Are you following a good diet? If not, then you should seriously consider making a change.
Poor diets are causing an epidemic. Around 678,000 annual deaths in the United States can be attributed to poor dietary choices.
Everything I write about here is based on scientific knowledge and my personal experience. I do not claim to be a healthcare professional, so I leave the comments open for criticism. As science progresses and new discoveries are made, all these things should always be taken with a certain amount of relativism.
There are no absolute truths and there are hypotheses that we contrast over and over again. That’s how knowledge is shaped. It is clear that if we want to know more we will have to read specialized scientific magazines such as The Journal of Nutrition. or Advances in nutrition or Clinical Nutrition in Medicine. I also leave you with a link to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans established by the US Department of Health.
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However, this article is still a good start. Well, do you feel like taking better care of yourself? Well, let’s start now! You can learn more about crafting the perfect diet by following the tips below. You may want to start following the keto diet, but you can also follow the tips listed below.
1. Eliminating Junk Food
Junk food such as fast food, snacks, industrial chocolates, pizzas and the like are both tasty and addictive. They are also cheap food with an abundance of calories, tons of saturated fats, too much sugar and an absence of vitamins and minerals.
A Big Mac menu already has over 1000 calories and more saturated fats than you should consume in a day.
Junk food is even worse if we eat it right after dinner. Therefore, the rule of thumb is easy. We should avoid consuming junk food or reduce it to the maximum. To get an idea, a BigMac meal consists of hamburger, French fries and soda. It has an astounding 1,100 calories. With the addition of some chicken fried food and an ice cream for dessert, we will be surpassing 1000 calories and adding more sugars and fats.
You should also try to avoid energy drinks because of how easy it is to drink in excess. I also try to avoid sugary drinks like coke, French fries and other unhealthy foods. If you don’t eliminate them from your diet altogether, you should at least consume them in moderation or phase them out if you are addicted.
2. Decrease your intake of: sugar, industrial baked goods, processed foods and saturated fats.
Our diet is based on many small decisions we make every day. You should get in the habit of not buying foods that you know are not good for you, because if we have them at home we will end up eating them.
Anything that includes too much sugars such as most soft drinks, coke, sugary smoothies, fanta, sprite, etc., industrial baked goods, doughnuts, croissants, industrial cakes, etc., and precooked, processed or canned foods should be avoided. This is true even when the labels tell us they are for weight loss or low calorie, we will not buy them. We must also avoid using harmful packaging. An example of this is the case of Bisphenol A.
3. Decrease saturated fat intake
There are many examples of foods that have too many saturated fats. While it is true that new studies have found no link between saturated fat intake and certain heart diseases (as previously believed), caution should be exercised and previous recommendations followed.
In general, you should reduce your intake of saturated fats but without removing them from your diet. Fat provides 9 calories per gram compared to 4 calories per gram for carbohydrates or protein. Fats can be divided into saturated and unsaturated. Unsaturated fats are oils and have been found to be beneficial to the body.
We will then decrease the consumption of products that contain saturated fats: dairy products such as whole milk, yogurt, butter, ice cream, chocolates, coconut oil, palm oil, fried foods and many baked goods.
In general, we will consume in moderation dairy products that are not skimmed or semi-skimmed. Out of curiosity, take a look at the documentary “Super size me”.
4. Eliminate trans fats completely
Most industrial snacks are high in trans fats that are really bad for our health. There is a type of fat called trans fat, which is when an oil is hardened by hydrogenation. They serve to extend the life of food and are found in margarines, industrial baked goods, cookies, snacks, etc. They raise bad cholesterol and influence depression.
They should be avoided at all costs. Here there is no doubt of scientific studies. In many countries they are beginning to be banned but the food industry is resisting their removal, once again showing what they care about the health of their citizens.
Here is a list of all the things that contain trans fats and I warn you not to get depressed because it is a matter of fabric. When you see this you realize how inhumane and savage the food industry has become that it obviously only cares about economic benefits and I warn you: they will try to trick you into believing that the unhealthy is healthy, so watch what you buy from now on!
