If facebook required we establish a relationship status for food, most of us would probably opt for “it’s complicated”. But ohmygoodness are we ever over-complicating it by trying to define it via existing “dieting” paradigms. Gahhhhhh! #makesmecrazy
This is a soap box post. I own that. It’s not my typical style but I gotta put this out there. We’ve got some major misconceptions about a whole foods based diet and I want to clear them up.
It is not low carb unless you go out of your way to make it so.
It is not ketogenic unless you go far out of your way to make it so.
It is not low calorie unless you go out of your way to make it so.
It is not high protein unless you go out of your way to make it so.
It is exactly how we were intended to eat. What our bodies were built for. Whole foods. If it is “high” anything it is high veggie. Otherwise, it is moderate fat, moderate protein and moderate carbohydrate. A whole foods diet is not license to eat unlimited quantities of butter and bacon. #sorrynotsorry
Let’s stop using words like “high” and “low” and focus on what actually matters: Quality.
It is quality fat. It is quality protein. It is quality carbohydrate.
It is quality food. Anything beyond that is a CHOICE you have made based on what you buy at the store and what you put in your mouth.
Here’s the thing: food is fuel. Your body uses it just like your car uses gasoline to ensure that you can perform and function. However, food is also the raw material your body uses to heal, repair and continue to function. The phrase “you are what you eat” is cute but also true. These foods become the building blocks of your cells. If you eat fake, plastic, trans-fats, those fats are the raw materials used to create new cells. You are now fake, cheap and plastic. Awesome. #notabarbiegirl
This isn’t about counting calories or cutting carbs – it is about giving your body the best fuel possible. That is neither low carb, high carb, low protein, high protein, low fat or high fat. It is high quality. Beyond that, it is whatever you make it!
People automatically assume that when you cut out breads, pastas, crackers and all other processed foods that you’ve gone “low carb”. That is only true relative to the fact that the Standard American Diet is extremely high carb! The Standard American Diet should not be a relative measure for ANYTHING. That’s like assessing your body weight relative to the heaviest man on earth or your fitness level relative to the strongest man on earth. You have zero sense of perspective if your measuring stick is completely inaccurate. That’s what happens when we evaluate anything relative to the Standard American Diet.
Can you be very low carb while eating whole foods? Of course you can. Just like you can be very high fat, very low fat, very high protein, very low protein, very high calorie or very low calorie. I don’t advocate any of that. Can we settle for balanced and high quality? That’s the paradigm I’d LOVE to see people move towards.
…Drops mic…
All of this!! I have to remind myself constantly that this isn’t a diet. I am losing weight (ahem…fat) and that’s amazing but for me it’s about being healthy and being a healthy role model for my kids. So whenever I start obsessing about carbs or too much fruit I remind myself of two things: That this is a new lifestyle and I’m never going back, it’s not a diet. In 20 years I will be eating the same way and I won’t be looking up carb counts. Secondly, too much fruit or stealing some fries from my 3 year old is no big deal compared to my old habit of Chick fil-a breakfast EVERY MORNING, soda all day and a true love for Big Macs. Thanks Emily!! You make so much sense!
Omg! I’m watching a kid show with an Emily. I totally know your name Elizabeth! Sorry !
I LOVE THIS!!!!!!!! You totally, totally get it and that is fantastic!
Hi Elizabeth,
I had to reply to this – you start with ‘it’s not low carb’, but then say it is only low carb related to the standard american diet. But most of us are eating the standard american diet. – for most of us, that’s what’s brought us to having problems with food and our bodies. That is the standard we are working with and what we are needing to change.
I’ve already written you about my experience, but I have been eating only high quality whole foods for many years, and I gained weight on cooked-from-scratch and even gluten-free (once I found great cookbooks that mimicked ‘standard American foods’). Most importantly for me, even when I lost weight by carefully monitoring the amount of food I ate and when I cut back on desserts, I found I was thinking about food and feeling like food was too much my enemy – even when I was eating well – organic, local, home processed, pasture-raised, etc.
