Nutrients: Their Vital Role in Weight Loss
Weight loss programs traditionally focus on calorie reduction. But we now know that effective and healthy weight loss is about more than that. A smart and sustainable weight loss diet needs to include the right amounts of ALL nutrient categories: water, carbs, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals.
This nutrient guide will introduce you to all of these nutrient types and illustrate how to incorporate them into a workable weight loss plan.
Water
This is the most basic and important nutrient in any diet, whether your goal is weight loss or weight maintenance. Almost every physiological process of your body relies on hydration to work properly. On average, adults need 2 liters of water a day. So whether you are thirsty or not, make it a habit to drink at least 8 glasses a day. And if your weight loss regime includes exercise, which it should, you may need more water than that to replace fluids lost to perspiration.
Carbs
Oh, those controversial carbs. With so much focus on weight loss, carbs have gotten a bad name. But there are good carbs (the complex carbohydrates) and bad ones (simple or refined carbs). Knowing how to tell them apart can make a big difference in your general health and in reaching your weight loss goals.
Unrefined grains, cereals, beans and peas, and vegetables are good sources of complex carbs. Maximize them in your diet and minimize the refined carbs, which tend to create weight problems for most of us. Things like: white flour products, white rice, sugar and sugar products like sucrose, dextrose, maltose, glucose and syrup. The only good form of sugar is fructose, or fruit sugar. That's why a sensible weight loss diet includes fruits instead of sweetened desserts.
Warning: Eliminating carbs completely while dieting will only make it harder to return to a "normal" pattern of eating once the diet is over. Eating the right kind of carbs in moderation is the key to success.
Protein
High protein weight loss diets have received a lot of attention because they help the body burn off fat. If your body is deprived of carbs, it has to burn something. But there are negative health effects associated with this kind of rapid weight loss that can be very serious. And for that reason, many dietitians no longer recommend it.
Instead, they say opt for a balanced diet that meets these simple standards:
Low fat, with only small amounts of polyunsaturated fats
High fiber
Lean meats/fish
High complex carbohydrates
Low fat dairy products
More aerobic exercise
Fat
Fat has been demonized in modern culture as we tend to lump all fats together. But in fact, your skin, hair and nails require essential fatty acids (EFA) to be healthy and strong. So do all your cells. So eliminating all fats from the diet is counterproductive to your healthy weight loss goals.
EFAs are found in foods like fatty fish, wheat germ, nuts, seeds, soybeans, corn oil, sunflower oil and safflower oil (the last 3 should be taken sparingly). Mono unsaturated fats like canola, olive and peanut oil are considered "good fats" as they can protect against heart disease.
Fats to avoid: Saturated fats like butter, shortening, palm oil, coconut oil, cream and full fat dairy products, fatty meats, hydrogenated fats usually found in margarines and packaged snack foods.
How to Read Food Labels
Your weight loss plan can only succeed if you become religious about reading food labels. That way, you can truly control what you eat and how much of it. Here are the markers to look for:
Total Fat: the less the better. Four grams or less is good, two grams or less is best.
Types of Fat: Avoid saturated. Seek out products with mono or poly unsaturated fats.
Calories from Fat: 20% is the ideal amount for weight loss purposes.
Sodium: Choose foods with less than 300 mg of sodium per serving.
Fiber: 30 grams per day is a good goal.
Sugar: Also labeled as sucrose, dextrose, maltose, corn syrup, brown sugar, etc. Keep intake as low as possible.
Daily Values: These are based on a diet of 2,000 to 2,500 per day, too high for most people on a weight loss diet. So the DV listing may not be useful to you.
Nutrients in Weight Loss: Summary
As you can see, being very familiar with the nutrients you consume is vital to achieving your weight loss goals. And the best part is that sensible eating is the only sort of diet that is sustainable and can easily be continued for life. So your weight loss accomplishments can be achieved and then maintained for years to come.
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