Low Carb, Low Fat - Who Cares?

When walking through the grocery store the other day I came across an entire section devoted to low carb products. I had to chuckle to myself as I thought about all the other diet fads I had seen over the years. Personally, I had to admit this one really does top the list. Being a person that thrives on pasta and potatoes I knew I would last about five minutes on such a restricted program as this one mandates. I thought to myself, "I wonder what the next fad will be in five years?" What else can we give up in our daily diet that will promise to make us slim and fit and healthy in a matter of 6-8 weeks? Unless you are morbidly obese then it might take you longer to achieve your usually over unrealistic diet goal. Besides, whatever happened to a basic healthy balanced diet?

Imagine if our ancestors could see what was going on with our loose-minded health choices? Indeed, they would find this all very amusing. In particular, those living on fried potatoes and onions cooked in pure lard and eggs fried in bacon fat every morning for breakfast would be admonished. Maybe the fact that a strong cup of coffee and a hard day's work could even out the chances of their bodies becoming inflicted with major health problems like we have today? Look, I realize that people died of diseases and heart conditions years ago as things went undiscovered and unnoticed. Nevertheless, many of them lived long wonderful lives while never having to taste the bland cardboard textured rice cakes or low fat graham crackers. Hmmm...if only we could all be so lucky in life, right?

As we would come to find out many years of hard work, fresh vegetables, and smaller amounts of meat led to a much healthier lifestyle. Incidentally, my mother mentioned that when she was growing up they cooked one chicken for a family of six. If you were the unlucky person to get the back piece then you ate more veggies and potatoes. Fresh fruits were very rare in those days but they did enjoy canned fruit on an occasional basis. So considering the longevity of our elderly now the much-needed demand for more nursing homes and elderly care facilities proves that they were doing something right, correct? Maybe the ultimate magic formula is in a balanced diet and small portions and not so much in depriving our bodies of much needed vitamins and minerals? After all, starving ourselves to get a quick fix only results in a rapid weight gain shortly after the fix is completed.

As for the fat free product considerations our bodies use fat to absorb certain vitamins. These are known as "fat soluble vitamins" and are associated with only the absorption within the consumption of fats. Consequently, we are depriving our bodies of much-needed vitamins because we are using less and less fat in our diet. The low fat products are actually eliminating the good fats that we need in order to lower the calorie content so many of us are looking for instinctively.

I admit to getting frustrated when trying to read these seemingly bothersome labels. The indistinguishable writing is so small that only a person with excellent microscopic vision can even reasonably attempt to see what actually is in their products. Admittedly, I am at an indelible age where I am in rapid need of bifocals. Naturally, I find this all just a little too convenient for the warning labels not to register for our weary eyes. The wording on the kid's cereal is so large a blind person could read it but if it is low carb or low fat don't even waste your time trying to decipher it. It seems to me that someone out there doesn't really want us to know that if you get low fat it is high in sugar and if you get low sugar it is high in fat. The flavor, however, has to be replaced by something good. Subsequently, a lot of the diet food needs more of both elements to even coming close as being considered eatable.

In essence, I have visited many elderly folks over the years in hospitals and nursing homes. The one MAIN complaint that is most reflective is about the food. Remarkably, the elderly had lived all their lives and never once touched a low fat product and now in their eighties and nineties they are forced to endure low fat, low salt, bland, non-creative meals that no one in their right minds would enjoy on a good day. If I am fortunate enough to live to be that age and be unknowingly reckless in my food choices I might consider doing what these elders did in retrospect. Hey, bring on the bacon and fried potatoes...I will certainly take my chances in this case! Thank you very much!

In my estimation, the diet industry is spiraling out of control. In the seventies all the commercials were about whom had the biggest burger in their marketing campaigns. Remember the proclamation" "all beef patty, special sauce, lettuce, pickle, mustard, ketchup, onions, mayonnaise on a sesame bun? I may have left out a couple of toppings but as they so readily reminded us that we could "have it our way". How about that catchy ad concerning the old lady (the late Clara Peller) asking about "Where's the Beef?" The clever "Where's the Beef?" slogan was shown in every home on every television set making us want bigger, juicier burgers with all the seductive toppings. The entire food industry at that time relied on the American people to endorse the idea of juicy meaning better. That is because FAT is better. Where do you think the distinctive flavor comes from? They conveniently left out the fact that a Cheese Whopper is 780 calories. The wonderful McDonald's Big Mac contains only a mere 590 calories. Now they are scrambling to provide healthy low fat chicken salads to the overweight population caused by their overzealous commercials promoting guilty pleasure that aired in the aforementioned 70's.

It would be ideal if American families would consider eating at home while enjoying more home cooked meals. Why you ask? Well, our children certainly wouldn't be escalating into such an enormous obese society (courtesy of the fast food chains that insist of infiltrating our mindset into eating frivolously and foolishly). One realizes that it is easier to stop by Burger King or McDonald's than to go home and cook a healthy meal...this convenience is quite understood to a certain point. Still, I was a working mother for years but found time to cook for my family regardless of the easy solution that is the fast food restaurant. Even today they (my children) still enjoy home cooked meals as opposed to going out. We wouldn't need low fat chicken salads if the parents would cook normal balanced meals at home. They say that our children are suffering with the conditional disease of obesity. Here's something that is food for thought: if the children had another disease would the parents continue to feed the problem or would they change their lifestyles to make that child well?

In remembering years ago the Atkins diet came out of nowhere and suddenly the high protein drinks were the new fad to follow. The so-called "great results" were exploding on the airwaves in convincing fashion. Unfortunately, a few deaths occurred due to the high protein drinks. Understandably, those kind of diets faded fast and were replaced by low fat diets proclaiming to be the opposite of the high protein ones that preceded them. Personally, I will pattern my eating habits by the examples of the elderly population as previously mentioned. If someone can incredibly live to be in their high eighties and nineties then that is the diet I want to follow-that is for sure! What better testimony to healthy living than to be of that amazing advanced age and still able to function at such a wonderful and consistent capacity!

In closing, I do feel there are many people out there that need special diets due to specific health-related conditions. For instance, diabetics definitely need no sugar diets. Additionally, cardiac and renal patients (or whatever medical condition that applies) are required to stick to regimented diet programs. Nevertheless, I am not speaking of those people in particular. My reported focus is concerning the normal healthy human being that for some unbelievable reason thinks that wearing a size zero ("0") is universally designed for everyone. The world is made up of different sized people and there is nothing wrong with that revelation. In short, this is what makes us so unique as living beings.

Furthermore, I want to make clear that some of the diet products out there are surprisingly not in bad taste. As an example, the no sugar items offered now for the diabetic population is a miracle to say the least. For the first time in their lives diabetics can freely enjoy so many of the fantastic foods they have been deprived for so many agonizing years. Please let us not forget the low sodium for the other diseases as mentioned beforehand. In those rare cases we should be truly grateful for the food industry in that respect anyway.

I truly believe that a healthy balanced diet in normal proportions is the key ingredient to being successful in anyone's dietary agenda. It is obvious that being balanced in any field is the road to success. If our lives are balanced in other areas then it should be easier to continue that train of thought in our eating habits, too. Stress is closely and directly related to food consumption. Indeed, stress is one of the major obstacles we face in our every day lives. So the less stress means less food that will be instrumental in reduced health problems.

I can see it now what the next big fad diet will surface as...a low stress diet program! It's simple mantra: lose weight and be happy with ourselves. I think that is one diet I just might embrace with open arms...how about the rest of you?