The 6 Weight Loss Myths, Part 2 of 2

A continuation of yesterday’s post…

#4 The Carb Myth: Eating low carb or no carb will make us thin

This is not true! In fact, carbs could even be considered the most important foods in our diet for long-term health. Our body burns glucose for energy (see information on metabolism here), and this glucose comes from carbohydrates. The key is to eat the right kinds of carbs. Refined or processed carbs slow down our metabolism, but complex carbs eaten in their natural state actually speed up our metabolism. Some great sources of complex carbs include fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains. These carbohydrates contain phytonutrients, which are plant chemicals that are essential for optimal health. Phytonutrients turn on certain genes that help us burn fat and also slow the aging process inside our bodies. Eating unprocessed carbs is also important because they contain more fiber and will not turn into sugar as rapidly inside the body. This will help keep blood sugar levels balanced.

#5 The Avoidance Myth: Skipping meals helps us lose weight

When we eat is just as important as what we eat. When we skip meals, our bodies start to feel starved. This eventually leads to overeating, which can start a viscous cycle of starving and then overeating. This rule applies to the very first meal of your day: breakfast. Don’t skip it! When people skip breakfast or don’t eat a breakfast with some protein, complex carbohydrates and fat, they tend to have slower metabolisms. A balanced breakfast jump starts our metabolism for the day, allowing us to have more energy and burn more fat throughout the day.

Food and calorie intake ideally should be spread out throughout the day. Our last meal of the day should be eaten at least two hours before we go to sleep. This is because our bodies need to put their energy toward digestion. If we try to eat and then go right to sleep, our sleep will be restless and digestion will be incomplete.

#6 The Protector Myth: Government policies and food industry regulations always have our best health interests in mind

Unfortunately, the government does not have the resources to create a food pyramid for each of us as individuals. Every person is different and has different health and nutrition needs. We need to educate ourselves and take control of our own health and that of our family. We are all capable of doing this, as long as we are willing to put some effort into it.

Large amounts of research and money are put into creating foods that are processed and unhealthy. The government is faced with the daunting task of managing our food supply, and inevitably the solutions are not always perfect. But if we can gain a better understanding of what processed foods are and what they do to our bodies, we will be able to make better decisions about what we choose to eat. I strongly encourage each of you to do your own research and make your own decisions – take responsibility for your health. Poor diet is the #2 cause of death in America, behind only smoking.

I hope these myths have helped clear some things up for those of you looking to lose weight. My best advice is to forget about dieting altogether. Instead, try to gradually move to eating 100% whole foods. You can eat as much or as often as you want – just eat whole foods. This is a great first step and I promise you will notice incredible changes in your body. Plus, grocery shopping gets so much easier! Grains, fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, oils… all delicious and the possibilities are endless if you are willing to get creative in the kitchen!

The 6 Weight Loss Myths, Part 1 of 2

My Weight Management class is wrapping up and we’re beginning sports nutrition, but I wanted to share some good information I found in one of the books we read. The book is called UltraMetabolism and is written by Mark Hyman, MD. He talks about ways we can work with our bodies through food, supplements and exercise to actually burn more fat. He also talks about the concept of nutrigenomics, which is how food “talks” to or interacts with our genes, and how this affects our weight. According to Dr. Hyman, the best way to lose weight and keep it off is to rebalance and stabilize metabolism.

He came up with 7 weight loss myths, and I used his information to come up with 6. These are adapted from the book and are slightly different, based on what I believe will be effective for clients to read and relate to. Of course, this is just one book – one doctor’s theory on how people can lose weight. As we all know, there are thousands of weight loss books out there and some people can get caught up in the latest weight loss fad diet and lose sight of their own individual health and needs. So, I’m not saying you should go out and buy UltraMetabolism and use it to lose weight. If I thought one book could solve everyone’s nutrition problems, I wouldn’t be studying to become a nutrition therapist who focuses on the individuality of each person! But, I did like Dr. Hyman’s weight loss myths, because I think they are a good foundation for those wishing to lose weight.

#1 The Starvation Myth: Eat less, exercise more, and then we will lose weight

Many people see someone who is overweight and they think, “that person is lazy” or “that person has no discipline and indulges too often”. However, weight loss is not all about calories in minus calories out. There are so many components to how our metabolism functions, including where our calories are coming from, what nutritional deficiencies or excesses we may have, any hormonal imbalances we are experiencing, and much more. Calorie restriction actually causes the body to think it is starving, which sets of chemical processes in the brain that tell us to eat more food. We have a part of our brain that is wired for survival, and this part of the brain will respond to starvation without any of our control. A person absolutely must eat more calories than their resting metabolic rate, or the body will perceive starvation and immediately slow the metabolism down.

