Weight Control 1 – Consumption

There is no question that diet is one of the most important factors in weight control. Sure there are others as mentioned in my recent overview being: hormones, exercise, mindset, and metabolic set point. However, what you put in your mouth is still the most important aspect. It needs to be done in conjunction with the other factors listed so it’s still not necessarily going to work on its own, but diet is still number one.

There is so much misinformation out there. There have been so many diets mass marketed in say the last twenty years. I actually believe many of them are quite good if they are right for your situation and again, done with due regard to the other factors. Some are simply ridiculous though, like soup diets. Really, how can you both lose and maintain ideal weight after a week or two of only consuming soup? This is nuts. While we call get tired of the word diet, it’s still the most appropriate word when it stands for a varied, natural, regular, balanced, healthy eating plan.

Does calorie counting work? Yes, but only if your other factors are in balance, and only if they are healthy, balanced calories. Portion control can be part of this, but when you think about it logically, you really only need portion control when your eating behaviour is imbalanced or you are eating high calorie (particularly carbohydrate) meals. If you are eating super healthy, low calorie, natural foods you can eat as much as you like! Try it if you don’t believe me. Do you reckon (this is a bit extreme) someone who eats lettuce, broccoli, tomato, carrot with a moderate amount of fish or chicken each meal for a week is going to put on weight? No way. All things being equal, they would more than likely lose a kilo or two.

I believe the single biggest dietary factor in weight control today is the ratio between carbohydrates, fats and protein. Many moderns diets (and worse still the way-too-powerful processed food industry) continually try to warn against fat consumption. So many of the products on the supermarket shelves are “no fat” or “low fat”. This is not only ridiculous, it’s simply not relevant! Fats are not the enemy; it’s more the lack of balance, particularly meal preparation that is low or void in protein and high in carbohydrates. The U.S. Department of Health Services recommends the following ratio(s) for optimum health:

Protein 10 – 35%
Fat 20 – 35%
Carbs 45 – 65%

So where in those figures does “no fat” sound like a good idea? Even “low fat” seems somewhat irrelevant. The 20-35% range is certainly not high, but it’s not that low either. We just have to be smart and look at our energy needs. These ratios may shift quite dramatically for a professional bodybuilder and again for a marathon runner. However, most of us are neither of those so we need to look at our energy needs. If you are the average person who is not getting regular exercise and is already overweight you still need carbohydrates but any “bad” ones like sugary foods, chocolate and soft drinks are going to put your energy intake way above what you need (and be stored as fat). Yet, you could get plenty of carbohydrates from fresh vegetables. You don’t even need the starchy carbs such as breads, pastas and rice as your body just wants to store them as fat if you are already overweight.

The other side of the equation is not enough protein. Even if you are being a little bit naughty and having a high-carbohydrate snack, have some protein with/or after it. From high protein/low carb diets I have experienced like the Ultralight and Dukan Diets this is magical. For example, say my resolve broke down in the evening and I reached for the dreaded potato crisps, I would have a nice couple of slices of cheese (seen as protein food although does contain fat). Amazingly, even though you are adding additional calories with the cheese you are actually less likely to put on weight because the protein was there. I won’t go into the science of this as it is quite involved but it just works. Best of all, the more protein you eat the less hungry you feel. For carbohydrates it is the opposite!

We all need to drink more water. It’s not just for hydration and the fact that most metabolic processes create water that ends up in waste (urine). It’s because when you up your protein content these molecules are a bit harder and slower to break down and can thus be harder for your kidneys to filter. Without the water, this can cause long term kidney damage.

So in conjunction with your healthcare professional, if you want to lose weight, up your protein and make sure you consume some protein every time you eat and even when you drink if the drink is not calorie-neutral. Drink at least 1.5 – 2 litres of water and cut down on bad carbs but retain your fats. As soon as you eat sugar or have that chocolate bar or glass of beer, you put your metabolism into a spin and blow your calorie quota for that day. The least you can do is have some protein as well. Eat unprocessed foods and watch your pH balance. When your body is slightly alkaline it seems to even out your metabolism nicely, whereas highly acidic bodies always seem to accumulate fat.

