Over the decades, Arnold Schwarzenegger has consistently championed practicing a favorable diet over something restrictive. Since he has always followed the principle of eating whatever he wanted and then burning it all off with cardio, he suggests the same for fitness enthusiasts across the globe. Recently, he highlighted two popular diet fads that people usually gravitate towards and revealed his research-backed opinion.
In his recent newsletter, Schwarzenegger discussed the comparison between low-fat and low-carb diets and which one had a surprising outcome. Cutting down on the occasional fries and pizza proved to have an adverse effect. While low-carb diets did positively impact weight loss, they carried an interesting side effect.
The research studied two groups of overweight people who had a common aim of losing weight efficiently. For this, one cut down on fats from their daily meals, while the other eliminated carbohydrates. In the end, while both ended up losing weight over a year, the ones on a low-carb diet witnessed a bad shift in mood.
“Research suggests that diets that remove carbs create biological changes that can put you in a bad mood.”
On the contrary, those who kept the carbs intact were happier and showed signs of being less hungry. Eliminating them increases the chances of an irritable mood and overeating. Therefore, researchers often suggest including a high-protein, high-carb breakfast into one’s daily routine over a high-fat, high-protein diet.
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“That might be because carbs help increase the production of serotonin, a chemical that boosts mood and helps suppress your appetite. Cutting carbs completely can disrupt mood regulation and make it harder to prevent overeating.”
But Schwarzenegger adds that the act of eliminating carbs wasn’t criminal. In many cases, personal preference ruled over such situations, and individuals not preferring to consume them could still get through a meal plan successfully. The issue lies in gaining control over how much one would want to eliminate and consuming too many ultra-processed carbs, leading to cravings.
To add an array of healthy carbohydrates to the diet, Schwarzenegger suggests including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, oats, and legumes. These foods have been a part of the former bodybuilder’s diet for a while, and he swears by their benefits.
How does Arnold Schwarzenegger curate an almost vegan meal?
Many years ago, the Hollywood veteran revealed that he followed an almost vegan diet. He included many plant-based protein options to stay fit. These included beans, lentils, soups, and an occasional hunk of steak if he felt like it.
A typical daily meal for Schwarzenegger included yogurt, granola, and some nuts for breakfast, veggie burgers and salads for lunch, and various kinds of soups for dinner. While his primary source of protein still contained non-vegan options like eggs and salmon, he kept his diet as plant-based as possible.
