Index
Why Fad Diets Don’t Work! | Confused about Carbohydrates? | Choosing the Good Fats | Vitamin Supplements | Tips for Healthy Dining Out | Protein-Rich Foods | Water Requirements-Drink Up! | Healthy Breakfasts | Tame your Cravings | Snacking
Most fad diets are based on variations of a few basic themes. They can
either be high protein, high carbohydrate, food combining, or starvation-type
diets (liquid fasting, grapefruit diet, cabbage soup diet, etc.). These
diets tend to work at least for awhile because they get you to cut down
on calories, usually by limiting the kinds of food you can eat so of
course you will lose weight. During the first 2 weeks weight loss can
be precipitous, since much of it is water. Typically 10% of your body’s
fluid can be lost in 2 weeks.
Most diets, like the high protein diet, deny that "calories count",
but nonetheless trick you into cutting down on calories by distracting
you with strange rules and biochemical babble. Also since these diets
are very calorie restrictive, your body will break down valuable muscle
tissue along with your body fat to provide enough calories for the fuel
that it needs. The only desirable kind of weight to lose is fat, never
muscle. With less calorie-burning muscle tissue, the metabolism slows
down. The metabolism slows down even further as the body senses that
it is in a state of famine and tries to preserve its fat stores.
Eventually your body’s survival instinct turns your appetite on
high and any lost weight will be regained quickly as the body is now
burning calories at a slower rate. Despite causing a rebound weight
gain and slower metabolism, these diets can be harmful. High protein
diets are high in saturated fat, which may raise your cholesterol level
and the incidence of heart disease, stroke, and some cancers. They also
may increase the risk of kidney stones and gout as uric acid levels
increase with excess protein. Also, high-protein diets can lead to calcium
loss from the body, possibly decreasing bone density and increasing
the risk of osteoporosis. The risk is even higher when the diet is low
in fruits and vegetables, as it will lack the essential nutrients necessary
for bone health.
Very high carbohydrate diets can be as harmful as they can raise your
triglycerides and may increase the risk of diabetes. With starvation
type diets, you eat the same few foods, which could cause severe nutritional
deficiencies over time.
Remember keeping the weight off is the hardest and most important part
of your weight loss plan. Virtually all fad dieters eventually gain
the weight back. That’s because fad diets don’t teach the
basics of healthy eating.
The Bottom Line is that there is no magic bullet to weight loss. You
must expend more calories than you take in. Simply put, you need to
eat less and exercise more. This is accomplished through getting a balanced
intake of the nutrients your body needs by eating small nutritious meals
spread throughout the day and by burning extra calories with regular
exercise.
The truth is that we need carbohydrates to supply glucose, the fuel that our body burns most efficiently. Carbohydrates also play an important role in signaling the hypothalamus that we’ve eaten enough. Your body stores very little carbohydrates so you constantly have to restock. If your muscles don’t get enough glucose, they’ll tire easily. If your brain doesn’t get enough you’ll feel sluggish and unmotivated.
But not all carbohydrates are created equal!
Unfortunately the American diet is composed mainly of simple sugars like fruit juice, white bread, white rice, and other processed foods that have ingredients such as corn sweetener, corn syrup, fructose, dextrose (glucose), high-fructose corn syrup, honey, maltose, molasses, raw sugar, etc. These sugars are absorbed very quickly into your blood, resulting in swift spikes and falls in blood sugar and energy levels. Sugary foods also provide excess calories with little nutrition.
Choose the good carbohydrates.
The carbohydrates that should form the basis of a healthy diet are legumes (beans, peas, soybeans), fruit, starchy vegetables, whole-grains, like oats and brown rice as well as foods made from whole-grains, such as whole-grain cereals and whole-grain breads. Your body takes longer to digest these and that means that they have a slow and steady effect on blood sugar and insulin levels. They also give you important vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which makes you feel full longer and protects you against heart disease and diabetes.
How much carbohydrate you need in your diet depends on your body and how active you are.