The Wisdom of Complementary Medicine

I used to wonder what the term Complementary Medicine meant. Really, I couldn’t see the sense in it! Often we are brought up (wrongly I now believe) to see one or the other, black/white, right/left, tall/short, our way/their way, etc. But if we simply open our hearts and minds and embrace and see value in everything around us, our lives suddenly become richer and more rounded. This is the case with Complementary Medicine.

A wonderful definition of Complementary Medicine is: “Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a broad domain of healing resources that encompasses all health systems, modalities, and practices and their accompanying theories and beliefs, other than those intrinsic to the politically dominant health system of a particular society or culture in a given historical period”. (at http://www.bmj.com/content/319/7211/693 accessed on 24/6/13)

One does not have to look too far to see that there are inherent strengths and weaknesses on both “sides” of medicine and I believe more often than not where one fails, the other cures and vice versa. Take for example cancer. When I mention cancer to my Chinese Therapist he simply shakes his head with a stern look of resignation. Yet with many forms of cancer now, if you speak with an Oncologist there is often hope. There is increasingly a pathway to potentially heal, or at least prolong life. Alternatively, if you ask my Chinese Therapist about infertility from non-specific causes, he stands up confidently and says “we can do something about that”. But, while western medicine has made incredible advances in technologies surrounding techniques like In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), the process is still very much an expensive roll of the dice for those desperate to parent.

Which form of medicine is better? I don’t believe proponents of either can claim ultimate glory. What about allergies for example? There are some great Homeopathic remedies to cure allergies. I believe western medicine struggles with allergies in most cases. Yet, if you have a serious disease such as pancreatitis, you would probably opt for western medical treatment over the Homeopathy. The debate can go on and on.

I personally suggest a truly complementary approach to your healing and healthcare in general. As I mentioned earlier, there is much more power in being open to the various modalities available to us. Ask your family, friends and workmates what has worked for them. Do your own research. Be open-minded and try new remedies from a reliable source. Above all, where possible I advocate using a dual or holistic approach. For example, if you are receiving radiotherapy for cancer (which smashes your immune system) discuss alternative therapies with your doctor which can boost the immune system in a natural way possibly enabling a quicker recovery or at least buying more time to explore alternatives if the situation is dire.

De-tox your Life

I believe one of the biggest health issues today is toxicity.  The increased consumption of processed (basically unnatural) foods, genetically modified foods, prescription and recreational drugs, and alcohol, coupled with less exercise and increased stress means that people are developing and retaining more and more toxins.  Whilst our body is generally very good at purging toxins, once it gets overloaded you may notice conditions like weight gain and skin breakouts right through to diseases like cancer.

The main saviours of a toxic system are organs like the liver, kidneys, spleen and our skin.  This high-performing team will do the job if you let it and detoxify your body.  The trick is, this can only happen if your body is purging toxins faster than you take them in, that is, a net loss of toxins on a daily basis.  Ideally we would all be better off toxin-free but one would imagine this scenario to be virtually impossible.  So how do we do it?

The net toxic loss I mention essentially then means two steps – stop putting toxins in and purging the old toxins out.  As I said, your body is good at getting rid of this waste but is assisted greatly by eating real organic foods, drinking plenty of water (daily at least 1.5 litres) and exercising regularly.  I also recommend being more aware of your portions not just from a weight control perspective, but to simply go easier on your digestive organs giving them the space to do their thing.  Similarly with the timing and speed of meals.  Eating late and ramming food down your throat must be tougher on your digestive system.  It may also be worth considering a specific liver/kidney cleansing diet(s) like the type espoused by Dr Sandra Cabot.

This leaves us with simply putting less toxins in.  Essentially, toxins can come in through what we ingest, through our skin, and through our bodily orifices.  It’s not enough to eat well some of the time if you consume a lot of processed food.  A fantastic naturopath I used to see called it “caveman food”.  If a caveman could access it, then it’s okay for all of us.  We have become so far removed from what real food is we should be ashamed.  For example, I have been informed that the “apparently” beautiful salmon that is farmed in my home state of Tasmania (which has such a clean/green image) has a naturally white flesh.  Yet, when you buy it at the supermarket it is a pink colour which I’m told is due to a food dye!  Why do intelligent beings mess with such an amazing food in the name of aesthetics?  I just don’t get it.  We must return to caveman food.

