You Are What You Eat: Eating Healthy Vs. Fad Dieting

Written by: Grace Poppe, Membership Consultant, O2 Fitness-Falconbridge

You Are What You Eat.

We've all heard the old adage. But where did it come from, and why do we hear it so very often? It's common knowledge that in the last 100 years, science has made immense strides in medical knowledge and the treatment of illness. With that our average life span has slowly but steadily been growing since the turn of the century.

It is even more surprising that the main victims of our modern day plagues are those of us living in western industrialized countries!  The human body is not equipped to cope with the modern diet (too many saturated fats, not enough complex carbohydrates and fiber). Fortunately, if diet is the cause, it is also the cure!

But before you can truly improve your health, you must understand food.

The Fads

Every day seems to bring an avalanche of new statistics and diets promising weight loss, glowing skin, more energy, only to be cancelled out a month later by something supposedly better.  These various foods may well be becoming your personal poison of the month. These dietary fads subject the body to a total abstention from your normally selected foods. In extreme forms, food takes a back seat to vitamin pills, powders, or other nutritional supplements, in the belief that these may provide shortcuts to good nutrition.

The Truth

Be it a miracle drug or fad diet, neither are the solution. Instead, scientists now know that food and its effects are every bit as complex as our own bodies. Of the many thousands of chemicals, minerals, and vitamins that exist in a single food, half are potential life savers- and the other half are a hazard to our health! It all depends on how much you consume over time. Eating a variety of foods means that you are likely to get a good supply of adequate nutrients, since something lacking in one may be supplied in another.

The link between food and health is an everyday issue but also a complex one. So rather than trusting food fads, you should learn how to balance food intake. Small but well informed changes to your diet will make a great difference in your overall well-being. And if you don't know where to begin, start by talking to one of your O2 Fitness Personal Trainers.