You probably have been hearing and seeing a lot of new ads about prescription weight loss drugs such as Wegovy. The good news is that these new drugs actually have promising results and for some outweigh the possible side effects. Unfortunately, they only offer a partial remedy to a more serious problem, the dangers of the Western diet.

The role of diet in health

Although losing weight is a big factor in improving your overall health, it’s not the only factor. What you eat on a daily basis has as much if not more effect on your long-term health than weight alone. 

Processed foods are convenient, but they are filled with preservatives and other chemicals that have negative impacts on the body over time. The more shelf stable a product is, the more chemicals it typically has. Just take a look at the ingredient lists of some of your favorite processed foods. They’re likely to be a whole paragraph with unpronounceable words! 

A diet with few highly processed foods and focused mainly on whole foods such as vegetables, whole grains, fruits, beans/legumes, nuts/seeds, animal meats, and seafood is not only nourishing but protective against the constant assault on our body from our environment.

These whole foods have many properties that help neutralize oxidants that speed up aging and cause disease, protect against stress, and provide our body what it needs to carry out its numerous daily functions.   

Although highly processed foods may have some vitamins and minerals added back in, they lack many of the other phytochemicals and nutrients that scientists have not isolated yet. Essentially leaving you shorthanded and preventing you from achieving optimal health. 

Weight is only part of it

Carrying excess weight is a root cause of many diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease, and others. Unfortunately, there is an alarming amount of people suffering from excess weight in America today. This is why weight loss gets the primary focus from the medical field.

They’re not wrong either, by being able to lose at least 10% of your body weight you can improve many of the diseases caused by weight. Although weight is only part of the story and not the only cause.

The paradox of being a healthy weight but remaining unhealthy is often referred to as “skinny fat”. This term applies to someone who is of normal weight but has a greater amount of body fat and lower muscle mass. This skewed ratio of fat to muscle is also a cause of the disease mentioned before. 

This is why losing weight alone is only part of the story. Too often when people lose weight, especially with the aid of prescription drugs, experience excessive muscle loss. Although this results in greater drops on the scale, it leads to long-term health problems. 

By eating a diet higher in protein (1 gram per pound of bodyweight) along with resistance-based exercise can limit if not prevent muscle loss during weight loss. It will slow down your weight loss, but the outcome will be a more sustainable weight loss and a healthier body. 

Combine this with focusing on eating healthier and choosing more nourishing foods can completely turn your health around. 

The key takeaway

Prescription weight loss drugs are improving and providing promising results. However, losing weight by these means alone will do little to improve your overall long-term health.

Combining medication with positive changes in your food choices and lifestyle will promote weight loss and drastically improve your health now and in the long-run. 

Learning how and what to change in your diet can be confusing and frustrating. Working with a dietitian can help you navigate the hurdles and get you on track to a healthier new you.

To get started today, schedule your initial consultation or email me at dietitian2go@gmail.com.

Written by: Adam Skowyra MPPD, RDN, LD