Million Dollar Weight Loss Secret!!!!

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 05:38:52 +0000

Summer’s almost here, and I admit it: I’ve put on a few pounds over the last couple months. I want to lose about 5, so I’m putting myself on a diet. What kind of a nutritionist puts herself on a diet, you ask? One that has been slipping and eating too many grains, I suppose. My thai noodle habit was getting a bit out of control, and I need to rein it in. Because I’ve been so busy lately, I haven’t been cooking at home as much, and takeout is a killer with too many carbs and unhealthy oils. Bad!

Do you want me to share the million dollar weight loss secret that I get paid hundreds of dollars to tell people? Here it is: (drum roll). GRAINS MAKE YOU FAT. So does sugar (duh). Also included in the fat list is anything refined (think packaged, processed foods, corn syrup, refined sugars and baked goods; even that organic scone from the bakery was made with white flour, which is refined and bleached.)

Humans evolved on a hunter-gatherer “Paleo” diet of protein, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, and minimal fruits. We are not really designed for a diet high in grains. And what does the traditional food pyramid tell us? That the majority of the foods we eat should be grains: bread, bagels, pasta, rice, and other “whole grains.” Is it a coincidence that obesity & diabetes are at an all-time high? Boy are we missing the mark. Grains like wheat, white flour, rice, bulgar, cous cous, rye, barley, oatmeal, millet, and corn (yes, corn is a grain) break down into glucose, which triggers your body’s insulin response. Insulin helps usher glucose into the cells for use. Your body uses this sugar as its primary form of energy, but when you get too much from eating grains at every meal, the excess is stored as fat. And if you’re eating sugar and/or sodas on top of that, all this excess sugar begins to build up in the bloodstream because the cells don’t want anymore. So then you become “insulin resistant” and you have high blood sugar because the cells shut their doors to more sugar, and this sets you up for diabetes. And you gain weight. And you have energy spikes and dips. And high blood pressure. And you probably feel like shit. This is the obesity epidemic, explained. We as a nation are on a weight gainer diet, big time.

The paleo diet is the fastest way to turn this around. And no, I’m not talking about Atkins. Gross. I’m talking about the base of every meal being leafy greens like kale or chard, a good serving of protein like organic chicken, grass fed beef, or wild fish, and good fats like olive oil or avocado. Even a square of dark chocolate for dessert. Bonus: this type of diet can get you off the sugar & carb comfort food craving train. If you’re not having blood sugar crashes, you won’t crave sugar.

For dinner tonight, I cooked ground lamb sauteed with garlic and cumin. Then I cooked a bunch of kale in the oil leftover from the lamb. The base of my meal was kale, topped with the ground lamb, topped with avocado slices. I drizzled some miso mayonnaise over it for an extra kick. Delicious. And I’ve already lost 3 pounds.

Avoiding the Big D

admin — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 05:05:02 +0000

Blood sugar. It may not mean as much to you as, say, diabetes, but learn to manage your blood sugar properly and you’ll stay healthy and avoid diabetes. Or if you have type 2 diabetes and take a medication such as Metformin, you can control your glucose levels through diet and possibly cut down on your meds.

First, a little physiology. Type 2 diabetes is a relatively new disease, first discovered in the 1930s and now rising to epidemic proportions. We are seeing cases of type 2 diabetes in children as young as 7 or 8 (!) years old. Why? The good ole Standard American Diet of excess–the Western refined diet of soda, processed foods, and SUGAR.

When you eat sugar and it is broken down and released to your blood stream, your pancreas releases insulin, a hormone that helps usher the sugar (glucose) from your blood stream and into your cells. When you eat too much sugar, your body must produce more and more insulin to prevent high blood sugar. After you eat too much sugar for a long period of time, your cells decide they have enough glucose and don’t want any more. When glucose is no longer allowed into the cells, insulin levels build up, and the person is called “insulin resistant.” Blood sugar levels continue to rise until the person is called diabetic.

High insulin levels along the way to diabetes are very detrimental: insulin causes obesity because it tells the body to store fat; it contributes to hardening of the arteries and high blood pressure, making the person more susceptible to heart disease. The deadly trio of belly fat, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar is known as “metabolic syndrome,” or syndrome X, and is a warning sign that you are at high risk for diabetes or heart disease.

Thing about diabetes and high insulin is that they are PREVENTABLE. Diabetes is a disease of prolonged mismanaged blood sugar and poor diet. A diet of excess sugar. Here are my recommendations for eating your blood sugar levels down and managing your diabetes through diet:
*diabetics and pre-diabetics respond very well to a low carbohydrate diet with moderate to high levels of good fats and proteins.

*eliminate man-made foods from your diet: NOTHING that comes from a box or a package; no refined foods; no refined sugar; no baked goods, cookies, candy, fruit juice, sweets, soda. Absolutely no man-made fats such as hydrogenated oils or trans fatty acids. Time for a whole foods diet!

Eat for health.

*increase trace minerals that help regulate blood sugar: chromium, vanadium, magnesium, zinc. Green vegetables such as chard, spinach, kale, and collards are high in minerals. Sea vegetables are excellent sources of trace minerals. Try nopales – prickly pear cactus pads- grilled, with olive oil. They contain a substance that is remarkably close to the drug Metformin, and can be very useful for blood sugar regulation. Use Celtic sea salt and sip on mineral broths (for my recipe see http://tinyurl.com/kr9czk)

*eat organic, nutrient-rich meats and fats: grass fed beef, lamb, organic chicken and fatty fish such as wild salmon and cod. Use olive and coconut and flax oils. Take a fish oil supplement.

*remove grains from diet. No gluten, no wheat, no white flour, no white rice, no cereal, no pasta, no bread or buns or rolls. The majority of your diet should consist of meats, leafy green vegetables and other non-starchy vegetables, seeds, nuts, and good fats. Brown rice and quinoa may be introduced once levels begin dropping. No fruit and absolutely NO fruit juice. Vegetables provide plenty of nutrients, fiber, and antioxidants. I highly recommend a spirulina and chlorella-based green food powder for additional nutrient support.

There are many blood sugar stabilizing products on the market. The one I use contains chromium, gymnema leaf, biotin, trace minerals, and cinnamon bark. Cinnamon is great for blood sugar balance!

Reduce stress levels – high cortisol (the “stress hormone”) levels contribute to high blood sugar levels, so it’s critical that you address your stress level. Consider adrenal hormone testing so you know and correct your stress hormone levels, and begin a gentle exercise program. Try meditation and deep breathing.

Do not reduce any medication without your doctor’s advice. But following a whole foods diet filled with nutrient-dense, unrefined foods, you can regulate your blood sugar levels naturally!

Holistic Nutrition Bytes » diabetes

Million Dollar Weight Loss Secret!!!!

Avoiding the Big D