How Carbs Play Into Your Health & Weight - Both Here & Abroad

The modern American diet (sometimes called the Standard American Diet - or SAD) tends to include a lot of refined flours, sugars, and bad carbs.  Unlike other parts of the world where life is a bit slower paced, we in the United States want everything fast, and we want it now, and we're used to getting it now.  We want the convenience of fast food, instant food, frozen food, prepackaged food, and microwaved food.  And we get it.

What we get along with it is a growing epidemic of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems....

(Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.)

Unfortunately, we are all so busy with our fast-paced lives that the majority of us don’t put healthy eating first.  This is also a big reason that our country is growing quickly into an obese nation.   An uncomfortably large percentage of our population eat the wrong types of food and lead sedentary lifestyles.  Then, there are others who are really trying to eat healthy, but are confused about how to eat right.  These folks may not have all the information, but are trying to make wise choices. With all the conflicting information and different choices out there, it can definitely be confusing!

This is probably why so many of us have been hopping from one fad diet to another. At one point, it seemed those little frozen 'diet meals' were the best way to lose weight and get healthy.  Then I learned to read nutrition labels and I realized there was no fiber, high amounts of sodium, and unhealthy additives.  Those easy weight loss plans quickly lost their appeal.  What are we to believe and what do we really need in our diets to eat healthy and lose weight?  Let's compare what works and what hasn't worked:

Food and Fitness in Europe

If you visit northern Europe, you'll see people are walking the trails alongside all of the roads.  Many people do not own cars; they walk, ride bikes, or take public transportation.  There are ferry boats, buses, and company vans that pick up crowds of people to bring to work.  Getting from Point A to Point B is somewhat of a task, which takes some energy, aka burning calories.

Shopping at the corner store, you'll find freshly baked whole grain breads wrapped in brown paper and tied with twine.  There are fresh whole chickens and meats available only at the butcher counter.  There are fresh fruits and vegetables almost on every corner.  Barely any processed and refined foods are to be found (although this is changing in recent years.)  Oh, and don’t even think about soda pop!  The only 'pop' or 'cola' available is in the  occasional convenience store that caters to the American tourist, where you may find a bottle at three or four times the cost as in the United States.

You will not only notice people eat cleaner and healthier, with more raw organic foods that are farm-grown or raised, but our European neighbors also stay more active in general day-to-day activities.  In fact, in much of the world, people do not lead sedentary lifestyles like many of us in the United States.  Of course this is a generalization, but statistics still prove this to be the sad truth.

Food and Fitness in America

The way we want things here, convenient and fast, has caused food manufacturers to add plenty of refining, processing, preservatives, and food additives into our food to get the job done.  We speed up the production of food so we have a lot more food to fill the grocery store shelves.  In order to do this, we fatten up animals with hormones to grow faster, faster, faster.  We treat produce with chemicals so they get bigger, bigger, bigger (at the cost of nutrition, which comes from good, healthy organic soils).

(Image courtesy of Witthaya Phonsawat at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.)

Couple this super-charged food production with the fact that most Americans hop in their car to drive even a few blocks to the grocery store, and you can see why we have a serious health and obesity problem.  Fast food filled with bad carbs purchased while sitting in a car driving through a pick-up window is a formula for disaster when it comes to your diet and health.  Again, it boils down to wanting it fast, wanting it all, and wanting it now.  But, there's more.

Another factor along with 'fast, all, and now' is CHEAP!  We can't ignore the fact that you can buy a frozen pizza at your local grocery store for $2.50 when to make that same pizza with fresh, nutritious, high fiber foods could cost around $4 to $5.  We also can't ignore the fact that stretching a meal to feed a family is easier and cheaper to do with macaroni and white bread than with protein and produce.

The thing is, what do you want - to eat a lot of empty calories and get fat and unhealthy, or to eat healthy?  We can read labels, prepare ahead of time, and budget properly to get more of the high nutrition, high fiber foods into our diets and avoid or limit the bad carbs from our diets.  Becoming aware is the first step.  Bad carbs aren't only about putting on pounds.  A diet of bad carbs is creating a nation of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and a host of other health problems.

I think that's reason enough to take a lesson from those who live a slower lifestyle, choose more natural foods, and spend more time on their feet than their bottom.  When you stock your pantry with nutritious, high fiber, low carb foods, you are taking a step in the right direction. 

I know you want it all, you want it fast, and you want it cheap... but when it comes to your health, that mantra just doesn't work.  You've taken the first step by just becoming informed.  Now take the second step, and do something about it.  Congratulations on choosing a healthier lifestyle!

