Just Because It Works, Doesn't Mean It's Good For You

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When making decisions regarding our health and fitness, focusing only on short term results can have devastating long term effects.

In 2012, cyclist Lance Armstrong was stripped of the seven Tour titles he won from 1999 to 2005 and banned from sanctioned cycling events for life. He was found to have used numerous banned drugs and blood doping to improve his performance throughout his career. Most people concede that even without using drugs, Lance was an incredible cyclist and may still have won. However without doubt, illegal drug use improved his performance and therefore his chances of winning. Simply put, it worked.

Anabolic steroids, human growth hormones, stimulants and other performance enhancing drugs assist in increasing muscle mass, speed, strength and power. They work, but at what cost? The long term risks and health complications associated with the use of performance enhancing drugs are serious and far reaching.

Now I realise that most of the Fit My Day team are not the steroid-pumping, blood-doping types. So how is this relevant to us? Although we may not be undertaking illegal actives to lose weight or improve our fitness, there are a number of main stream diet and exercise programs doing the circuit at the moment that produce short term results, and yet are not necessarily good for us long term.

The Keto Diet, The Paleo Diet, Atkins or No Carb Diet, Low Fat Diet.

Most diets will result in short term weight loss. However, extreme diets which require the removal of, or over consumption of certain food groups can have negative effects on our long term health.

Keto Diet: A very low-carb, high-fat diet that involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat, putting your body into a metabolic state called ketosis.
Paleo diet: A dietary plan based on foods similar to what might have been eaten during the Paleolithic era through hunting and gathering. A paleo diet typically includes lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds and limits dairy products, legumes and grains.
Atkins or No Carb Diet: Dramatically limits the intake of carbohydrates and encourages foods which are high in fat and protein.
Low Fat Diet: A plant based diet which discourages the intake of all high fat foods including dairy, meat and eggs.

There are positive elements to these diets. They encourage the consumption of whole foods and reducing processed foods. However, when strictly followed, these diets can result in either nutrient deficiencies or excess that could have negative long term health effects. The Keto / Paleo / low carb diets discourage the consumption of grains and limit fruits and vegetables which dramatically reduces a person’s fibre intake. They encourage an increased intake of animal protein and saturated fat which is associated with heart disease and cancer. On the other hand, eating a diet which is extremely low in fat can interfere with the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Essential fatty acids, especially Omega-3s, are essential to elevate HDL (good cholesterol), and protect the heart.

There is no doubt that some of these more extreme diet plans will result in weight loss. Yet, if followed to the extreme on a long term basis, they can be detrimental to our health. Unless you are dealing with specific health conditions, there is no reason to remove particular food groups or over-consume others. Rather than focusing on food groups such as fat, protein and carbs, focus on eating minimally processed “real food”. A simple rule of thumb is to avoid eating anything your Grandmother wouldn’t recognise as food.