bulk foods
direct catalog

By now you have probably heard it all when it comes to what you eat and how you eat. Think of it, humans have been around for quite a while (no matter how you think we got here!) and now you need an “expert” to tell you how to eat. So you are thinking “Ok, I’m overweight, most of us are, and I need a real, live, workable solution. Obviously, the thinking that got me into this is not the thinking that will get me out of this. Someone help me and give me an explanation of how and why it works, please.” Well, you don’t really need an expert, but what you do need is for someone to remind you of what you already know. If you would allow me, I will try to do so.

Your body is made of (you guessed it) protein, fat (yes you use fat for more than energy storage; remember your brain and nervous system?), complex carbohydrates (literally means Carbon with Water), structural polymers of the extra-cellular matrix (glue that acts like a scaffold), Calcium Phosphate compounds (bone) and Water. Of course there are small amounts of many minerals (Iron, Copper, even Boron) and vitamins, but that is pretty much it. Now recently it has come to light that we actually know very little about Water in the body, but that discussion is for another time and place. It will also come as no surprise that when we eat, we should more or less eat what our body is made up of. Radical concept huh? In principle, you could exist by only eating sugar for example, but for most of us that would be hard to do. So right away, you know you need protein, carbohydrates and fat in your diet. What are things in Nature we call food made up of: protein, carbohydrates and fat! Magically, it is all right here. So how did we get all messed up?

Well, to tell you the truth, there is a big debate about all that, but pretty much the big problem people have on the planet is getting enough protein. Lack of protein for most of the world’s population is the main cause of malnutrition. So, you know you have to eat protein and a fair amount of it. However, your brain and muscles run on sugar and it is necessary to intake carbohydrates to provide that fuel readily and perhaps even more importantly, sugars and carbs seem to provide a clear pleasure signal to the brain. Fortunately, humans can eat just about anything for a short while, but in the long term (and weight gain is a long term issue) humans need a good balance of the major body construction materials in their diets. The major sources of protein on earth are meat and certain grains /beans (rice, wheat and lentils for example). Most of us eat these kinds of things but a few disturbing trends have taken place in the developed world (eg USA):

• Too many simple carbs mixed with fat
• Using protein sources that are hard to digest (meat) with too much fat
• Eating too much meat with sugars and no fiber (meat and potatoes)
• Irregular eating habits (skipping meals, eating too much at night)
• Eating too much at any given meal (super sizes)
• Doing the wrong kind of exercise

As you can see, it does not take doing all of these things at once to create a chronic problem with respect to body weight and body fat.