Food has only three sources of calories: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Commonplace diets routinely focus on cutting the intake of carbs, which are often portrayed as empty calories as the root of weight gain. “Starchy” is the ultimate insult that can be thrown at a food.
Low-carb diets have been around in at least some form since 1864. The trouble is they did not work then and they don’t work now. Focusing on one component of a food is a divide and conquer strategy for food manufacturers. This tactic enables the sale of numerous products, each one emphasizing a single component of complex nutritional needs.
Plants contain calories from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Why this mix of energy sources? The plant needed these nutrients for its own survival. The plant also required – and so contains – vitamins, minerals, and beneficial phytochemicals. Whole plant foods are a symphony of thousands of nutrients. Your body is designed to thrive on the natural nutrient mix in whole, unprocessed plant foods. To dissect these foods into component carbs, fats, proteins, minerals, and so on, then to eat a specific food to fulfill each particular nutrient requirement, is counterproductive.
In fact, your body will turn unneeded protein into carbohydrates through an internal process called gluconeogenesis. Your liver and kidneys are key to this process. So much of the protein powder you’ve added to your smoothie ends up being transformed into carbs anyway, while adding little to your overall nutritional needs. Weight loss would be easier if you just ate a satisfying bowl of oatmeal and fruit instead. Or enjoy the fruit smoothie, but without the empty calories from unneeded protein powder.
Your body has sensors to monitor intake of both calories and nutrients. Your appetite will naturally turn off when you have enough of both. It’s a mistake to choose only fruits and vegetables, as you won’t get enough satiating calories. When you consume a diet based on a wide range of whole plant foods, you will automatically get the mix you need. It’s best to eat a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, potatoes, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices. Eat when you are moderately hungry and stop when you are full. Don’t worry about the time of day. If you eat non-meals when you are hungry, instead of waiting for the clock to strike noon, you will feel less deprived.
Pay attention to what you put on your food and how it is prepared. For example, margarine can turn a healthy baked potato into a dietary train wreck. Use salsa, or just herbs and spices, instead. Processed oils of any kind can add hundreds of empty calories to a bean and veggie salad.
You may be tempted to reach for processed food treats, even on a 100% plant-based diet. The choices are everywhere, tasty, and alluringly packaged. Have fun with this vegan junk food every once in a while, but limit the total to about 5% of your calories each week (this would be a weekly allowance of 700 junk food calories if you burn about 2000 calories a day).
One myth about vegan diets is that a 100% plant-based diet is too high in carbs and, so, not effective for weight loss. A recent survey of 2,068 vegans demolishes this myth. Forty-two-percent of respondents lost weight after adopting a vegan diet, while 36 percent started at a good weight and remained there. Only five-percent added pounds after going animal-free.
If you are already animal-free and want to lose some weight, substitute whole plant foods for processed choices, such as protein powders, food bars, white rice, white bread, candy, and chips. Avoid drinks with calories: water, sparkling water, and tea are your best beverage choices. Be clear about your motivation. Getting model thin to conform to a cultural ideal of attractiveness does not make sense. Eating healthier to have more vigor, improve athletic performance, get off meds, or prevent chronic illness is a wonderful goal.
If you are not vegan and looking to shed pounds, don’t avoid plant-based choices because of the hype about carbs. Specific food components don’t matter in isolation. What really counts is the overall pattern of what you eat. Have fun with new whole food choices, and you can coast to your perfect weight without hunger or deprivation.
