Don’t you love it when the “research” agrees with what you’ve been saying all along? Of course. If you read any of my work, you know I’ve said for a long time that the quality of the fuel you put into your body is the #1 most important factor when it comes to health and also successful weight loss. Junk food is exactly that: junk! You wouldn’t put sugar or water in your car’s gas tank. Yet too many people put the equivalent of that into their bodies and expect to be healthy or lose weight.
New research conducted to study the effectiveness of low-carbohydrate, low-fat diets was found to depend on the quality of the food consumed. While I definitely lean toward a low-carb eating style, this study compared the low- and high-carb diets of 37,000 adults over the age of 20. When comparing them in terms of longevity, they didn’t find much difference, until they compared the quality of the carbohydrates. The quality is what made a big difference in mortality rates.
People who practiced low-carb or low-fat diets but ate poor-quality food actually had higher rates of premature death. That’s common sense and should be a no-brainer! This research suggests that any increased longevity benefits conferred by low-carbohydrate or low-fat diets may depend on the quality and dietary sources of the macronutrients.
Therefore, any meal plan or diet you choose to implement must have a clearly defined quality and source of macronutrients. I’ve said it before: You can go vegan thinking it’s healthier, but if you eat all the GMOs and refined grains, you’ll do harm instead of good. If you choose a ketogenic diet but eat conventionally raised animal products and foods that contain unhealthy fats, you’re not helping yourself.
Nutrition depends on nutrients. The goal should be to choose the highest quality foods that provide the essential nutrients your body needs and recognizes. This is precisely why so many obese people are actually undernourished! They fill their bellies but are depriving themselves of essential nutrients at the cellular level.
It all goes back to what I preach all along: Choose the highest quality single-ingredient whole foods that are consistent with their specific makeup, and you can’t help but experience greater health and wellness.
Are you surprised to learn that food quality is the most important piece of the weight loss puzzle?