Stay tuned in the coming weeks, as we discuss how to eat fewer unhealthy carbs, and more healthy, delicious, and nutritious whole foods. We'll also be sharing some simple, tasty recipes for enjoyment and good health.
 

Recipe: Turkey Artichoke Salad With Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing

With their large volume and low calories, salads are a big part of the Volumetrics Diet.

This version can be modified in many different ways depending on your goals and preferences. Don't have turkey on hand? Substitute chicken. Want more protein? Add a couple of handfuls of cooked navy, black, or kidney beans. Want less fat? Cut down on the cheese, or use a lower fat variety. If you like strong flavored cheeses such as blue cheese or feta, a little goes a long way, so you can use less and still get a lot of flavor.

However you make it, this is a great option for a lunch or light supper, as it will fill you up and leave you satisfied for hours!

Turkey Artichoke Salad With Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing
(Serves 2-4.)

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp grated sweet onion
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
8 cups mixed greens, washed and dried
1 lb. roasted turkey breast, cut up bite sized
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 sweet red bell peppers, diced
1 jar (6 oz) marinated artichoke hearts, chopped slightly
4 oz. soft mozzarella cheese, chopped

Directions:

• Put the olive oil, vinegar, onion, salt, and pepper in a bowl and whisk vigorously until foamy.
• In a big bowl, toss together the remaining ingredients.
• Spoon salad out evenly between cold salad plates and drizzle the blended dressing over as desired, taste and season with salt and pepper if you wish.

 Check Out These Resources for More Tasty Volumetrics Recipes:

   

Recipe: Crazy Crunch Cannellini Salad

If you're following the Volumetrics approach, this salad will be a great option for a filling meal. Packed with tons of fresh, healthy veggies, along with beans for protein, and some tasty herbs for great flavor, you can pretty much eat as much as you want of this delicious salad!

Crazy Crunch Cannellini Salad

Ingredients:

4 small cucumbers, scrubbed clean and diced small
1 sweet red bell pepper, cleaned and diced small
2 green onions, chopped small
1 celery stalk , chopped small
1 radish, chopped small (optional)
1 Tbsp parsley, chopped fine
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained well
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp grated sweet onion
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Directions:

• Put all the prepared vegetables in a large bowl and toss together, then add the beans and lightly toss just to combine.
• In a small bowl put the remaining ingredients and whisk vigorously until blended well and dressing gets lighter in color and becomes frothy.
• Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
• Drizzle about half the dressing into the bowl with the vegetables, toss, and add more if desired, tossing again.
• Serve immediately or chill slightly (about 20 minutes) before serving if you wish.
• If your diet doesn't allow cannellini beans, you can substitute another form of protein such as diced cooked turkey or chicken.  This is a very refreshing salad that can take a lot of tweaking.
• This makes a nice side dish for a grilled fish, chicken, or other meat dish.  You can also serve it as a light supper, lunch, or even a brunch dish.
• Use a variety of herbs in the dressing to make this dish different every time you make it. You can also change the beans to others you may prefer.

 Check These Out for More Tasty Volumetrics Recipes:

   

The Volumetrics Diet: Eat More To Lose More?

The Volumetrics Eating Plan is based on the simple fact that people like to eat. And, if people are given the choice between eating more and eating less, they'll take more almost every time. Want proof? Just look at meal sizes over the last thirty years and you will notice that not only have the portions increased, the size of the plate has increased too.

Unlike diets that are based on deprivation, the Volumetrics diet doesn't try to fight this natural preference. Its creator, nutritionist Barbara Rolls, PhD, argues that limiting your diet is not sustainable; you will just wind up hungry and unhappy and revert back to your original eating habits. Let's take a look at the basics of the Volumetrics Eating Plan.

The Volumetrics Approach

The approach Dr. Rolls takes is to help people find food they can eat lots of while still losing weight. The diet revolves around the feeling of fullness, or satiety. The theory is that people feel full based on the amount of food they eat, not the number of calories or nutrient density.

So, the trick is to fill up on foods that aren't full of calories, which allows the dieter to stick to the main principle of calorie restriction. Dr. Rolls claims that in some cases, following a Volumetrics diet will allow you to eat more than you do now, while still slimming down.

Dr. Rolls has excellent credentials. She a professor of nutrition and director of the Laboratory for the Study of Human Ingestive Behavior at Penn State University. She is also the author of more than 200 research articles. Volumetrics is based, in large part, on the work done in her laboratory.

What You Can Eat on the Volumetrics Diet

Since the diet doesn't revolve around differences in body types or “good” foods and “bad” foods, Dr. Rolls doesn't ban food types as part of the Volumetrics diet. She does, however, urge people to evaluate foods based on their energy density which is a critical concept for the diet.

