The world of health is a wide and varied one. Full of popular and professional opinions and facts, it’s oftentimes difficult navigating through all the information especially when it comes to health trends, which have a way of getting you to subscribe to it, without necessarily considering your health holistically.
Here are a few things to keep in mind with this day and age’s current health trends before you fully commit to or are thinking about getting into:
The Keto Diet
The Ketogenic Diet works its magic by putting the body into a fat-burning state called ketosis. It’s through ketosis that we burn through fat stores in our body. This is achieved by eating zero carbohydrates in any form (or less than 20 grams of carbs) a day. Without carbohydrates, the body turns to fat for energy and this is derived from eating foods high in fat as well as fat already existing in the body. This is what makes the keto diet a very popular diet option for those looking to lose weight.
The problem with the ketogenic diet is the misconception that it’s a free for all green-light to eat butter, red meat, oils, and consume a large amount of ‘keto approved foods’.
What people need to know about the ketogenic diet is, like any diet, the focus on eating fresh and high quality whole foods is integral to achieving a healthy lifestyle while on a diet, especially one as restrictive as the Keto diet. Just because steak, bacon, and butter are components of a ketogenic diet, that doesn’t give dieters the go-signal to consider a plate of steak with butter a complete and healthy meal.
While on the ketogenic diet, high fat foods such as avocados, nuts and plant oils, as well as keto-approved vegetables should still be the majority on a healthy plate. Eating too much animals and animal by-products (regardless that they are keto approved) has the potential to cause health problems for the people following it such as susceptibility to an overly acidic body and high cholesterol.
Going Gluten-Free
Being gluten-intolerant and having celiac disease has paved the way for a gluten-free lifestyle. This has certainly been life chancing for many who truly suffer when they eat gluten. Unfortunately, gluten has become overly antagonized and there’s a misconception that just because it is gluten-free, it is automatically healthy.
Gluten, simply put, is actually a protein that you find in wheat. It inherently isn’t a bad ingredient and as long as you have no trouble digesting this protein, there is no reason why you should avoid it. Like many other common allergens such as peanuts, fish, and eggs, going gluten-free isn’t so much a healthy diet but more of a dietary restriction.
Gluten-free foods however have grown and paired with their popularity is the notion that gluten-free equals healthy. This isn’t always the case however. If you’re certain you don’t have celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, or any form of gluten intolerance, know that you don’t have to buy into gluten-free foods to make healthy choices. In fact, gluten-free foods can still contain a lot of sugar and artificial ingredients that aren’t good for your health.
When looking at gluten-free foods, turn over to the back of the label and read the ingredients list. Gluten-free doesn’t mean healthy, gluten-free simply means gluten free.
The Magic Pill
No matter what you read on the label or whatever research you’ve read about the latest superfood, know that there is not a single ingredient, nutrient, or pill that will solve all your health woes.
Health, in this case, our physical health, isn’t and can’t be dictated by a single ingredient, or a single nutrient. Our body comprises hundreds of complex and interconnected systems and with that, needs a variety of nutrients to keep it running smoothly and healthily.
When navigating through foods, supplements, or ingredients, be wary of any of the packaging’s ‘cure all’ claims and don’t depend on it to automatically put you at peak physical health.
For example, you may come across a weightloss supplement that claims to help you lose weight. This however doesn’t mean that while taking this weightloss pill, you can enjoy sugary foods and stop exercising and still expect to lose weight.
Food works synergistically and nutrients need each other to be absorbed and your body needs various nutrients to function properly. Just because you take a single health pill, that doesn’t negate any bad habits. Good health isn’t instant, it is a lifestyle.
Good health involves having a wide and varied diet in order to get a wide and varied amount of nutrients to help keep your body healthy and carry out its many different functions. Keep your healthy lifestyle on track with easy and convenient capsules to supplement a healthy lifestyle.
