The Complete Plate. Lauren Klukas
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of confusion. Cholesterol, which has functional roles in our body, is both produced in our body and obtained from food. Some bodies have a hard time regulating cholesterol, and excess LDL cholesterol in our blood can cause plaque to build up in our arteries, which can then lead to cardio-vascular disease. It used to be common practice to restrict cholesterol-containing foods; however, there is not enough evidence to recommend low-cholesterol diets. Rather, once again, we need to focus on a healthy eating pattern that is rich in nutrient-dense foods and keeps treat foods as treats.
cholesterol
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Weight Loss
conditions, age, and gender— which are often out of our control.
There are also day-to-day barriers that prevent us from losing weight. Once we are aware of these obstacles, which can be easily managed, weight control becomes easier. Some tips to consider when navi-gating these barriers are:
Make Healthy Eating a Priority
The busyness of life is the main reason so many of us cannot sustain long-term healthy eating habits. Time is one of our most valuable commodities, and the reality is, adopting a healthy lifestyle takes effort and time. But if establishing healthy eating habits becomes a priority, then tasks like cooking a healthy meal will become a joy rather than an inconvenience.
Find Sustainability in a Diet
Countless scientifically unsupported and anecdotally based weight-loss concepts tell us what (and what not) to eat, and we as consumers are overwhelmed by the options. As there is no governing body to review content and monitor the distribution of weight-loss information, anyone can present a sexy, new weight-loss method without scientific support or testing. Consequently, essential foods and nutrients, like fat, are irresponsibly
Weight loss 101: caloric deficit leads to weight loss, calorie surplus leads to weight gain. A caloric deficit of 3500 kcal equals 1 pound lost. A loss of 1–2 pounds per week is argued to be the most sustainable rate of weight loss to keep it off long-term. To attain this, you want to aim for a caloric deficit of approximately 500 kcal per day: 250 caloric deficit from food, 250 caloric deficit from exercise. The 3500-calorie rule works as a good rule of thumb.
While the core concept of weight loss appears simple, and these numbers work well for the first stages of weight loss, the 3500-calorie rule eventually falls short because it is not capable of accounting for the drop in metabolic rate as body mass decreases. In other words, the amount of energy that your body expends while at rest decreases as you lose weight. Metabolic rate is an extremely important variable for weight loss because it accounts for 60–75 percent of daily calorie expenditure.
With this being said, while metabolic slowdown is a factor for plateauing early in the weight-loss journey, it is more often related to individuals not consistently adhering to a reduced-calorie meal plan.15
Additionally, several confounding factors impact weight loss—including genetics, environment, medical
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eliminated from a diet without any repercussions or accountability. As we have said before, nutrients do not work alone; they work in an ecosystem with other nutrients. Fad diets are unsustain-able, and the weight will return eventually. Sustainability is the key to success.
Establish a Healthy Relationship with Food
All the uncontrolled diet fads on the market have damaged our relationship with food. Words like clean eating, detox, and cleanse give the illusion that certain foods should be put on a pedestal, while other foods will cause long-term irrepar-able damage. All the misinformation and fear mongering surrounding what is considered “healthy” is becoming more than just a marketing tactic to make more money; there are now serious consequences with the lack of account-ability to erroneous nutritional claims.
This new trend of fear over facts has led to the concern of a potentially new form of disordered eating called Orthorexia Nervosa. It is an unhealthy obsession of being so fixated on righteous eating that people become paralyzed by fear, afraid to eat anything because it may cause cancer, or it may contain “bad fat,” or it isn’t a complete protein and so on. They become so focused on a perfect orthorexics’ diet that they develop malnourishment. While it is not considered an official diagnosis, it does highlight a growing concern about the fear-based nutrition environment we are living in.
The psychological connection we have with our food, if not addressed, could be more dangerous than a rogue sugar or fat molecule. Building healthy relationships with food means taking away the food labels of good and bad, it means taking away the feeling of guilt or shame with having a treat, it means tossing out the concept of “cheating,” and it means finding joy in food and eating patterns. The Complete Plate celebrates delicious and healthy food in moderation. We give people permission to enjoy food.
Create Realistic Goals and Expectations
Sustainable, healthy eating habits and weight loss require realistic goals. If you expect to look a certain way after eating one salad, you will be disappointed. Behavioral changes cannot be done overnight. Sustainability means making changes slowly to break long-term habits. Eventually, these slow and steady changes will result in healthier new habits. The goal of any lifestyle change should be to improve your overall health and wellness.
Embrace Variety
Resenting the process is the main reason people give up at making lifestyle changes. If you feel healthy eating means just consuming chicken, quinoa, and veggies the rest of your life, it will get old quickly. As you make changes to your eating habits, consider adding foods to your diet rather than eliminating foods.
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how to usethis book
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Determine Your Caloric Intake
How does one determine which caloric level to follow? It is important to check with your health care provider, but if you do not have any medical condi-tions, you can start with some general guidelines.
If you are physically active, you will need more calories. Also, males tend to need more calories, based on the samelevel of physical activity, than females. There have been many equations developed to attempt to predict caloric requirements, each with their own strengths and limitations. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is one of the more reliable ways to estimate caloric require-ments in healthy individuals, and you can find Mifflin-St Jeor calculators online.16 Caloric estimation is not an exact science; you are unique and calculating your estimated energy requirements is just a place to start. Use your experience (how full you feel, weight changes) to provide feedback on which calorie level to follow and consult your health care provider. An additional note of encouragement: weight is not the end-all-be-all to health; the health benefits of eating a well-balanced diet go well beyond the scale.
If you follow a plan lower than 1500 kcal,you require very specific instructions from a medical professional. Additionally, if you require any more than 2500 calories, you are likely a high-level athlete and require a very specific dietary plan.
Make a Plan
Every single daily meal plan in the book provides a perfect balance for your dri values. If you follow the daily meal plan for your caloric intake and eat all of the meals and snacks for the day, you will receive all your daily nutrients just from what you eat. With 30 balanced days in total, you can design a meal strategy that best suits your flavor preferences, eating patterns, and family dynamic. This flexibility promotes sustainability because it allows you to adapt meals to fit your lifestyle.
The adaptability allows you to create a realistic schedule.