Energy density is the number of calories in a specified amount of food. Some foods are more energy dense than others, like fats, which have a lot of calories packed into a small size. Water, on the other hand, has an energy density of zero.

Basically, this diet is a game to see how you can eat more food while eating fewer calories.  Here is a short break down to give you an idea of what Volumetrics is all about.

Very low-density foods include:
Non-starchy vegetables
Nonfat milk
Soup broths

Very high-density foods include:
Crackers
Chips
Cookies
Chocolate and Candies
Nuts
Butter and Oils

Since water is the ultimate zero-density food, Volumetrics relies heavily on foods with a high water content, such as many vegetables and fruits, which are 80 to 95 percent water. These will fill you up without adding a lot of calories. Dr. Rolls also suggests eating lots of foods with filling fiber, along with adequate portions of lean protein and healthy fats from fish and other sources. Of course, energy-dense foods, like sweets, fats, and alcohol, are still allowed, but only in moderation.

Anyone who loves lots and lots of food, will enjoy the Volumetrics diet. You will still have to do some simple math to calculate the energy density of foods, but at least you don't have to track calories or deny yourself a small bite of that delicious chocolate mousse.  If endless bowls of soup and piles of veggies and fruit appeal to you, dig into Volumetrics and watch the weight come off.


Learn More About the Volumetrics Diet:

   

Recipe: Tomato Lime Garnished Spicy Poblano Avocado Soup

The Fat Resistance Diet emphasizes eating plenty of healthy protein and fats, along with loads of fresh fruits and veggies to stimulate your body's natural fat-burning ability, and reduce your cravings for fat-promoting carbs.

This delicious soup is packed chock full of amazing fresh flavors, and the healthy fats from the avocado will help keep you feeling full and satisfied.

Try this as a light lunch, or a side dish along with a lean protein of your choice.

Tomato Lime Garnished Spicy Poblano Avocado Soup

Ingredients:

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2 Tbsp finely diced tomato
2 Tbsp finely chopped green onion
2 tsp fresh lime juice
pinch salt
4 to 6 ripe avocados, peeled and diced
1/3 Tbsp lime juice
3 cups chopped sweet white onion
2 1/4 cups chopped yellow bell pepper
3/4 cup chopped poblano chile pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
2 chicken stock
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chile powder
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
12 cilantro sprigs
crumbled feta cheese for garnish

Directions:

• To make garnish, mix together the tomato, green onion, 2 teaspoons lime juice, and a large pinch of salt; set aside.
• To make soup, dice avocado and mix with 1/3 tablespoon lime juice; set aside.
• In a skillet, put the onion, both peppers, garlic, and 2 tsp olive oil over medium-high heat and cook stirring often until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, about 4 to 5 minutes.
• With skillet still on heat, push vegetables aside and pour in the wine, stirring to deglaze the pan, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid is reduced by half.
• Add the stock, cumin, chile powder, white pepper, and salt; turn heat to low, cover pan, and simmer for 1 hour. Remove from heat and let cool just enough to handle.
• Pour the mixture into the food processor, then add the avocados and the cilantro springs.  Put processor on puree setting and blend until smooth.  You can change consistency by adding a bit more stock if you wish. Taste and season with additional salt, if necessary.
• Serve immediately in big bowls and top with the tomato garnish you made in the first step.
• If you need to reheat the soup after you puree it, pour it into a large saucepan and put over low heat and heat very slowly; make sure not to boil.

Recipe: Pomegranate & Cantaloupe Salsa

The Fat Resistance Diet emphasizes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, especially in Phase 1. This delicious salsa makes a wonderfully flavorful topping for grilled fish or chicken, and is packed with healthy vitamins and fats, along with lots of flavor! Give this one a try to add some zest to your meals.

Pomegranate Seed Cantaloupe Salsa

Ingredients:

1 lime, zested and juiced
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 small jalapeno, seeds removed and finely chopped
1 ripe avocado, peeled and diced
1 cup diced cantaloupe
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

• In a glass bowl, add all the ingredients and lightly toss.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
• Lightly toss again before serving.
• Serve as a dip with whole-wheat tortilla chips or as a relish with grilled fish or chicken, depending on your diet.

For more information and recipes, check out The Fat Resistance Diet: Unlock the Secret of the Hormone Leptin to: Eliminate Cravings, Supercharge Your Metabolism, Fight Inflammation, Lose Weight & Reprogram Your Body to Stay Thin, by Dr. Leo Galland.

