3538: Foods You Don't Have to Eliminate From Your Diet To Be Healthy by Lea Genders on Healthy Eating Habits

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[00:01:00] By Leah Genders of LeahGendersFitness.com. And I'm your host and narrator, Dr. Neal Malik. Hey there, happy Wednesday and welcome back to Optimal Health Daily where I read to you from popular health and fitness blogs to help you optimize your health. And because it's Wednesday and like I do every Wednesday, I'd like to provide a little bit of inspiration for you. So here we go. Quote, I promise you, nothing is as chaotic as it seems. Nothing is worth diminishing your health.

[00:01:29] Nothing is worth poisoning yourself into stress, anxiety, and fear. Steve Maraboli. Let's get right to it and start optimizing your life. Foods you don't have to eliminate from your diet to be healthy. By Leah Genders of LeahGendersFitness.com. If you search the internet for a list of foods that you shouldn't eat if you want to lose weight and be healthy, it should be easy to locate.

[00:01:58] Never eat this. Avoid that. Sugar is the enemy. Fat is bad. Carbs are evil. Meat causes cancer. Oh no, GMOs. If you attempt to follow all this advice, I'm not sure there'll be anything left for you to consume. Some experts say grains are bad for you. Others say meat will kill you. Carbohydrates will make you fat. Fat will make you fatter. Sugar is evil. Too much protein is dangerous. Dairy is scary.

[00:02:27] Eggs will give you a heart attack. Yikes. What's left? The truth is, it's all true. And it's not. It all comes down to what works for you and your body. What's healthy for one person may not be for another. Because of these confusing messages, people start avoiding certain healthy foods in the hopes that it will be the magic bullet that induces weight loss. People who one day were eating a standard American diet, filled with processed and convenience foods, are suddenly afraid to eat bananas or eggs.

[00:02:57] One reason that many people have such a hard time adopting healthier options for a lifetime is that they jump from one extreme to another. They have zero restrictions on their diet and suddenly, they switch to very restrictive eating habits. If a particular food makes you feel uncomfortable, causes distress, bloating, or general unwellness, by all means, avoid it. We all have different tolerances, allergies, or sensitivities to foods.

[00:03:25] Even seemingly healthy foods can be unhealthy if you are allergic or intolerant. Of course, if your goal is to be healthy or lose fat, there are certain foods that can be reduced or eliminated to help you reach your goals. Still, sometimes people are overly restrictive to their detriment. In an attempt to lose weight, they needlessly cut out healthy foods. You can choose to avoid any food you wish for any reason, but you don't need to avoid certain foods to lose weight,

[00:03:53] get fit, and see results in the absence of an intolerance. Carbohydrates Carbohydrates are our body's preferred energy source, yet the optimal amount of carbohydrates that each person needs varies greatly. If you choose whole food carbohydrates from nature in proper portions, they can increase your health and performance to help you reach your goals. If you don't want to avoid carbs, you don't need to. Just work to make high-quality choices. Fruit

[00:04:22] Many people avoid fruit, such as bananas and grapes, because of their high sugar content. Natural sugars can be included as part of a healthy weight-loss diet because fruit delivers a high nutrient value along with the sugar, unlike nutrient-deficient sugars in sodas, donuts, and candy. It's probably a good strategy to minimize processed sugars to help you reach your goals, but if you like to eat fruit, there's no reason it can't be enjoyed in proper portions while you see results.

[00:04:50] I try to limit added sugars to 25 grams per day and put no limits on natural sugars. Gluten Unless you are allergic or intolerant to gluten, there is no reason to remove it from your diet. Gluten-free foods may be less healthy than their gluten counterparts because of lower fiber content. Gluten-free bread or cupcakes won't induce weight loss on their own and aren't inherently healthier. Fats

[00:05:16] Fats have twice as many calories per gram than carbohydrates and proteins and can be easier to overeat, so they have a bad reputation. A serving of fat is approximately the size of your thumb. Think about that the next time you slice an avocado or pour snacking nuts in your hand. We need a certain amount of fats to stay healthy, so there's no reason to avoid whole food sources of fat such as avocados, nuts, and dairy products. Anything else? The bottom line is you don't need to eliminate any food entirely

[00:05:46] to lose weight and be healthy. Should you minimize ultra-processed, high-sugar, and fried foods for optimal health? Absolutely. Absolutely. Should you mind your calorie intake when on a weight loss journey? Of course. Still, even in a healthy lifestyle, there is room for occasional indulgences. It's often when we heavily restrict our favorite foods that we end up overeating in response. I recommend a more moderate approach. Aim to eat mostly whole foods from nature that you genuinely enjoy

[00:06:16] because those types of foods will support your health and weight loss goals, but allow some wiggle room for treats. You're never going to be perfect, but if we make healthy food choices most of the time, we can still partake in life's food pleasures. Don't force yourself to eat healthy foods you don't enjoy or give up every form of food pleasure in the name of weight loss. The best balance happens when you enjoy the healthy foods you choose to eat most of the time, and junk food becomes a bit less desirable.

[00:06:45] If you savor and appreciate them, enjoy them on special occasions, and bond with family and friends over them, indulgences can be a part of a healthy lifestyle. You lose weight when you're in a calorie deficit, when you consume fewer calories than you burn. There aren't any magic foods that, by themselves, cause you to lose weight, and no evil foods that cause you to gain weight on their own. Only when you overconsume calories overall do you gain weight.

[00:07:12] High-quality, whole-food, nutrient-dense foods are the best choices for optimal health. But if you want to lose weight, for most healthy adults, as long as your calorie intake is less than your output, you'll lose weight. You're more likely to stick to a healthy diet long-term when it allows some room for treats. Perfection not required. Learn to tune into your body's feedback to determine which foods make you look, feel, and perform your best.

[00:07:45] You just listened to the post titled, Foods You Don't Have to Eliminate from Your Diet to Be Healthy, by Leah Genders of leahgendersfitness.com. And I'll be right back with my commentary. Now, it's just me and a small team behind this show, so I get how much the right hire matters. When you need the right person, this is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. Stop struggling to get your job post even seen on other sites. Sponsored Jobs posted directly on Indeed

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[00:08:41] Just go to indeed.com slash podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. Queen Carvania stood haloed by the morning sun. An army hung on her every word.

[00:09:06] My champions, I have sold my chariot on Carvana. It was a lovely SUV, an inexplicably queenly offer. They're even coming to the castle to collect it. Tonight we feast. An offer you can feast on. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pick up these mail. Bye. Dr. Neal Malik here for my commentary. In a recent commentary, I talked about my experiences as a health educator

[00:09:35] conducting weight management classes. I talked about how some patients, when they would exceed their daily calorie goals, felt like they had failed and wouldn't ever come back to the class. But this isn't true at all. They didn't fail. In fact, today's author Leah said it perfectly, so I'll just quote them. Even in a healthy lifestyle, there is room for occasional indulgences. We're never going to be perfect. But if we make healthy choices most of the time,

[00:10:02] we can still partake in life's food pleasures. That was basically the message I would tell my patients. If you exceed your calorie goals over the weekend, let's say, it's okay. It happens. And it's probably not going to make a difference when it comes to your weight loss goals, unless you let it. So instead, let's think about what happened, learn from it, and move on. Was there something that may have led to those extra calories being consumed? Was it a celebration? Was it a holiday?

[00:10:33] Was it just because it was the weekend and you wanted to let loose? Whatever the reason, identify it, learn from it, and then see if we can better prepare the next time this happens and move on. All right, that'll do it for another edition of Optimal Health Daily. Thank you so much for listening, and I'll see you back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits. Optimal Health Daily