The even more hidden danger is over other parts of our body.  I have seen children in parts of Asia swim or bath in water that most of us  wouldn’t put our dog in.  They may not have another option, but many of us do.  We need to be aware that water carrying all types of germs can enter through our eyes, ears, mouth, nose, genitals and anus.  Some pathogens can penetrate our skin as well.  Have you ever bleached your hair, washed with shampoo, used deodorant, etc.?  chances are you have fed your body heavy metals, carcinogens and a host of other molecules that it doesn’t recognise, or know how to process.  That’s the issue, our de-tox team only knows how to deal with naturally occurring molecules.  Anything foreign typically gets stored in the liver and in fat cells away from our organs so they are protected.

Be the caveman, not just with your diet but with what you put on your skin and hair.  Be aware of what you immerse yourself in.  Ask your healthcare professional what’s in any prescriptions you are given and ask for alternatives where you can that are more natural.  Avoid radiation where possible also.  Drink fresh water and investigate chelates (bind and remove heavy metals).  EXERCISE!  This is not just for your heart and weight control.  Exercise draws toxins away from your core where your organs are and transports them out to your extremities.  From there, the magic of sweat helps take them out of your body whilst doubling as a cooling aid.  It’s a brilliant machine your body, just give it the best environment you can!

Get Juicing!

Juicing has become one of my favourite topics. This is quite an ironic turnaround as commercially bottled juices have long turned me off drinking any form of vegetable juice in particular, for a couple of decades. Like many kids, I didn’t really like or appreciate my vegetables at dinner time when I was much younger. Why on earth would I want to start consuming vegetable juice then? It must surely be horrible? Fruit juice can be nice if fresh, but the bottled stuff is too often laced with sugar, artificial sweeteners and preservatives.

Recently my wife and I bought our first juicer; the centrifugal type. This was relatively cheap and we got right into it juicing everything we could get our hands on. The results were great. We have a wonderful garden and even as I write we have beautiful self-sown bok choy and silver beet growing abundantly in the cold Tasmanian winter. It’s not hard to come up with great tasting combinations. Although I thought the veggie juice would taste awful, we quickly realised that if you simply add a small amount of apple or carrot to the mix it tastes beautiful!

We had to take our juicing to another level. Even though we were composting all the waste from our exploits, it seemed to be too much in volume for too small an amount of juice. This can be costly. We also noticed very early on that the juice oxidised quickly (heat from the centrifugal model), turned brown and didn’t taste fresh for very long. Lastly, the really leafy stuff like the bok choy and silver beet mentioned was virtually all churned out into the waste bucket for almost nil return in juice. Then it happened, we discovered the cold press juicer!

The cold press model cost us around 4 times the price of the centrifugal one ($219 versus about $50). But as I always respectfully say to people, what price do you put on your health? The new machine overcomes the negatives of the old one. There is much less heat so whilst there must still be some oxidisation, you certainly can’t notice by eye or by taste. Our juice does not last that long (as in we consume it quickly) but even after 5 days it still tastes like we have just made it. There is much less waste and incredible gains in juice volume, particularly with the leafy veggies. The new unit whilst clever in design is no harder to clean than the other one either.

So why do we do this? As mentioned in my first post, Chlorophyll is one of the important elements lacking in modern diets. You can pick it up quickly en mass in your juice while still eating what you normally would. This is like drinking liquid sunlight! It’s incredibly healthy when sourced from organic produce, and if you are like us you can source much of it that might otherwise be excess from your own garden.

Natural fruit and vegetable juices are highly alkaline so are wonderful for people with acidic diets. Juicing thus not only restores pH to healthy levels, but in so doing restores deposits of critical minerals and trace elements lacking in those who eat a lot of processed food. Start your juicing today! Not only will you enjoy the health benefits, but you can also have fun if you collaborate in the kitchen with your partner, children or willing other, on the interesting combinations you can manifest. Our favourite is often tagged on other forums as “miracle juice” which is roughly equal parts apple, beetroot and carrot. It’s quite sweet, has a magical colour and an amazing array of nutrients.

