There’s a saying that “the benefits of exercise are unbelievable…but if you have to exercise to keep your weight down, your diet is wrong”. This pretty much sums up the importance of our diets in achieving our ideal body weight. The outdated dietary paradigm states “calories in, calories out” and if you’re not losing weight then you’re just not cutting calories enough. As a result of this misconception the word “DIET” is loaded with stressful connotations as we’ve all experienced that reducing our food quantity to the point at which we start to lose weight for most of us cannot be maintained for more than a few days, or weeks at the most. Diets based on willpower alone will always fail!
Not all calories are the same as our body utilizes calories from varying forms of carbohydrates and fats differently. This is especially true for modern processed refined foods that overwhelm our “food reward brain response” by stimulating various hormonal triggers, especially high insulin. Insulin works as the fat storage hormone, converting excess calories to fat for later use. As long as your body remains permanently in storage mode then food cravings will increase and any form of healthy dietary choices becomes very difficult to achieve.
The very best foods are those that agree with our bodies. These foods satisfy your appetite and allow you to lose weight, even without exercise. They achieve this because such foods are delicious, do not cause high insulin / low blood sugar (snacking between meals) and most importantly are high in fiber, phytonutrients and are unprocessed, fulfilling our real nutritional and antioxidant requirements. A lifestyle based on these food ingredients is no longer a diet, but a healthy and satisfying way of living.
Coconut Oil, Coconut Butter, Coconut Flour and Coconut Sugar are all low glycemic and the calories are only released slowly, avoiding the fast fat storage conversion of refined vegetable oils, flours and white sugar. The medium chain triglycerides (MCT’s) in Coconut Oil have been shown to promote weight loss by having a metabolic enhancing effect, noticeable as a sensation of warmth after eating. This increase in the resting metabolism after consuming coconut products is combined with the additional effect of medium chain fatty acids being principally absorbed and stored in the liver for energy use and not stored as fat in the body as are regular polyunsaturated supermarket oils. Coconut products should form a basis for a lifestyle that supports healthy metabolism and weight loss.
Part 2 – Please click here to read more about the list of the best foods to eat and those to avoid.