In this book, you'll find cutting-edge research showing that losing weight is not about carbs, calories, fat, or even willpower.  Weight loss is all about a hormone called leptin and how it functions in your body. Leptin curbs your appetite, jump-starts your metabolism, and when working properly makes you literally fat resistant. If your body no longer responds to leptin, it may be impossible for you to slim down. This diet reprograms your body to start melting away the pounds. Using a combination of anti-inflammatory and hormone-balancing foods, the 3 phase regimen claims a quick weight loss, then an easy to maintain steady reduction as you enjoy over 100 delicious recipes designed to transform your body into a lean, fat-fighting machine.

What Is The Fat Resistance Diet?

The Fat Resistance Diet was developed by Dr. Leo Galland, who is recognized as an expert in the field of nutritional medicine. It is based on the concept that hormones, which include leptin and adiponectin, control the appetite and body fat levels in the body. When fat levels become too high in the body, inflammation occurs that subsequently alters the body chemistry and balance of these hormones. The idea behind the diet is to reduce inflammation which restores the body's chemistry, reducing cravings, promoting fat burning, and helping the dieter to achieve a healthy weight.

3 Stages of Weight Loss and Control

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are three stages to the Fat Resistance Diet. In the initial stages carbohydrates such as grains and starchy vegetables are avoided, but as the dieter progresses through the three stages the amount of carbohydrates is gradually reintroduced.

Stage 1 concentrates on reducing inflammation and restoring blood sugar levels. This is achieved by an abundance of super foods and nine to ten servings of fruit and vegetables every day along with a relatively high intake of quality protein. The high nutritional quality of the this phase will help to re-balance body chemistry and cut your cravings for carbohydrates. This stage also provides a jump-start to the fat loss process.

Stage 2 increases your choice of foods so that the diet is suitable for long-term fat loss. After completing Stage 1, the insulin levels in the body should have decreased which allows for tolerance of more complex carbohydrates in the diet. Stage 2 allows for reintroduction of legumes as well as some whole grains such as oatmeal and brown rice.

Stage 3 is the maintenance stage. In this stage the variety of foods increase further to include healthy grain-based meals like carrot raisin muffins, blueberry flax pancakes, and even whole grain pasta. The inflammation reducing foods are still emphasized while the caloric content of the diet is slightly higher to allow for maintenance of weight loss.

Recommended Foods

The foundation of the diet is fresh fruit and vegetables in abundance, as these contain phytonutrients such as carotenoids and flavonoids which act as anti-inflammatories.

Foods which are high in carotenoids include:

carrots
broccoli
spinach
tomatoes
pumpkin
papaya

Foods which are high in flavonoids include:

blueberries
cherries
pomegranate
citrus fruit
dark grapes
green tea
onions
dark chocolate

Fresh herbs and spices can also be used during the diet because they have important nutritional factors which reduce inflammation and improve the taste of foods without adding calories.

The diet also emphasizes increasing the intake of foods that are high in good fats like the Omega 3 fatty acids found in fish, walnuts, flaxseeds and dark green leafy vegetables. These fats play an important role in reducing inflammation as well as improving general health.

Is This the Diet for You?

The Fat Resistance Diet is a solid weight loss plan based on nutritional science. Besides losing weight, this diet has an added bonus of helping to reduce inflammation within the body and supplying high levels of antioxidants to help control hormones and keep your body healthy and happy. If you like the idea of a diet plan based on scientific study, you might want to give the Fat Resistance Diet a try.

Recipe: Kale Lentil & Tomato Soup

This soup is the perfect support for your weight-loss diet, while filling you up with plenty of protein and veggies - and it's great for a cold winter night!

For more nutrients without much more work, cook 1 1/2 cups dry lentils instead. Lentils cook quickly and do not need to be soaked like most other dry beans. You will need to add more liquid, but it will only take a few minutes longer, and will be tastier as well as more nutritious.

Kale Lentil & Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil
4 celery stalks, chopped
1 small sweet onion, diced small
1 garlic clove, grated or crushed
8 cups kale, trimmed, cleaned, and rough chopped
2 cans (15 oz size) lentils, rinsed and drained (or 1 1/2 cup dry lentils)
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
4 cups vegetable stock (6-7 cups for dry lentils)
salt and pepper to taste
fresh Parmesan cheese shavings for garnish

Directions:

• In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, put olive oil, celery, and onion, and cook, stirring often, until celery and onion starts to soften.
• Add the garlic, and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
• Dump in the kale and stir until it starts to wilt.
• Add the remaining ingredients and season to taste.
• Bring stew just to a boil, then quickly reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer slowly for about 15 minutes (30 minutes if using dry lentils).
• Serve immediately in soup bowls. If Parmesan cheese is on your diet, shave a few curls on top of each bowl of soup.