Weight Control Overview

There are so many aspects to weight loss and weight control that you really almost need a post-graduate degree to have any chance of success. So if you are one of the masses who has ever struggled or continues to struggle with your weight please give yourself some respite because I’m guessing for most of you this is not your area of expertise.

I have the philosophy of always looking at myself as a work-in-progress. At heart I am a perfectionist and strive for the best outcome in everything I do, but sometimes the sculpture you are creating takes more time, more education and some hiccups along the way. However, you are worth it and the results are worth it.

Two years ago I was 106 kg and back in 2003 I was out to 112 kg with all kinds of fluctuations and diets in between. I woke every morning with a headache, had high cholesterol levels and slightly elevated blood pressure, skin problems, back problems, and so on. Now I weigh 85 kgs, with no headaches, my back is fine and my skin is still improving. I haven’t had my cholesterol checked again yet but I’m betting there is marked improvement.

I believe body weight is affected by the following:
1. Diet (all consumption including food, drinks, medications and supplements;
2. Exercise – You can live without it for a while but the fact is we are designed to move.
3. Current Metabolic Set Point – I call it this, but other terms are regularly used.
4. Hormones – There are more than people realise that affect our weight – insulin, leptin, grehlin to name a few.
5. Mindset.

The critical thing to note is that we need an wholistic approach that ensures we have a strategy across all five of the above areas because in this complex system that is the human body they all interact. There’s no point on working on any less than the whole five points listed otherwise you are literally doomed to fail which is why so many diets and exercise regimes don’t work.

In coming posts I will go into each of these in more detail. For now however, even though I was being honestly supportive with the earlier work-in-progress comments, it’s time to give up certain excuses that may be holding you back. We’ve all heard (and maybe said) things like:
“It’s just the way I’m built”
“It’s genetic, look at my (father, mother…)”
“I’ve simply got big bones” (possibly my all-time favourite)
“I can’t exercise, I’ve got bad (knees, ankles, hip…)”
“I just don’t have time”
“My hormones are all stuffed up, it’s impossible for me”
“I can’t diet, I hate/can’t eat/am allergic to…”

Sound familiar? Let’s go on a journey of discovery and improve our education, motivation, self-esteem, and life a much healthier life. Watch this space!

Care with Caffeine

Many people around the world wake up to the morning habit of a cup of coffee. Most of us these days probably also know that the caffeine in coffee is both a stimulant and a diuretic. As an avid coffee fan (probably recovering addict) turned health nut, I have read literally countless articles on how good or bad coffee is for you. Interestingly, it’s been very difficult to come to a definitive yes or no answer.

It seems one or two cups of coffee a day aren’t really damaging to you health if you are otherwise well and have a balanced diet. On the other hand, if you can stomach the equivalent of around 100 cups of coffee a day it is known to be lethal. I wonder who was the test dummy for that experiment? “Sorry Bob, this is a responsible service cafe and we cannot let you go past 99 cups or you’ll die!” The problem is, no-one has been able to draw a line between healthy and unhealthy somewhere in there between two cups and one hundred.

This brings me once again to the subject of so-called energy drinks. Several (certainly not all) of these drinks contain caffeine levels four times or more than that of coffee at a similar serving volume. Thus not knowing where the good/bad line with caffeine is can be risky for voracious consumers of energy drinks even though the 100 “cuppa” rule seems ridiculous. What I am saying is, why risk it?

There have been times in my dark days while studying, when I would stay up late for a deadline and continually abuse coffee until I literally got anxiety and heart palpitations. There was no way this was caused by anything other than the caffeine. I used to get up and go for a 1-hour-plus walk to work the tension out of my system, then resume my quest for academic glory. Daily over-stimulation of one’s nervous system like this cannot be good in the long term, not to mention the dehydration from urinating all the time from the diuretic effect.

