That's Fit

In many parts of the country, my own included, growing season is in full swing. That means you may be too late to take part in a CSA this year. But if you get a chance to take part in one, this year or next, I highly recommend it.

This was the first year that we joined a CSA -- short for community supported agriculture. We did it for a lot of reasons, but mostly because of concern over food safety issues. What we have discovered, however, is that it's completely changed our eating habits for the better.

Each week, we get a crate full of fresh grown goodies. Sometimes, I have to use Google to identify something or learn how to cook it. But just having that food in my fridge forces me to be creative and either search for or come up with new, healthy dishes. We're eating far fewer processed foods, less salt, less fat, and have all but cut our meat consumption. Our former favorite dish? Homemade pizza with extra cheese. Our current favorite dish? Sauteed kale with garlic scapes and onion, served over brown rice. I'm totally not kidding.

According to the American Diabetes Association, low-carb and low-fat diets are equally effective in helping people lose weight, a goal of those who have or want to reduce their risk of developing diabetes. Though they stopped short of recommending low-carb in the past, in their 2008 guidelines, the ADA is now giving the plan its official support.

The association is careful to say that they aren't endorsing one specific plan to lose weight. Instead, they want people to find the plan that works for them so that permanent weight loss can be achieved. Low-carb may be an option for some people, though they do recommend that those who use it are monitored for rising cholesterol or declining kidney function.

Learn more about diabetes at the ADA's official website.

Are you on a low-fat diet? If so, you've joined the tens of millions of Americans every year (and in other countries as well) who cut down on fat to try and lose weight. What if you're going about it all the wrong way?

A new study defines the difference between a low-fat diet and a low-glycemic one by stating that younger adults who secreted a high level of insulin lost more weight with a low-glycemic diet.

With more obesity being seen these days in all age groups, the multi-tiered attacks on curbing it are being fronted as well. The study's authors concluded their research by saying "The main finding of our study is that a simple measure of insulin secretion predicted weight and body fat loss on low-glycemic load and low-fat diets."

In other words, there are many details in the mix for losing weight beyond "what" you eat.