It's not enough to swear off dieting as an ineffective method of weight control. Since we must eat to stay alive, the problem is how to eat for optimum health, health including not only freedom from disease, but also optimum energy and vitality. Cutting calories, carbs, fats, and all the other gimmicks of the food industry notwithstanding, a proper diet - one that supports optimum health - is composed of those foods most likely to support good health. The problem is that we live in a society that has managed to confuse us with conflicting information. One research study claims that calories don't count, another says that carbs are the culprit, yet another eschews entire food groups.
It might be helpful to remember that our current diet is a mere 125 years old, or so. It was the Industrial Revolution that brought forth such items as sugar and white flour into the mainstream. Before that, most of our diet consisted of wholesome, natural foods grown on the farm, unprocessed, devoid of additives and food colorings, full of vitamins and minerals as found in nature. With the Industrial Revolution, white flour and white sugar found their way into our kitchens, but because they were relatively expensive at the time, only affluent people could afford them. For a time, then, it became a mark of success to consume white bread and serve white sweet pastries to our guests. As those items became more easily produced and cheaper, they became staples in our kitchens.
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