What we put into our mouths probably accounts most for the diseases that are prevalent in our society. It is the number one reason that affects the chances of us getting one of the big three diseases (Heart Disease, Diabetes and Cancer). Our body is made up of trillions of cells. Cells in our body die every day and new ones are formed. In approximately six months all the cells that existed before have died. We are essentially a new person with new cells every six months. My question is do you want your cells to be made up of oranges, spinach, lean chicken, and whole grains OR cheeze whiz, french fries, mayonnaise and coke?

Eating healthy makes up 80% of whether people lose weight or not.

To lose a pound of fat the average person would have to walk about 50 km. To do this in a week would mean walking approximately 7 km per day. To gain a pound of fat all one needs to do is go to the movies. A large popcorn with butter, a large pop and chocolate bar will do that at one sitting. It is just too easy to put the calories in but so hard to burn them off. This is why healthy food choices are vital to any successful weight loss or exercise program. Dieting is a multi billion dollar per year industry. It has been made more complicated than it should be. The absolute number one way of staying lean for life is making smart choices on foods that are High Nutrient Density (HND). An example of a HND food is spinach. Spinach contains an amazing quantity of nutrients and very little calories. An example of low nutrient density food is a doughnut. It has a large amount of calories and no nutritional value. We know what foods are good or bad for us. You don’t need myself or any other fitness professional telling you “eat your veggies don’t each chips”. You know that already. The reasons that people eat badly may be deeper than their knowledge of what is good or bad. Below I have listed the reasons I have heard most people say why they could not eat healthy. Being aware of these excuses should cause us to ask what we can do about them.

• time to cook or prepare healthy food
• how to cook and prepare healthy food
• emotional eating, feeling sad, depressed (comfort food)
• emotional eating, feeling happy (who cares what I eat I am too excited)
• situational eating, (eating at restaurants, parties, weddings, Christmas)
• taste, high calorie high fat food tastes really good, healthy food tastes bad

Planning ahead, eating before you go out, and buying a healthy cookbook can go a long way to solving many of life’s eating issues.

I am not a big fan of any diet that eliminates a macro nutrient (carbs, protein or fat). Either one can be good or bad for you. Carbs do not make us fat, only the wrong carbs do. A yam which is a complex carb (absorbs slowly), is extremely nutritious for us. French Fries, also a complex carb, will only make us fat. Proteins can also be good or bad. Lean chicken breast a good choice, chicken wings a very bad choice. The same thing goes with fat. Olive oil a healthy fat has been proven to help decrease cholesterol build up in our arteries. Margarine, especially the hydrogenated type, will clog our arteries. Diets like Atkins, South Beach, The Zone only give half the story. They go overboard by eliminating entire food groups when only portions of those food groups should be avoided.

Other key elements to a successful eating plan for life are:

1. Quantity
You need enough calories to have the energy to perform the activity in your environment but not any extra that will be stored as fat. The amount of calories you need in a day is largely determined by your activity level. A person with a desk job will need far less calories than someone who is a professional athlete.

2. Variety
Every food has different concentrations of vitamins and minerals. It is a good idea to vary the fruits, meats and vegetables that you eat.

3. Time of Day
Most people consume the majority of their calories in the evening at dinner and afterwards snacking before bed. This occurs because people are too busy to eat during the day. The problem is that the quantity eaten at night is too big because of hunger, plus the type of food chosen is usually high in sugar because of hypoglycemia. It is best to eat small amounts often through out the day with the majority of food consumed before six pm.

4. Avoiding processed packaged food
These foods are low in nutrient quality, high in calories, and contain chemicals that are toxic to the internal organs especially the liver.

5. No Supplements or Powders
Some people believe that if something is sold in a health food store then it must be good for you. The fact is that many supplements are junk food. They don’t contain the nutrients listed on the package. Often our body has a difficult time absorbing the nutrient. The pills or powders we intake are not natural even if it says it is. How natural is a man made product? We often exhaust more energy in our organs (liver, stomach and intestines) trying to absorb, assimilate and eliminate the food than the energy the product is supposed to provide us. I often wonder why someone would prefer to eat a supplement than tasty, real, healthy food. I guess it is the time factor and the promises of incredible results by the manufacturing company. If the product is that amazing why is everyone still so overweight?

Please email me at paul@paulplakas.com to order your personalized eating plan!