Recipe: Quinoa Almond Berry Breakfast

When planning for a healthy breakfast, cooking a few things ahead of time can save time in the morning. For example, in this recipe, you can cook the quinoa the night before and store in the fridge, then just reheat in the morning before serving. Quinoa provides a great source of protein to this healthy and hearty breakfast.

Store-bought almond milk can contain a lot of sugars and not much more, so it's best to make your own. If you prefer, you can substitute whole or 2% milk for the almond milk. Why whole milk when you're trying to lose weight? Adding a bit of good fat to your diet will help your body learn to burn fat while keeping you feeling full for longer so you don't succumb to cravings. Plus, some studies have shown fat also helps your body to metabolize the antioxidants and other good vitamins consumed at the same time.

Quinoa Almond Berry Breakfast

(Image courtesy of Gualberto107 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.)

Ingredients:

1 cup almond milk
1 cup water
1 cup quinoa
1 medium orange, zested
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp honey
1 1/4 cup fresh blueberries and/or blackberries
1 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1/4 cup honey
chopped almonds for garnish

Directions:

• Put the almond milk, water, quinoa, orange zest, cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon honey in a medium sized sauce pan and bring to a boil. Immediately lower heat to low, cover pan, and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 13 to 15 minutes.
• Remove saucepan from heat and leave covered while it sits for 5 more minutes.
• Gently stir in berries and serve in cereal bowls, dividing the 1/4 cup honey over each serving and garnish with chopped almonds.

Successful Weight Loss Always Starts With A Meal Plan

Welcome to the New Year! This is the time of year when we all start making those resolutions - usually to eat healthier and get more exercise. Unfortunately, our resolutions tend to fall by the wayside far too soon, especially when we don't have a good plan to follow.

If you're trying to get rid of that holiday weight, and create a slimmer and trimmer you in 2016, it's important to start with a plan that is easy to stick to. Basically, if you have everything planned out, you don't have to keep thinking about what you are going to eat or how hungry you are.  When you plan your meals correctly, the weight loss becomes much more likely to happen.  Here are a few tips for meal planning for weight loss success.

Plan for Breakfast

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Breakfast is the meal that gets your metabolism running and, if done properly, can help you burn fat all day long. It is important to plan for breakfast because a rushed morning makes for poor food decisions. Planning for the morning is better done the night before. Now, this doesn't mean you need to pour your cereal and let it sit overnight, but you should have a good idea of what you want to eat when you wake up.

A tip for planning for breakfast is to take everything out the night before, like your utensils, cereal, and anything else that can be left out, and consolidate your cold ingredients in one space in the refrigerator. This will help you to be more efficient in the morning when your eyes are not quite open yet. If protein in the morning is a must-have on your diet, try hard-boiling eggs the night before, peeling them, and storing them in a ziploc bag in the refrigerator.  They are the perfect morning protein that even the sleepiest dieter can manage.

Set Up the Snacks

When we get hungry during the work day, those lunch room or cafeteria vending machines start calling our name, whispering sweet nothings. If you start a love affair with these vending machine vixens, you'll be sorry. While on a weight loss regimen, those giant boxes packed with unhealthy choices are your worst enemy. This is why it is so important to plan your snacks for the day. By bringing fruits and vegetables or other healthy options from home, you will be able to control your hunger and avoid the trips to the vending machines.

Great snacks for the workplace include an apple, popcorn, cut up veggies, cheese sticks, whole nuts, and yogurt. Not only will you feel better about the choices you make throughout the day, you will be able to stick to your weight loss goals for the long term. Small healthy snacks should be planned out for the day so you and your diet stay on track, and away from the vending machines.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Plan for Lunch and Dinner

When you don't have a plan in place for your main meals, chances are you could end up foraging in the refrigerator and coming up with a bowl of leftover mashed potatoes as a main course. Or worse yet, calling for pizza or driving through the fast food place. This will turn into a dieting disaster, so it is important to think about your meals ahead of time. When your diet consists of lots of vegetables, fruits, protein, and whole grains, and all you have in the refrigerator is cold spaghetti noodles, you are putting your diet in jeopardy. Fill your refrigerator and pantry full of healthy choices and write out your meal plan for the week.  If you fall off your diet routinely just because you didn't plan your meals, you may be sabotaging your diet.  Make the commitment, then make the plan.

When you take the time to plan your meals and snacks, you have a better shot at keeping up with your weight loss goals. By planning your breakfast, being sure to pack appropriate snacks, and planning your lunch and dinner, you will be able to fend off the evil vending machines, fast food lines, and unsuccessful attempts at foraging for healthy foods. Remember, the food you eat should be a choice, and not just what is available on a whim. Plan for your meals and plan for a healthier you this year!

