Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM MARCH 30 - APRIL 5, 2022 UCW 23 In my last column, I wrote about the Mediterranean diet. Nutrition trends are popular and frequently discussed topics. ere are as many opinions on the best diet as there are a variety of diets. e industry has taken an active approach in marketing to us to impact the way we eat. Marketed products come in the form of vitamins, powders, planned meals and drinks. Special- ized diets have become so popular that it is not unusual to see diet-re- lated options on restaurant menus. In the long run, proper nutrition depends on individual consump- tion and how our bodies respond to nutrition interventions. Lifestyle, current health, and genetics also significantly impact how we react to a diet. Two people of the same age, sex, height and weight will re- spond differently to the amount of weight loss in the same period and see weight loss in different areas of their bodies. I am not suggesting that you go on the Paleo diet, but it is an inter- esting subject. Enthusiasts of the Paleo diet believe it is the healthi- est way to eat because it works with your genetics, resulting in more energy and keeping you lean and strong. e Paleo diet has a heavy focus on protein consumption. It is considered a caveman diet or a stone-age diet consisting of foods thought to be eaten by humans in the Paleolithic era, dating approxi- mately 2.5 million to ten thousand years ago. e significant differ- ence in eating during this time was the food was obtained by hunting, gathering fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. When farming emerged, foods that became part of our diets included dairy products and legumes. Advocates of the diet be- lieved that the addition of legumes and dairy products resulted in obesity and heart problems. Preferred Paleo foods are veg- etables, fruit, nuts, seeds, wild game, grass-fed lean meat, fish rich in Omega 3 fatty acids and olive and walnut oils. People on the Paleo diet are advised to drink lots of water, black coffee or green tea. Foods to avoid are grains, legumes, dairy products, sugar, salt and po- tatoes. Some examples of a Paleo menu: Breakfast — smoothies with a combination of kale or spinach, banana, apple and almond milk or scrambled eggs with sauteed spinach, grilled tomatoes and pumpkin seeds. Lunch — mixed salad greens, fried sea bass, pump- kin seeds and olive oil dressing or roasted chicken with mixed greens, tomatoes and olive oil dressing. Dinner — roasted chicken stuffed with carrots and fresh rosemary or baked salmon with roasted aspara- gus. e Paleo diet emphasizes fruit, vegetables, animal proteins, nuts and olive oil. e Mediterranean diet emphasizes fruit, vegetables, whole grain products, nuts, seeds, olive oil, fish and less consumption of meat products. A safe approach to weight loss involves losing one to two pounds per week. Fad diets that cause a large amount of weight loss in a short time are not sustain- able. A healthy approach to dieting includes a combination of diet and exercise. While going on a quick-fix diet for a special occasion or trying a friend's diet can be tempting, the bottom line is that a sustainable lifestyle with good eating habits will result in a healthier you. Avoid processed foods, sugary drinks, saturated fats and sweets. Take your time selecting a diet and educating yourself or see a qualified nutritionist for meal plans. Live, love life with health and diet. FITNESS CYNTHIA ROSS, Personal Trainer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910- 484-6200. DAN DEBRULER, General Manager, WCLN. Comments? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910-484-6200. What is the Paleo diet? by CYNTHIA ROSS As we head toward Easter, you're bound to see a big- production movie (or at least a listing) that seems remarkably like a story you heard. Maybe you heard it in Sunday School or heard it told during one of the countless sermons preached about when God parted the Red Sea to allow the people of Israel to escape the Egyptians who had long enslaved them. On-screen or off, the imagery is striking and worthy of all the mentions we can give it ; God's faithfulness to his people is amazing! But why were the Israelites en- slaved in the first place? You can trace that throughout Israel's history leading to that parting of that sea, but more specifically to Joseph – as in the 'coat of many colors' son of Jacob, whose name God eventually changed to Israel. Joseph is the one who was thrown into a pit and then sold into slavery by his jealous broth- ers, and the one whose trials, tribulations and rise to a place of prominence in Egypt are all told within the pages of the very first book of the Bible: Genesis. e book details how Joseph trusted God through his en- slavement, betrayal and situ- ations that would leave most of us in utter despair. It details how in a wild turn of events, he becomes the very one who saves his father and the descendants of his 11 brothers when Joseph's homeland is dying during a dev- astating famine. Even after all they did to him, Joseph helps his brothers and their enormous tribes, which leads them all to relocate to Egypt. ey flourish and be- come productive, growing in both stature and number, and eventually, there's a change of power in Egypt. e new king wasn't fond of foreigners thriving in his kingdom, so he enslaved the Israelites – this continued and worsened over more than 400 years. So yes, God parting the wa- ters to allow them to march out unharmed under the leadership of Moses (that's another story) is a big deal and worthy of every telling. But there are so many points worth making along the way. e Bible is rich with stories of pain and struggle, forgiveness and redemption, and when we study it all in context, we begin to understand God's love for us in all-new ways. From the table of contents in the front to the maps in the back, reading and gleaning truth from the Bible is worth your while. And just like this story about the Israelites march- ing out of a 430-year captivity through a sea which parted to allow them to cross on dry land, and then comes crashing in on the army chasing them, there are many pieces to every story. So, take time to study the Bible. Don't miss a moment. Don't look past a hero or a healing because if you miss a piece, you just might miss the point. Miss a piece, miss the point by DAN DEBRULER FAITH Photo courtesy of Pexels Photo courtesy of Pexels