% carbohydrate and
the media suggests that it doesn't matter what kinds25% protein. Athletes may need a little more
of food you eat, but that it is really the total caloriecarbohydrate for endurance or protein for strength.
content that matters. This is not what the studySo please don't subscribe to fad diets that tell you to
concluded at all. The researchers were simplycut out all the fat or carbohydrates from your diet.
comparing reducing calories in the diet to burning themThey're not good for your body and they're not good
through exercise. They made no conclusions aboutfor your brain.
which sources of calories were better than others.