Designing a Low-Carb Diet to Fit Your Needs

Often one of the hardest things to do when starting a diet is trying to decide what foods to target. You want to make sure that you get enough of the good carbs, but which ones and how much?  You know you need to eat the right types of carbohydrates, but is it just a guessing game?  And what about special health concerns or needs?

Some people mistakenly believe it is best to avoid all carbs and only eat from the other food groups for the entirety of their dieting life. This method is really only suggested as a means to kick-start a diet, such as the popular South Beach Diet.  In this diet, avoiding all carbs is a technique to stop the sugar/carb cravings.  You really shouldn’t do this longer than two weeks because your body does need carbohydrates to operate and be healthy.  In most cases, eating 'good carbs' during your low carb diet is the healthiest choice.

Image Courtesy of kittijaroon at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Of course, there are exceptions to the rules and you should follow your doctor's advice first over the advice of any diet book, or me for that matter!  Let's take a look at some of the issues that affect your decision to eat low carb, and what is involved in designing your personal program.

Celiac disease requires the elimination of wheat or wheat gluten. The 'good carbs' that are reintroduced as a part of a low carb diet would need to come from 'gluten-free' sources, such as brown rice, corn, or potatoes, to name a few.  The list of 'good carbs' in a low carb diet book may include whole grain bread and pasta, but for someone with this condition, it doesn't fit.  This is a whole separate topic, but I wanted to cover it briefly just as a heads up to discuss this diet with your doctor before laying out any kind of low carb diet.  Low carb diets and gluten-free diets can look similar, but there are definite differences.

Diabetes is another condition that requires special attention to the amount and types of carbs eaten.  A food that is high in carbs but not high in fiber will cause a spike in blood sugar levels.  This spike causes the pancreas to release insulin. The insulin helps to control the sugar levels in the bloodstream.  When blood sugar levels continually spike up and down, it causes damage to the body - heart and arteries included.  This is just another reason to consult your health care professional before proceeding with any diet.

Physically active people need carbs.  Many people who start low carb diets also start a rigorous exercise program, since they most likely chose to diet to lose weight.  Muscles are fueled by the carbs you eat.  Your muscles will use these carbs for energy.  Avoiding 'bad carbs' (simple carbohydrates), and eating 'good carbs' (complex carbohydrates), along with regular exercise, will give your muscles what they need to perform without adding to fat stores.  People who are very physically active, whether on the job or at play, need more carbohydrates to maintain the health of their muscles, but they still need to eat the right kind of carbs to stay healthy.  Even very active people will gain weight if they eat too many simple carbs and not enough complex carbs.  For a person who needs their muscles to function well (and who doesn't!) eating only 'good carbs' is the right thing to do.

Image courtesy of Dan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

So, what are 'bad carbs' and 'good carbs?'  To break it down simply, 'bad carbs' are found in refined flour and sugar products; think white bread, pastas, and sugary desserts.  Those are the easiest to understand 'bad carbs.'  (We'll cover these in more depth next week.) Complex carbohydrates or the 'good carbs' may include whole grain and multi grain breads and pastas, along with long grain and brown rice, wild rice, vegetables and greens that are high in fiber, along with some fruits and berries.

However, some low carb dieters also start out by avoiding what might be considered healthier choices; foods like bananas, corn, carrots, peas, sweet potatoes, and rice, for instance. These 'good carbs' are higher in sugar content.  See why it's so confusing?  And that's why you need to get all the information you can, consult your health care professional, and listen to your own body when starting a low carb diet.

Put simply, just about everyone can fit a low carb diet into a healthier eating plan, once you know what to eat, what to avoid, and what carbohydrates are right for your particular case.  With special health concerns or physical needs, this requires an understanding of how your body works, as well as a doctor-approved approach.  Then, after all that research, there's one thing you must never forget – MOVE!  All the healthy food in the world won't help you if you don't get your heart pumping and blood circulating.  Start today by selecting an easy to follow diet and exercise program and your body will thank you!

(Check out our Fun Ways to Exercise blog for weekly fun, effective workouts that won't take you hours to do.)

Smoothies For Weight Loss: Fact or Fiction?

Starting off the New Year is a great time to set a plan to reach your goals for obtaining a healthy weight. While you may hear some debate as to whether drinking smoothies can really help with weight loss, just like every other weight loss program, the results depend on many factors: how often you exercise, what else you eat, how much you eat, etc..

We’re not going to get into all the factors involved in a weight loss program, but we are going to take a look at how smoothies can help with weight loss.