Some people feel good getting 55–60% of their calories from carbs, while others feel better with less. If you find yourself tired and dragging, you may need to be very selective with the type and amount of carbohydrate you take in. At NutraPartners, we will help you choose the balance that’s just right for you.
Our bodies need a certain amount of fat to give us energy, help us absorb
vitamins, provide thermal insulation, regulate our metabolism, and maintain
fertility. Research indicates that we should keep our fat intake at
about 30% of our total calories.
Trim the saturated fats: The "Bad Fat"
Saturated fats are found in animal foods such as meat, poultry, milk,
cream, butter, eggs, and cheese, as well as palm and coconut oils. They
raise both total cholesterol and LDL ("bad") cholesterol.
Choose small portions of lean meats and skinless poultry (about 3 oz.)
and use only low-fat milk and cheeses.
Choose Monounsaturated Fats: The "Good Fat"
Monounsaturated fats (MUFA) are found in olives and olive oil, canola
oil, some varieties of nuts (almonds and walnuts), and avocados. They
actually lower LDL levels without affecting HDL levels. This improves
the total cholesterol ratio.
Omega-3 Fats: The "Very Good Fat"
However, there is a very special type of polyunsaturated fat (PUFA)
that is found in cold-water fish, such as salmon, mackerel, and herring,
which is called omega-3 fat.
They lower blood triglyceride levels and blood pressure and act as a
natural anticoagulant. Make sure your diet is high in omega-3s.
Most health experts agree that we should get as many nutrients as possible
from the foods we eat rather than from a vitamin pill. There are definitive
studies about the benefits of certain nutrients on health, but the studies
have usually used food sources rather than a pill form. Moreover, it’s
unclear whether the benefits come from one nutrient in the food like
vitamin E or C, or from a combination of nutrients that work synergistically
together.
Nevertheless, several key nutrients fall short in the American diet,
notably vitamins D, E (not plentiful in the American diet), B12, and
folate, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, selenium, and zinc.
Therefore it makes sense to get at least the Daily Values for most vitamins
and minerals just in case you don’t get them from food. A well-balanced
multi-vitamin and mineral provides a minimal level of nutrients for
people who do not adhere to a perfect diet daily; realistically, that’s
most of us. Regardless, taking a supplement is not a substitute for
eating better.
Best time to take supplements: Whenever you remember to take them is
the best time. But taking a multi with a meal helps your body absorb
it more readily. Vitamin E needs some fat to help absorb it as it’s
fat-soluble. Space out your calcium supplements in doses of 250 mg or
less for better absorption and preferably take them with a meal. Taking
iron or calcium with wheat bran or spinach might block some absorption.
For more information on taking supplements, consult with NutraPartners.
Don’t be too hungry – Don’t skip a meal on the day you’re
dining out, eat lightly, even have a small snack an hour or two before
to avoid being famished and overeat.
Plan where you will eat – Choose a restaurant with a varied, healthy
menu.
Plan how much you will eat – If portions are large, decide to either
share your meal with a friend, substitute an appetizer for an entrée,
or take half home with you. Or if you’ve eaten too much, try to
adjust the day’s other meals accordingly.
Mind your manners – Eat slowly and chew thoroughly for better digestion
to feel full faster and eat less. Order food that slows your eating,
like salads and soups.
Proteins supply your body with 9 essential amino acids, which build
and repair
muscles and tissue – all necessary for a strong, muscular body.
Your body contains anywhere from 10 thousand to 50 thousand kinds of
protein; everything from hair, skin, blood, enzymes, and hormones are
made up of protein.
Foods high in protein decrease hunger and increase satiety. Protein
helps keep our blood sugar stable, which decreases our appetite. High
protein diets may help people feel less hungry but they won’t help
them adopt lifelong healthy eating habits to keep the weight off. And
their diet will be lacking in many nutrients provided by carbohydrates
like fruits, vegetables, and grains.
Eating enough but not excessive amounts of protein is good strategy
for staying satisfied during weight loss, but be sure to choose lean
protein sources to cut calories. Eating more protein than your body
needs won’t build more muscle or boost your metabolism. In fact,
there has been no link found between protein intake and leanness. However,
being overweight was found to be linked to a higher protein intake.