As soon as I went very low carb about six months ago, I lost the cravings very quickly – after a lifetime (58 years) of being really tempted by sugar. When I’m eating low carb (relative to the Standard American Diet) I don’t think about food much at all and I can do intermittent fasting without feeling deprived. My energy level is great too.
Sugar is still a trigger for me – I told you how I ate almost three pints of gelato last week in one sitting (first time I’ve had something like that in six months)! I’ve been feeling the cravings ever since as I work back to being satisfied with smaller portions and fewer carbs. So I know what I have to avoid.
For me personally, the low carb way of eating is something I can do the rest of my life – no grains or sweeteners other than a bit of fruit now and then, and very few starchy veggies. It is the only thing so far that has me feeling good and feeling like I am friends with food – not adversarial! It sounds to me like you eat that way too, so I feel a bit confused about the posts that seem to dismiss ‘low carb’ . . . it feels like that may be making it harder for the people who come to you looking for something that works, usually after trying the usual ‘calories in/calories out’ approach.
At any rate, I always enjoy your podcasts and posts, so keep up the good work. 😉
Best wishes,
Nancy
Hi Nancy – thank you for your thoughtful comment. I think you also shared it via facebook (or maybe that wasn’t you). I think you’ve missed my point. I eat a diet that is 99% vegetables, protein and fat. Relative to the SAD that is very low carb. That is also the way I eat. It is how I burned fat and how I choose to stay healthy. My point wasn’t “anti low carb” My point was that it is RELATIVE and we should focus on quality and hormone balancing. To your point about gaining weight eating whole foods – I understand – I did that when I ate lots of fruit, potatoes, etc. So eating whole foods can go wrong. But when you eat for hormone balance + whole foods – you get what you need. Please, please, please do not misunderstand this post as a knock on the way I personally eat. That’s not what it is. It’s encouraging people to not make judgements about diet relative to the SAD. It’s not a post about what to eat. It’s a post about defining how you eat.
Macros still matter if you care about body composition. And people who do care about body composition are usually, by default, eating higher quality food than those who don’t care what their body fat percentage is or who cannot be bothered to do simple math. So I’ll still log the high protein I get from my grass fed beef and lean free range chicken breast, the moderate carbs I get from organic fruit and vegetables and organic quinoa, and Jasmine rice, and the low fat from organic avocados and virgin olive oil coconut oil.
Love that you know & do what works for you, Mary. 🙂
I eat moderate fat (45-50 grams daily), lower carbs (55-60 grams day) and moderate protein (110 grams day). I make sure that my fats come from olive oil and nuts (very little butter; about 1 tsp. day). I do eat fruit – I just make sure it’s once a day and usually berries or a small tangerine. I stay away from grains (they cause me not to lose weight and feel awful). I do eat potatoes – but only 1/3 cup when I do eat them. I eat lots of veggies. As for my protein I choose to eat leaner cuts. I keep it grass fed. I don’t like the way I feel when I am in keto so I keep my carbs around 55-60. I stay away from all sugar (and even stuff like stevia).
Eating very high fat doesn’t make sense to me. I know people who stuff themselves with sausages, bacon, salami and other processed high fat meats. If you keep your quality of fats good, I truly believe you can benefit in the long run. Things like “Fat Head” pizza and bacon bowls are just over kill. If you want pizza, eat a slice once in awhile, just don’t stuff yourself with several slices. Moderation is a good thing.
Eating high fat doesn’t have to make sense to you. A high fat diet can be a healthy one, as can lower fat. A high protein diet can be a healthy one, as can a lower one. A high fat diet can also be unhealthy. It’s about quality. Ultimately though – I think we all do best to keep our eyes on our own work and focus on what is working for us, what makes us feel best, and let the “theory” and judgement go. 🙂 What others do just isn’t our business.