Breakfast

Skipping breakfast will almost guarantee weight loss failure. When you wake up in the morning, your body is waiting for you to 'break fast' and replenish the nutrients. When you don't break that fast (you just slept without eating, so you were fasting) your body thinks it's going into starvation mode and it must start storing fat for survival. If you make smoothies a morning habit, you have already given your body a good reason to burn fat, resulting in weight loss.

Metabolism

When you blend up a healthy mixture of dietary fiber, protein, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals for breakfast, you naturally give your body a jump-start for the day. Not only are you consuming a large amount of nutritious foods, you’re keeping your body's fuel stoked, burning fat, which is exactly what you need to do to lose weight.

Nutrients

When drinking smoothies to lose weight, you'll be making the healthiest food choices, and drinking these foods raw. No nutrients or fiber will be lost cooking your food. Fruits and vegetables that are high in fiber will stand out in many of your recipes. Some of the better choices include kale, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, apples, berries, celery, and cucumbers. And that's just the beginning! Of course, you'll be adding some calcium and protein, along with nuts, seeds, and whole grains, too. Sounds like a tasty recipe for weight loss to me.

Replace

Losing weight with smoothies can also simply be a matter of replacing unhealthy snacks with healthy smoothies. Replace high calorie, high fat, high sugar snacks with low calorie, low fat, low sugar smoothies and you are bound to see promising weight loss  results. Also, many snacks tend to be high in 'bad carbs' which can lead to a blood sugar spike, then drop, resulting in a raid on the candy machine. It's easy to see how replacing unhealthy snacks with nutritious smoothies will give your body what it needs for energy and nutrition, and avoid all those things your body doesn't need.

So, yes, you can lose weight drinking smoothies, but only if you follow a complete weight loss and fitness program. It's not magic, but by making healthier food choices, many made easier by drinking smoothies, you can see weight loss results. Of course, as with any weight loss journey, check with your own health care provider before you change your diet and exercise program.

And be sure to check back throughout the month, as we will be posting lots of delicious and tasty smoothie recipes to help you get your weight and fitness goals off to a great start for 2015! In the meantime, here are some recommended recipe books:

   

Does A Gluten-Free Diet Help With Weight Loss?

If you've been anywhere near a television, magazine, or blog lately, you have probably heard about celebrities who are on a 'gluten-free' diet to lose weight. You may even know someone who has "cut out the gluten" to lose weight. Perhaps you have even seen some positive results.

Going on a gluten-free diet CAN help you lose weight and may even give you a boost in your energy levels. Does that mean we should all run out and stock up on all those great gluten-free products at the grocery store? Not necessarily. Let's look at some simple facts and misconceptions about the gluten-free diet.

Celiac Disease Explained

4 gluten sources. Top: High-gluten wheat flour. Right: European spelt. Bottom: Barley. Left: Rolled rye flakes. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The gluten-free diet, eating a diet devoid of gluten, is very helpful for those who are either diagnosed with celiac disease or are gluten sensitive or intolerant. To know where you fit on that scale, you would need a blood test. Celiac disease is diagnosed with a blood test; gluten sensitivity can not be diagnosed with a blood test.  However, a person can determine if they are sensitive to gluten by documenting how they feel after eating food with gluten and eating food without gluten.

If you are diagnosed with celiac disease, it means that gluten (the proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley products) inflames the small intestine, destroying the finger-like protrusions (the villi) which transport nutrients from the food in the small intestine into the bloodstream. When the villi are destroyed, the body can not absorb the nutrients it needs, causing malnourishment which results in many health concerns.

Someone diagnosed with celiac disease should not eat any foods containing any gluten in any form. This is for health reasons, and not for weight loss.

Weight Loss Explained

A person who has celiac disease may be thin, especially in the early stages. Weight loss may occur in people with celiac disease as a result of nutrients not being absorbed properly.

Aside from people with celiac disease, you may see other people lose weight who are on a gluten-free diet. There are a number of reasons for this weight loss which may have little to do with whether or not gluten is in or out of their diet. Let me explain.

When someone says they have cut gluten out of their diet to lose weight, they may actually be saying they have eliminated bread, pasta, bagels, crackers, and all those 'gluteny' foods. An elimination of processed foods - and especially those high in simple carbohydrates - will help facilitate weight loss. If you replace your bagel for breakfast with fresh fruit to eliminate gluten, you are simply eating a healthier diet which could result in weight loss.

Reading labels when on a gluten-free diet can become almost fanatical. Being aware of all the added sugars, fats, and carbs will help you make smarter, healthier choices. Depending on what foods are eliminated, and what they are replaced with, a person who is eating a gluten-free diet may make better food choices because they are better  informed.

