Don't Cut out Carbs Entirely

Two of most popular fad diets are no carb and low fat... However both of these fad diets make a fatal error.

It is true that too much carbs and fat is bad for you, but you shouldn't eradicate carbs and fat from your diet entirely.

Various no carbs or reduced carb diets such as Atkins or South Beach work around the idea that dieters start the meal plan by eating almost no carbs or no carbs at all in an effort to lose weight quickly. It is true that such a diet will cause you to lose weight quickly, but at the expense of muscle tissue. Your body, in an effort to find energy will start burning protein from your muscle tissue in order to provide the body with enough energy. Carbohydrates and fat are macronutrients that are very important to full body functioning and wellness. Carbohydrates especially should consist of approx. 30 to 50% of overall food intake.

The real trick for the dieter is learning how much carbs is enough, since many foods contain small amounts of carbs but various foods like bread contain a lot of carbs.

The best solution is to simply avoid over-consumption - aka binging.

Next if you are going to eat bread, get whole wheat or cracked wheat bread.

Why are carbs so important? They give you energy and feed your brain! Without them energy lows and you will encounter trouble thinking / problem solving as your brain will be working slower.

No/low carb diets work because they quickly release water retention. Sure, this is great for about ten days, but when you start eating normally again your body will treat it like you've been on a fast and you will gain it all back again in an hurry!

Same goes with fat. You need healthy fats from egg yolks, fish, seeds, flax, virgin olive oil, etc. What you want to avoid is super fatty foods that are obviously not good for you and avoid binging on things you know will push your fat consumption over the edge (eg. eating a whole package of bacon by yourself).

So now you're asking what is the best diet?

A balanced one! Aim to reduce your carbs and fat intake, eat lots of veggies, eat non-processed meats, make sure you are getting enough calcium and take a daily multivitamin. Don't be afraid to treat yourself once in awhile, but don't binge on cookies or bacon strips just because they're there.