#2 The Calorie Myth: All calories are created equal

For some, this is a hard one to grasp, but it’s the truth. It’s the type, not the amount, of calories you consume that is important. Starving yourself all day so you can enjoy three pieces of chocolate cake at your friend’s birthday party isn’t helping your body at all, and can actually lead to weight gain. Your typical three square meals may be equal in calories to that chocolate cake, but the cake will only contain a tiny fraction of the nutrients you’d get from eating real food. And those nutrients are what we need to burn fat. On the other hand, if you had eaten three balanced, whole-food meals and then enjoyed a piece of cake, your body would have the nutrients it needs to metabolize the cake and burn the fat.

Another thing to know about certain types of calories: food (or, calories) that enters our bloodstream quickly will promote weight gain, no matter what else we’ve eaten that day. This includes foods like white bread, white pasta, cookies, cakes, sugary juices or any sodas, etc. However, food (calories) that enters our bloodstream slowly promotes weight loss. Foods speak to our genes and have control over how our metabolism will work.

#3 The Fat Myth: Eating fat makes us fat

In his book, Dr. Hyman talks about the American Paradox: over the last 40 years, national fat consumption has dropped from 42% to 34% of total calories, but obesity and high BMIs have risen significantly. Translation? Fat does not make us fat, it helps us burn fat! We just have to make sure we’re eating the proper fats. There are different types of fat, and they each interact with our genes in a different way. Some turn on our genes for weight gain, and others for weight loss. For example, essential omega-3 fats enhance metabolism and promote weight loss, whereas trans fats found in processed foods cause weight gain, impair metabolism and lead to inflammation.

Don’t be afraid to consume more healthy fats!

Tomorrow I’ll wrap up with the last three weight loss myths.

Sprouted Grains

I’m back! My vacation was perfect and now I’m ready to start blogging again. No specific focus for this week… just answering some questions I’ve gotten recently.

One reader asked me about the advantages of eating sprouted grain bread products versus other bread products. I touched on this briefly in February when I talked about English muffins, but it’s a great question and I’m happy to revisit the topic.

Let’s start with white Wonder bread – something we’ve probably all eaten at some point in our lives. Wonder bread is made from wheat that has been bleached, a process that strips the wheat of all of its original nutrients. White flour used in refined grain products such as Wonder bread has lost over half of vitamins B1, B2 and B3, vitamin E, folic acid, calcium, phosphorous, zinc, copper, iron and fiber. In the 1940s, the government began sponsoring the enrichment of bleached wheat products. The makers of Wonder bread began adding vitamins and minerals to their bread, and started an advertising campaign that boasted of the many nutrients found in Wonder bread. When foods are enriched, the nutrients added are not as bioavailable to us as nutrients found in whole foods. I will talk about bioavailability later this week, because it is an interesting and important concept to understand.

Many people have moved on from Wonder bread and are now consuming whole grain bread products: bread, bagels, English muffins, tortillas, and even chips and crackers. Remember this picture from the blog post I wrote about bagels?

I think it’s helpful to actually see what a “whole grain” looks like. Refined grain producs have the bran and germ removed from the wheat kernel. Whole grains are significantly more nutrient-dense than refined grains, which is evident in the grain’s taste and texture. They contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, lignans, phenolic acids, phytoestrogens, and other important phytochemicals. The breads that are usually made from whole grains are the ones labeled as “whole wheat,” however multi-grain, rye and pumpernickel can be made from whole grains as well.

Some companies have now taken bread one step further, with sprouted grain products. When grains are sprouted, their nutritional content changes. Sprouting allows the germ of the wheat to release enzymes. These enzymes help us digest the grains more easily. Sprouted grains are also higher in protein, vitamins, and antioxidants, and help promote healthy bacteria in our digestive tract. Many people find that sprouted grains are much gentler on the stomach and easier to digest than regular whole grain breads. They are digested very slowly, which helps us stay full longer and helps stabilize blood sugar.

The Food for Life products are usually cooked slowly at low temperatures (250 degrees), so they are not considered a raw food. However, this type of cooking allows for most of the nutrients and enzymes to remain in tact for easier digestion.

If you are someone who feels slight discomfort when digesting whole grain products, you may want to try sprouted grains. They taste great, and the Food for Life brand has many options – tortillas, breads, pasta, English muffins and more. We buy the tortillas and English muffins all the time and love them! I still buy whole grain freshly (and locally) baked bread rather than using the sprouted grain bread, because I love the bread we buy and I save a lot of money by slicing it myself very thinly and making the loaf last twice as long. But the sprouted grain English muffins are great for breakfasts, and the tortillas make it into our lunch rotation frequently. Today for lunch: tortillas with turkey, Colorado-made raw milk cheese (from Twin Mountain Milkhouse, sold at In Season Local Market in Denver), bok choy, and stone ground mustard made with Guinness, straight from the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin!