Resisting Diet Books

I decided that this year I would resist the lure of the constant stream of diet books. I've had my fill of fad diets but the diet books that come out that seem none faddy, just healthy food, still draw my attention. I resolved not to buy any or borrow any from the library but I could not resist a quick flick through two of this year's early offerings when I saw them on the shelf in ASDA. Good old Audrey Eyton has revamped The F Plan for the new century in the form of The F2 Diet. A very quick flick and I noticed the inclusion of Glycemic Index information. Been there done that. Glycemic Index, although supported by plenty of research, test etc. always seemed a bit skewed to me and when it was modified by the wave of Glycemic Load books to make it more sensible (for example,originally carrots were "high GI" until someone pointed out that you'd have to eat something like a pound and a half in one sitting to reach the specified "bad" GI) I realised that I had been right to feel that way. In the end isn't that what it all boils down to? Sensible eating; it's making the decision of what's sensible that's hard. The next one was, of course, Dr. Gillian McKeith's Ultimate Health Plan. I don't need another book to tell me that yes, it's about eating fruit and vegetables not Ben and Jerrys and Crisps. I suppose if it had never occurred to you that someone must be eating all those swathes of vegetables you pass through to get to the diet books then you might be tempted. It amuses me that I have seen her proclaimed as the "world's leading nutritionist" and yet she got her "phd" in nutrition from a postal course in America. I could have one if I had three grand or so knocking about. Anyway, there was I feeling all virtuous not buying in to this months newest "diet" books and I come across The No Diet Diet that someone sent me an e-mail about because they have it on record that I USED TO BE  a sucker for diet books (or maybe they just have a picture of me in Blockbusters buying Ben and Jerrys). Needless to say, I won't be buying it, but I gather that the gist of it will be "stop sitting about reading diet books and move your fat arse a bit", or other things that don't involve sitting on the sofa. A sweeping statement I'm sure, not having read the book, but I bet I'm not far wrong.

Comments

[Leon]

The Glycemic Index (GI) is a measure of the amount and the rate of increase in blood sugar after eating a carbohydrate. This is also known as the glycemic load. The higher the GI, the larger the rise in blood sugar and the release of insulin. This is important because the more insulin in your system, the more fat you retain.

A calorie ratio of 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent proteins, and 30 percent fat minimizes your glycemic load (insulin) and thus the fat you retain. This balance also provides the three key macro nutrients needed to keep a body in hormonal balance.