Understanding Healthy Eating Habits

When I speak of proper eating habits I am essentially talking about consuming fewer calories, particularly calories from fat. Fat percentage should be low in the diet for two reasons. First, studies show that, compared to low-fat diets, high-fat diets cause people to eat more calories and eat when they are not really hungry. This can result in overeating, leading to increased body weight and all the complications that go with it. The energy available in 1 gram of fat is 9 calories, whereas 1 gram of protein or carbohydrate has 4 calories. So if you consume a high-fat diet of 1,700 calories compared to a low-fat diet of 1,700 calories, you will eat less food with the same amount of calories because, gram for gram, fat has more calories than protein or carbohydrate. When consuming a high-fat, low-calorie diet instead of a low-fat, low-calorie diet, you will likely feel unsatiated because of the smaller volume of food. This in itself can lead to increased eating, resulting in weight gain. A low-fat diet with the same amount of calories as a high-fat diet will be higher in volume and will be more satisfying and less likely to trigger overeating. The second reason to keep the fat percentage of your diet low is that some types of fat are responsible for increasing cholesterol levels and other substances in the blood that raise the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. We discuss the different types of dietary fat and their implications to your health later in this chapter.

Many weight-loss diets are designed to decrease the number of calories you consume and thus result in weight loss. But many of these diets have failure built into them as well. That is, these types of diet plans typically require you to eat significantly lower-calorie foods, often in the form of a meal replacement (such as bars or shakes) that you would normally not consider eating every day. And herein lies the problem. If you deviate from the plan or stop eating these specific meals and resume eating the way you were before, which most people do, you will regain the weight, and often gain even more weight. The same problems are encountered in those who start any diet that they do not plan on sticking with for the rest of their lives. The only exception would be the person who decides to do away with her previous weight-loss or maintenance diet and replace it with one that has the same amount of calories. The rule is that once you have met your weight-loss goals, you must consume only enough calories to maintain your body's normal functioning (including exercise). Otherwise, if you eat more food than you need, you will gain weight.

Your taste in foods may change, and this is normal, even healthy. However, in light of this fact, you will need guidance from your health care team, particularly your dietitian. A dietitian can help you incorporate changes into your lifestyle as your taste in food changes.

In hopes of avoiding confusion, I make reference to the most recent nutritional principles and recommendations given by the American Diabetes Association, which are commonly referenced by registered dietitians who consult with people who have diabetes. Your dietitian will create a specific diet plan that will incorporate the following basic nutritional principles.