Ever heard the phrase, “Fat-n-Happy?”…
Of course you have. We used to refer to obese guys as a “jolly fat-man”… or perhaps someone who is overweight as “fat-n-happy”.
Is it true? Can (gasp) being overweight actually make you happy?
That was not always so; at least, if it was, it never reached
through to the medical profession at the sharp end. I took an
interest in diet and health in the late 1970s and 1980’s and
have had a personal interest since. My reason then was firstly
because of my own severe, and crippling, arthritic problem, and
in the later 1980’s because of my son’s food allergies, or
intolerances. Doctors in that era generally dismissed any link
between health and diet as nonsense, and were even more
dismissive of such things as allergy as a cause of any
behavioural changes in a child.
The difficulties we had then caused me to do a lot of reading on
the subject of diet and health, and nutritional requirements. I
started taking a multi vitamin and mineral supplement at a time
when doctors were very dismissive, and I have done so ever
since. At least, in public they were dismissive; but I wonder
how many were taking such supplements themselves? They must have
known the evidence was mounting up even then.
These days, though, doctors are a bit more aware of the links
between diet and health, and the possible benefits of some
nutritional supplements. Much of their information is
disseminated from central governments, and all we can do is
judge our own nutritional requirements based on the latest
research. We do so, though, in the knowledge that recommended
daily allowances (RDA’s) can change at any time with later
research.
People who are on a diet and trying to lose weight need to be
especially careful about nutritional needs. There is not much
point losing weight to prevent one health problem, only to cause
another by being nutritionally deficient elsewhere. If you are
dieting, the chances are that if you are following any
restrictive diet plan, you may be missing some important
vitamins or minerals. Any diet that heavily emphasizes one food
group while completely restricting others is, by nature, lacking
in some essential nutrients.
A common conception of dieting is that, when we feed our bodies
less calories than it needs, it will begin to take nutrition
from the fat that it has stored. While that is true, it is a
basic fallacy that your body can derive all the fuel it needs
that way. Part of the problem with that assumption is that there
are many nutrients your body simply cannot store. The body uses
what it needs, and excretes the rest. The nutrients which cannot
be stored need to be consumed daily in one way or another, and
if your diet doesn’t allow for that, your body will show the
effects.


If you are on a diet that severely restricts your intake of any
particular food or food group, you may benefit from adding a
nutritional supplement to your daily menu. In fact, many doctors
recommend that dieters take, at the very least, a complete,
high-quality multivitamin to make up for any deficiencies caused
by the restrictions. Other supplementation might be recommended
depending on which diet you follow.
Below are some specific suggestions based on particular diets,
for you to discuss with a nutritionist or dietician before you
go too far with your diet:
Supplements For Any Diet
A full-spectrum multivitamin should be part of your daily
routine no matter what you’re eating or not eating. It will help
even out the ups and downs of your diet, and supply some
valuable nutrients that are difficult to get.
It is also important to remember the sun as your source of
vitamin D, which is not derived from any food source. While
doctors often say that as little as 20 minutes of full sun per
day can supply your daily requirement of vitamin D, they also
caution that it depends on your climate and geographical
location. So, local advice is very helpful here.
Supplements For A Low-Carbohydrate & High Protein Diet
If you are on a low carb diet, antioxidant vitamins found in
vegetables are particularly important. Scientists are learning
more and more about how important it is that our diets contain a
full spectrum of vitamins, proteins, minerals and acids. If your
diet cuts out most grains and vegetables, you should be
replacing the lost nutrients with supplementary vitamin A, C, B
(all the B’s), E and K. You should also supplement your intake
of folic acid, and if you’re not getting a significant amount of
your protein from fish products, you’ll need omega 3 fatty
acids, which are found in fish oil, shellfish and flaxseed oil.
Part of that is just because I feel better. The other part is how the brain functions. When you’re more active, you release more “feel-good” hormones… and these are powerful anti-blues hormones… they really make you feel like a champ. At least that’s been my experience.