Originally published December 18 2005
Aging expert recommends good nutrition over diet pills and gimmicky plans
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Arizona State professor William Arnold, an expert on aging, writes about how to live on a balanced diet and bypass the diet craze.
I would like to focus on three issues related to consumption: food, diets and supplements, which is the fifth "C" to becoming a centenarian.
Earlier this year I reported on the revised food pyramid as the basis for what you should be eating.
Breads and pasta are now classified as grains.
The pyramid also provides an analysis for the other five categories: vegetables, fruits, milk, meats and beans, and oils.
Finally, the pyramid, which looks like a set of steps, calls the top step physical activity, which I will cover in detail next week.
Regulating the amount you eat and the time that you eat are the two critical components of consumption.
Your metabolism controls what happens when we eat.
If you skip meals or only eat one a day, your body responds by trying to store fat because it anticipates an energy shortage.
An interesting phenomenon that reflects our culture is our attitude toward portion size.
Americans feel cheated that small portions, which might provide adequate nutrition, don't give us our money's worth.
All of these food facts lead to another American pastime - dieting.
Instead of discussing Atkins, South Beach or the Weight Watchers diet plans, let's consider just the concept of a diet.
Six small balanced meals throughout the day is the recommended diet.
Certainly this approach is not as glamorous as saying I am on the "Such and Such" diet, and I have lost 10 pounds.
The result of the surgery is to make the stomach smaller so you have to eat smaller amounts more frequently.
You should begin your new "diet" with a physical examination, including a blood work up to find out how your body is handling your food intake.
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