Do Fasting Diets Work?

Fasting diets, where you consume a normal (normal for human beings not normal for Americans) number of calories one day and then cut back by 70% or more the next, have become increasingly popular. But to they really help people lose weight?

A recent study done at the University of Illinois at Urbana and published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that fasting diets are no better for weight loss than ordinary restricted calorie diets.

In a controlled study, 100 obese adults were divided into two groups. The alternate-day fasting group consumed 25% of their normal daily calories on fasting days and 125% on other days. The other group reduced calories by 25% every day. After six months weight loss was the same for both groups. Also, there was no significant difference in cholesterol, blood pressure or blood sugar between the two groups.

There is nothing wrong with fasting if it is something that you want to do, and it may well have other as yet unproven benefits. But don't expect it to amp up your weight loss program. As the end of the day, it all comes down to calories consumed vs calories burned.

Who Pays for Self-Inflicted Illnesses?

For the last decade or so, health experts have been warning about the "epidemic" of obesity in America and its troubling implications for the health and wellness of our population. Clearly the message is not getting through the fog of lies and deception perpetrated upon us by those who make, market and sell our food. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2017 Americans of all ages just kept getting fatter.

As of last year 4 in 10 Americans were obese and another 3 in 10 were overweight, the highest percentages ever recorded. Being either is proven to increase your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and more than a dozen types of cancer. But the biggest danger is diabetes.

According to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine the 10 year risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes is 8 times higher in overweight women and 18 times higher in obese women, compared to women of normal weight. The numbers are similar for men. As of 2017, roughly 46% of adult Americans are diabetic or pre-diabetic.

It is comforting to blame food producers for the problem, but companies simply provide products that people want to buy. The real problem is that we refuse to stop stuffing ourselves with crappy food. According to a famous and widely ignored Tulane University study, only 4% of obesity can be attributed to genetic factors. The rest of it is all due to the lifestyle people choose to live. The amount and type of food they choose to eat and the exercise the choose not to get.

This is everyone's problem now. How, as a society, do we afford to care for a population where 50% plus of us are diabetic? How should we afford it when the disease is nearly always the result of the bad choices that people make for themselves? Should the shrinking portion of people who make the effort to tend to their own wellness pay the cost of the ever increasing portion that does not?

I don't know the answers to these questions, but it is a discussion we as a society need to start having.

Going Med

Yesterday we looked at some of things that the Mediterranean Diet was not, and discovered that it was a long term pattern of eating rather than any particular foods. At its most basic, the diet is primarily vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, olive oil and seafood. Some poultry and diary are staples. And very little meat, sweets or processed foods. The Harvard School of Public Health as created a Mediterranean Diet Food Pyramid that illustrates nicely the types and proportions of different foods that comprise the real Med Diet.

Nobody is perfect and your diet doesn't need to be either. But you can get closer to this healthy way of eating step by step by gradually adapting to the following pattern of eating and just sticking with it.

Daily - eat fruits, vegetables, mostly whole grains, olive oil, beans, lentils and nuts. Go ahead and add whenever herbs and spices you enjoy, just leave out the salt.

Two or Three Times a Week - have fish and other seafood. Enjoy fermented diary products (like yogurt or cheese) and eggs.

Once a Week - Poultry.

Once or Twice a Month - Red meat and sweets.

Avoid - processed meats and prepared foods. Sugary drinks.

Drink - plenty of water. Tea and coffee are fine. If you drink alcohol, favor red wine and have it with your meals.

Exercise - build regular moderate exercise into you daily routine. You don't need to hit the gym. Walking, mowing the lawn and climbing the stairs all count.

Relax - mealtime is family time in most Mediterranean countries. Whether eating with family or friends, or all by yourself, relax, take your time and enjoy the experience. That is part of the pattern too.

You don't have to do this all in one step. That is provably an excellent way to fail. Start with small steps and keep going as it gets easier, as you feel better and as you discover the many ways to make eating this way fun, tasty and easy.

Replace candy, cookies and chips with nuts or fruit for snaking. It's an acquired taste, but so is the crap you are snacking on now.

Replace some of the red meat you are eating with seafood or beans. (Can you say broiled salmon steaks or chili?)

Replace soda and sugary drinks with cold water or tea. This one is utterly painless and in 2 weeks you'll wonder why you ever drank anything else.

Get a cookbook and experiment. You will find dozens of things that you will enjoy and you'll be surprised to discover how easy it is once you make a habit of it. Here are two good ones....

The Oldways 4-Week Mediterranean Diet Menu Plan. Take all the guesswork out of it with a 28 day meal plan.

The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook. Over 500 recipes in this one, so you are bound to find some you will enjoy.

As with any change, the hardest part is getting started. Once you do, you can start to plan what you would like to do with the extra years you will be adding to your life and all the money you will save by not being sick.

Five Things a Mediterranean Diet is Not

There is more solid scientific evidence for the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet than any other popular diet in the world. It has been shown to be protective against heart disease and stroke, cancer and obesity, diabetes and even dementia. People who consume a Mediterranean Diet live longer than those who do not.

But like any good thing, it is victimized by promoters selling diets that are radically different who are trying to bask in its Mediterranean glow. Here are five things that the true Mediterranean Diet is not.

1. It is not low fat.

It includes plenty of fat. But most of it is the healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) found in olive, avocado, nut and seed oils, not the saturated fats found in red meats.

2. It is not low carb.

The Med Diet includes plenty of grains such as pasta, wheat, bulgar, farro and barley. The key is to eat it in moderation.

3. It is not vegetarian.

While beef, pork and lamb are considered luxuries in many Mediterranean countries and are reserved for special occasions, they are certainly a part of the diet. Seafood is a staple as are dairy products and poultry.

4. It is not about the latest "superfood".

The Med Diet is an eating pattern. No single food explains its power. It is about shifting your overall approach to eating and maintaining it for many years.

5. Its not a license to drink.

Alcohol, mainly in the form of red wine, has its place in the healthy Med Diet. But it is, again, a pattern of moderate drinking, almost always taken with meals. Drinking more that that, especially without eating, is the exact opposite of the Mediterranean way.

Now that you know what the Mediterranean Diet is not, next time I will take a look at what is is, and how you can easily incorporate some of its features into your own pattern of eating and begin to enjoy its health benefits yourself.