NutraPartners can scientifically determine the right amount of proteins
to meet your specific needs.
Water makes up about 60 % of your body weight and plays
a major role in most of the bodyís activities. It carries nutrients,
removes toxins, regulates temperature, and provides a medium for all
cellular reactions. When water is lacking, body systems begin to break
down.
The standard recommendation of 8 – 12 glasses a day is based upon
the body’s energy expenditure and the daily fluid loss from perspiration,
urine, feces, and exhaled vapor.
All beverages and most foods contain some water that contributes to
the daily quota.
Thirst is an unreliable indicator of water needs, especially in children
and the elderly.
The simplest rule about water is to take every opportunity to have a
gulp; when near a water fountain, walking by the office kitchen, in
restaurants, coffee shops, when offered ("yes, please") opportunities
abound just look for them!
Breakfast eaters have a healthier diet.
Breakfast makes a significant contribution to our daily intake of vitamins,
minerals, protein, carbohydrate, and fiber. It can provide 1/3 of our
daily protein requirement, fiber, and very little fat. Breakfast eaters
get more folic acid, vitamin C, fiber, iron, vitamin E, and more calcium
than those who skip it, according to a study in the Journal of the American
Dietetic Association.
Missing breakfast affects our cognitive powers.
The brain needs glucose to function properly and by morning our body
needs a fresh supply, as only a small amount of glucose can be stored.
Studies of both teens and adults found that breakfast eaters are more
productive at school or work than breakfast skippers.
Missing breakfast affects children even more than adults, as kids have
smaller energy (glucose) reserves with a higher metabolism. A healthy
breakfast helps boost children’s cognitive skills. Also children
who don’t eat a sufficient breakfast appear to be more prone to
argument and other behavioral and emotional problems throughout the
day (Harvard Medical School).
Missing breakfast robs our energy.
Because so much time has elapsed since the previous meal, without breakfast
our blood sugar levels go too low, making us much more likely to feel
fatigue later in the day.
Missing breakfast inhibits weight loss.
Breakfast eaters tend to take in fewer calories during the day than
those who skip it. Those who miss breakfast are more prone to load up
on high-calorie snacks or overeat at later meals. Also they never recoup
the nutrients lost from the missed breakfasts.
Anyone who has experienced cravings knows that there’s more to
it than just hunger. For many of us those cravings come at certain times
each month or when we’re feeling anxious, depressed, or bored.
But cravings don’t have to ruin a successful healthy eating plan.
The key is to know what’s triggering them and to learn when to
give in and when to resist.
The main theory that explains why we have such powerful cravings is
the serotonin theory which claims that carbohydrate-rich snacks trigger
the body to release more serotonin, the "feel good" brain
chemical that calms us. Our hormones have a role in this since, as our
estrogen levels fall prior to menstruation, our serotonin levels also
drop, increasing our desire for carbohydrate-rich foods to help raise
the serotonin level again.
Brain chemicals and hormones don’t only trigger cravings. Sometimes
it’s just the sights and smells around us, like the aroma of baking
bread or pizza that can trigger a craving. Food cravings can also simply
be the need for more variety in our diet, which in turn could ensure
that we take in a wider array of essential nutrients. This may help
prevent deficiencies by warning the body that it needs more and different
nutrients. For example, if we diet too restrictively, after awhile we
start craving the foods that we’ve eliminated.
At NutraPartners, we teach you (using a variety of proven tactics) how
to manage your cravings.
However, snacks can add up fast so the strategy is to choose snacks wisely and avoid as many processed snacks as possible. Determine which snacks are "binge-able" for you, and avoid them.
The right food choices throughout the day can help stave off overeating before it even starts. Often our emotions start the cravings that can quickly spiral into a binge. Stress, boredom, and anxiety are often misinterpreted as hunger.
At NutraPartners, we can advise you on how to head off any hunger pangs and how to choose the snack that will do you the most good. With a little planning, we can help you build a day of healthy, nutritious eating from morning to bedtime so you’ll feel satisfied.