Nutrient-dense foods for successful weight loss

With the most popular low-calorie weight-loss diets, the body begins to experience a lack of energy (calories) and a significant lack of essential nutrients.

by Dorota Owczarski — 

When following a balanced diet, we are constantly faced with two dilemmas. The first concerns limiting the amount of food consumed in order to achieve consistency between our intake of calories and energy consumption. The second is a significant expansion of the range of food consumed to eliminate the existing deficit of mineral micronutrients. These issues are extremely important during weight-loss diets and are highly complex problems, but they are solvable.

With the most popular low-calorie weight-loss diets, the body begins to experience a lack of energy (calories) and a significant lack of essential nutrients. The body is able to overcome starvation by using the energy it stores as fat. For thousands of years, animals and humans have developed mechanisms of energy storage in the form of fat and, if necessary, its consumption for energy needs of the body. These mechanisms work effectively.

At the same time, our bodies lose the ability to accumulate a lot of important nutrients, without which we cannot live. When following a low-calorie diet for weight loss, nutrient requirements are not reduced — the body needs them even in higher amounts. We get into a vicious cycle of struggle with our weight, which is not easy to overcome. A proper diet should contain a minimum of energy components of food (carbohydrates and fats) and a maximum amount of nutrients required for normal body functioning.

This is the formula for the ideal diet — less calories and more essential nutrients. Nutrients should come from the food we consume daily, because we cannot accumulate most of them. This ideal diet will help us get out of the vicious cycle of weight loss, achieve our desired weight and maintain it as long as we want.

Note: Always consult your physician or health care provider before using any herbs, supplements or changing your diet and lifestyle.

Source: Fuhrman, Joel. Eat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss. Little, Brown, 2012.

Dorota Owczarski graduated from the Global College of Natural Medicine, has a holistic health practitioner degree, is a master herbalist and nutritional consultant, and an I-ACT National Board certified colon hydrotherapist. She blends and prepares fresh, organic herbs, homemade skin care and tinctures. dorotabotanicals.com.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 33, Number 1, February/March 2014.