Page 8 - Diet Explained

And if we look at the major food groups, we can see that they each contain

a different amount of calories. While carbohydrates and protein both con-

tain 4kcal (kilocalories) per gram, fats contain 9kcal per gram.

And seeing as fat is what we’re trying to get rid of in the first place anyway,

the ‘obvious’ conclusion to draw from all this would be that we should re-

duce our intake of fats. Studies meanwhile appeared to show that diets

high in fats would lead to heart problems and bad cholesterol and as such,

some basic diet guidelines were formed.

The Problem With Modern Advice

Based on this basic knowledge of nutrition, it was established that we

should try to:

Limit our overall calories

Eat a nutritious diet

Avoid fats

This was the advice that most health institutions recommended for a long

time – and many still do today. This also includes the NHS in the UK which

still recommends low fat diets as being the healthiest way to lose weight.

Meanwhile, this also led to many processed foods being released with forti-

fied mineral and vitamin contents. Eating a vitamin tablet in the morning
should be able to provide you with all your required vitamins and minerals

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