How We Were Dieting Ten Years Ago
Huffington Post is celebrating a decade of being around, and while they are not the most beloved site, they have posted a very interesting article that looks at some fundamental ways our view of dieting has changed over the last ten years. Here is a breakdown of what we’ve learned since 2005:
1. It’s Not Just About Calories
Ten years ago a lot of us believed that as long as you kept your calories down to a minimum then everything was a-okay. But now that we better understand the overall effects of healthier foods, and the difficulties faced by yo-yo dieting, there is a much stronger push to develop better eating habits overall instead of obsessing over each calorie regardless of where it comes from.
2. Fat is Not (Always) the Enemy
Just recently, the demonized egg has now been embraced as a great food for protein without any worry that its fat is going to harm our hearts. And polyunsaturated fats are being championed as something our bodies require. Avocados may be fatty, but they’re the kind of fat we can eat with no guilt. Still, don’t go too hog wild over the red meat.
3. Sugar is Always the Enemy
Believe it or not, just ten years ago sugar wasn’t known explicitly as being such a problem for our health and weight. It was suggested to watch out for the amount we were consuming. But now the conventional wisdom says: sugar is bad news and the less of it in your diet, the better off you’ll be.
4. We Don’t Eat in a Bubble
Whether it’s our financial situation, our family situation or our geographic location, outside factors have become a major focal point when it comes to figuring out why some people have an easier or more difficult time with their health. While there is still a need for everyone to position themselves as the main factor when it comes to their diets, a person’s environment can no longer be dismissed as inconsequential.
5. What We Eat Can Affect the World
In the last decade we have come to realize that the agricultural processes have major impact on the planet. For example; studies have shown the amount of energy required to produce a pound of meat are far greater than the energy required to produce a pound of carrots. There are fish we should avoid because they’ve been over-fished (swordfish for example). There’s too much methane being produced by farm animals (meat, again). These are just a few of the enviro stories that have made headline. Environmental impact is definitely something many more people are considering today compared to 2005.
6. Work Out Less if You Work Out Intensely
This one actually isn’t in the article, but as you know, high-intensity is something that ten years ago people had no idea would be such a revolution when it came to exercise. It is still relatively new, but with so much definitive proof flooding in, it will be fascinating to see how our beliefs about high-intensity and other physical activity will evolve in the next ten years.