Quality vs. Quantity

Popular advice tells you to eat less and exercise more. Today I’d like you to consider an alternative. The notion that for food and exercise quality, not quantity is what’s most important.

The advice to eat less and exercise more just hasn’t worked. We spend more on diet and exercise than any country but are the fattest nation. Marathon exercises enrapture very few people. And we like to eat. Super size please!

Staying fit is not just a matter of minimizing your food and maximizing exercise. It’s more a matter of quality. Today, you’ll learn how to address the quality factor in your diet and physical activity.

* Eating Better *

Quality Protein:

Strive to eat protein with every meal but chose the highest quality protein possible. Eggs are the very highest quality protein followed by red meat. Again, choose quality free-range eggs and grass-fed beef. The nutritional value of a grass-fed T-bone is so much greater than a fast food burger it’s like comparing apples to oranges– even though both are beef.

Quality Carbohydrate:

If you are like most people you need to reduce your total carbs. Low carb is finally catching on but there are quality carbs and junk carbs. Focus on eating quality carbohydrates.

If you eat much bread, pasta, potatoes and rice you’ll be shopping in the plus-size department before long. Yet I don’t know anyone who’s gained weight from binging on berries, pears, peaches, tomatoes, spinach, collards or green beans. These carbs have more nutrients and fiber and don’t produce the same insulin response. You can eat low glycemic vegetables and fruits until you are full.

Quality Fat

Nowhere is quality more important than with fat. The problem with the American diet is not that it has too much fat but the wrong kind of fat. Bad fat causes heart disease, cancer and inflammation. You should avoid omega 6 fats from fatty grain fed meats – red or otherwise. Eat grain fed beef, free-range chickens and wild fish instead. Don’t eat hydrogenated or trans fats in margarines and processed foods. Use organic butter and olive oil instead. Consume plenty of natural healthy fats in nuts, eggs, avocadoes and cold water wild fish.

Here are a few more tips to help you focus on choosing quality.

•Never grocery shop when you’re hungry.

•Stay away from the internal aisles of the grocery store. This is where all the refined junk carbs reside.

•Purchase grass-fed beef at http://grassfedbeef.2ya.com.

•When dining out, choose grilled, baked, poached or broiled over fried.

•Make your own marinades instead of pre-packaged ones. Marinades and salad dressings often have high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

•Cook with olive or canola oil.

•Throw out the vegetable oil

•Eat butter over margarine.

•If you need a sweet treat, try snacking on fruit.

* Maximize the Quality of Your Workout *

You need to exercise. But again, quality, not quantity matters. Running like a hamster on a treadmill will not make your heart strong no matter how long you do it. Your body interprets endurance exercise as stress. It causes breakdown of muscle, internal organs and joints. Over time it causes injuries. Follow my P.A.C.E. program instead. You will build a stronger heart, build muscle, and melt fat. And, you can do it with a 15-20 minute workout every other day.

How to P.A.C.E. Yourself

•Get moving with P.A.C.E. Health Alert 28 will show you how.

•Drink plenty of water before and after you exercise.

•Schedule your 20-minute sessions in your planner as you would lunch or a business meeting. This will help you stick with it.

•Partner up. You are more likely to workout if you have someone counting on you to show up.

•Incorporate sports into your life. Team sports build camaraderie and are better suited for function than endless lifting sessions in the gym.

•Write it down! Keeping an exercise journal, keeps you motivated and honest.

Al Sears, MD