Nutrient Density – Why Is It So Critical?
Millions of people worldwide bombard themselves with nutrient deficient, high calorie food, often called “empty calorie” or “junk” food. Empty calorie means food that is deficient in nutrients and fibre. More Americans than ever are now eating these high calorie foods while remaining inactive – a very dangerous combination!
Obesity and its complications pose a very serious challenge to physicians. Both primary care physicians and obesity treatment specialists fail to make an impact on the long term health of most of their patients. Studies show that initial weight loss is soon followed by weight regain.
People whose parents are obese have a tenfold increased risk of being obese themselves. The genetic factor cannot be ignored, but when this is combined with poor food choices and inactivity, we have a recipe for disaster! At the end of the day, one cannot change the genes you have inherited … so blaming them doesn’t solve anything. Rather, we must take an honest look at what causes obesity. Many people continuously look for a miraculous cure – a pill, a magic diet or some other effortless gimmick. The simple fact is … they don’t exist, and anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is more interested in your money than they are in your health and well-being.
You must understand that obesity and being seriously overweight is not just a cosmetic issue – extra weight leads to a raft of serious health problems and a premature death, as numerous scientific studies and reports confirm. Two thirds of people with long term weight problems suffer from hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and many other obesity related conditions. Because following a disciplined regimen of food management and regular exercise requires effort and persistence, most people fail and then try to find an easier way. This inevitably means (potentially dangerous) drugs and / or surgical procedures to lose weight.
Salmon and Kale: Two of the Most Nutrient Dense Foods on the Planet!
Health Complications of Obesity
– Premature mortality
– Adult onset – diabetes
– Hypertension
– Degenerative arthritis
– Coronary artery disease
– Cancer
– Lipid disorders
– Obstructive sleep apnoea
– Gallstones
– Fatty infiltration of liver
– Restrictive lung disease
– Gastrointestinal disease
Almost all diets are ineffective. This is because no matter how much weight you lose when you are on a diet, you put it right back on when you come off! For example, measuring portions and trying to eat fewer calories (calorie counting) almost never results in permanent weight loss and may actually worsen the problem over time. Such methods temporarily slow down your metabolic rate, but when you start eating “normally” again, the weight is quickly piled back on, and you may very well end up heavier than you were before you started the diet!
What you must understand is this critical fact:
For the vast majority of people, being overweight is not caused by how much they eat but rather what they eat.
The idea that people get heavy because they consume a high volume of food is a fallacy. Eating large amounts of the right food (nutrient dense food) is the key to weight loss success, and this is what makes the Better Body Diet Plan workable for the rest of your life. What makes many people overweight is not that they eat a huge amount more than people who maintain a healthy weight, but rather they get a higher percentage of their calories from fat and refined carbohydrates … which are of coarse low nutrient foods that are quickly stored as fat.
Regardless of your metabolism or genetics you can achieve an ideal weight once you start a high nutrient diet style. Since the majority of Americans are overweight, the problem is not primarily genetic. Though genes are an important ingredient, physical activity and food choices play a far more significant role. In studies involving identical twins with the tendency to be overweight, scientists found that physical activity is the strongest environmental determinant of total body and central abdominal fat mass. Even those with a strong family history of obesity can and do lose weight very effectively with increased physical activity and appropriate dietary modifications.
Most of the time, the reason people are overweight is too little physical activity, in conjunction with a high calorie, low nutrient diet. Eating a diet with plenty of low fibre, calorie dense foods such as oil and refined carbohydrates is the main culprit. As long as you are eating fatty foods and refined carbohydrates, it is impossible to lose weight healthfully. In fact, this vicious combination of a sedentary lifestyle and eating typical “American” food (ie high fat, low fibre) is the primary reason why we have such an incredibly overweight population.