Weight Gain Explained

When the gluten-free diet is used as a weight loss tool, there may also be weight gain as an unpleasant consequence. There are a few reasons this may occur.

Eliminating grains from your diet (wheat, barley, rye, etc.) can mean a drastic cut back in fiber. You need dietary fiber in your diet to prevent constipation. If your body is not working right, your metabolism will slow and you will begin to gain weight instead of lose weight. You can help correct this by remembering that not all grains are forbidden on a gluten-free diet. Be sure to include plenty of safe fiber (brown rice, quinoa, whole oats, fresh vegetables and fruit, etc.) in your diet to maintain a healthy dose of dietary fiber in your digestive tract.

A choice of savoury and sweet gluten free crepes (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Adding prepackaged gluten-free specialty foods is not the answer to the weight gain dilemma, either. Refined gluten-free flour is still refined flour; no fiber and little nutrition. Many of these packaged foods are less filling because they lack fiber, and they are loaded with sugar and fat to make up for the missing flavor.

Another odd side-effect of gluten-free eating to lose weight is people may become unaware of how much they're eating. We see many people eating gigantic portions of gluten-free foods because, after all, it's good for you. Well, not necessarily. Special gluten-free bread, pasta, and crackers are oftentimes very high in carbohydrates with very little fiber to offset the carb count. Calories may be very high, as well. So, if you're thinking "gluten-free equals healthier" you need to think again and read the labels. A big plate of gluten-free spaghetti is still a big plate of carbs!

Energy Boost Explained

It is true that some people get a nice little energy boost when they eliminate gluten from their diet. That may be in part to the elimination of carbohydrate-loaded foods like pasta and bread. When we overload on carbs and don't work it off with exercise, we get sluggish.

Replacing carb-loaded foods with fresh fruits and vegetables will help you feel lighter and more energetic. However, as mentioned, if you start replacing wheat bread and pasta with specialty gluten-free versions of the same foods, the high carb count in those foods, combined with the less than impressive fiber count, will eventually slow you down again.

In Conclusion

If you want to lose weight and enjoy an energy boost, you may get results with a gluten-free diet.  However, you have to do the work, read the labels, and be very aware of portion control.  You also have to remember that processed foods, gluten-free or not, are still processed foods. The flour used is refined, nutrients are removed, and the calories, carbs, sugars, and fat should always be questioned. For best results, cook your own meals from scratch at home.

Remember, too, that if you are eliminating a food group from your diet, you must consult with your doctor or health professional to determine what nutrients you will need to be watching. If your diet typically included whole grain wheat bread, cereal, or pasta, then you need to have another source of the nutrients and fiber those foods provided.

The gluten-free diet is intended for people who have celiac disease. If you feel you exhibit some of the symptoms, please see your doctor and ask for the blood test needed for diagnosis. If you simply feel better when you don't eat wheat, barley, or rye products, then by all means don't eat them. You may still want to consult with your doctor if this is the case.

If you want to lose weight and feel more energetic, you can try eliminating gluten from your diet and see how you feel. Just remember that to experiment with a gluten-free diet for weight loss is a process that needs to be carefully observed. Always check with your doctor first, then proceed slowly and wisely. Replace gluten-containing foods with fresh, healthy, natural alternatives, and you may indeed see a positive difference in your health as well as your weight.

Recipe: Purple Cabbage Avocado And Apple Salad

This makes a perfect healthy winter salad, with fresh, crunchy cabbage and apples, and creamy, healthy avocado accented with lemon juice and mustard for a tangy kick. To vary the color and flavor, try green cabbage instead of red, or mix the two for a lovely multi-colored dish.

Be sure to read the ingredients on the mustard you choose.  There are many variations so you need to check that the one you use fits your diet - avoid those with added sugar if possible. This is a very diet-friendly recipe for most diets.  However, if you are not eating fruit right now, you can eliminate the apple. If you do, try to substitute something else for crunch.  Nuts may be a good choice, again, depending on your diet.

Purple Cabbage Avocado And Apple Salad

Ingredients:

Purple cabbage. (Photo credit: Jamie Anderson)

8 cups very finely shredded purple cabbage
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into thin wedges
1 Granny Smith apple (or other tart green apple)
1 lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp coarse ground mustard
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Directions:

• Put cabbage, avocado, and apple in large bowl and drizzle with the juice from one lemon.
• In a separate small bowl, put the remaining ingredients and whisk together briskly until frothy.
• Spoon salad onto cold salad plates and drizzle mustard dressing over as desired.
• Serve immediately.  (The lemon juice will help keep the avocados and apples from browning.)