Don’t you love it when “research” agrees with what you’ve been saying all along? Of course. If you read any of my work, you know that I’ve been saying 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 would not put sugar or water in the gas tank of your car. Yet too many people put the equivalent of that into their bodies and hope to be healthy or lose weight.
New research conducted to study the effectiveness of low-carb, low-fat diets was found to depend on the quality of the food consumed. While I definitely lean towards a low-carb eating style, this study compared the low-carb and high-carb diets of 37,000 adults ages 20 and older. When comparing them in terms of longevity, they found no big difference, until they compared carbohydrate quality. Quality is what made a big difference in mortality rates.
People who followed low-carb or low-fat diets but ate low-quality foods actually had higher rates of early 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 macronutrients.
Therefore, any eating plan or diet you choose to implement must have the quality and source of macronutrients clearly defined. I’ve said it before: you can go vegan thinking it’s healthier, but if you eat all the genetically modified products 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 won’t be 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 the reason why many obese people are actually malnourished! They fill their bellies but are depriving themselves of essential nutrients on a cellular level.
It all goes back to what I preach all the time: choose the highest quality single ingredient whole foods that are in accordance with your specific makeup and you can’t help but experience greater health and wellness.
Does it surprise you to learn that food quality is the most important piece of the weight loss puzzle?