There is another dark side to a dark roast; acid. Coffee consumption is one of the most acid-forming intakes you can have. This makes maintaining a healthy pH balance in your body very difficult, if not impossible. Milk is also quite acid-forming so that latte or cappuccino comes at a heavy pH cost. Several a day and you are far too acidic for optimum health.

As mentioned in previous posts when you are too acidic your body tries to make you more alkaline so it cleverly drags alkalising compounds like minerals out of your bones and other storage points. This can slowly manifest in serious imbalances in the body which cause equally serious diseases. Me, I stick to one coffee per day and cannot even see the sense in energy drinks. Zero coffee may be better but I’m human, I love the taste, and I want to remember where I came from. I have replaced my “other” coffees with herbal teas (check for caffeine with these as well), water and freshly pressed fruit and veggie juices. I have not felt better in a long time.

Beware of Fructose!

It’s scary to consider that Australians consume on average around 31 teaspoons of sugar (both added and natural) each day! (Saxelby, Catherine http://www.ahm.com.au/content/showpagenum.asp?page=9782 June 8, 2013) What’s worse is that about 75% (Ibid) of this sugar intake comes from packaged and pre-prepared foods and drinks. Convenience could well be killing us! Certainly some sugar is fine and most nutritionists recommend we have around 10-12% of our daily energy intake from sugars which equates to around 50 grams or 12 teaspoons. Still sounds quite a bit doesn’t it?

It is quite an amount, but on a positive note it just shows how good our body (especially the liver) is at handling excesses and toxins. Most carbohydrates we consume end up being broken down into the monosaccharides glucose and fructose (galactose is another). Put simply, healthy amounts of glucose are easily absorbed into the bloodstream and if not metabolised quickly end up as stored glycogen in the liver, body fat and muscles for fuel reserves. Nothing untoward here, as long as the glucose intake is not excessive as mentioned.

But what about fructose? This simple sugar is certainly naturally occurring in good stuff we eat like fruit and honey. Unfortunately, much of the excess sugar we eat in the form of soft drinks, energy drinks, and other processed foods, comes in the form of fructose. Firstly, this fructose if not metabolised in the liver, ends up in the small and large intestines. In the large intestine it literally ferments and can cause bloating, diarrhoea, flatulence, and gastrointestinal pain. Worse still for weight control, fructose is starting to loom as a major enemy.

There is now evidence that excess fructose can cause insulin resistance and obesity, plus elevated LDL cholesterol and triglycerides then ultimately a condition known as metabolic syndrome. Essentially, with metabolic syndrome the insulin resistance can cause diabetes and really mess with the body’s ability to properly process glucose as well. What often happens then is it becomes a vicious cycle. People put on weight, exercise less, get depressed, eat more refined sugars, develop cardiovascular disease, put on weight… and on it goes.

So as always my solution is to eat natural, unprocessed foods. Drink plenty of water, and enjoy plenty of fruit but watch your honey intake. Remember that all sugars are acid-forming in the body so they should be kept to a minimum anyway. And please, lay off the soft drinks! They will leach minerals out of your bones and could well be the thing that leads you down the slippery slope towards metabolic syndrome.

The Ins & Outs of Statins

Statins are a class of drugs used to help lower cholesterol. They are reductase inhibitors which inhibit a reductase enzyme that plays a central role in cholesterol production in the liver. Research has shown statins to be of benefit in the treatment of cardiovascular disease due to this cholesterol-lowering effect. However, like many modern drugs, some scientists and doctors are concerned about the overuse of statins. It seems like some doctors prescribe statins as a cardiovascular cure-all once patients show certain traits or reach age thresholds.

So yes, statins do lower cholesterol, but at what cost? And, is cholesterol really the problem? Known side-effects of statin use include muscle damage (your heart is essentially muscle tissue), diabetes, depression, memory loss, nausea, headaches and diarrhoea. My own reading on statins continually produces two opposing schools of thought. The first is that stains are a “magic bullet” for many cardiovascular ills and that people even as young as fifty should start taking them as a prevention. This line on thinking however, seems to always trace back to the pharmaceutical companies (surprise). The second school of thought is that when you break it down, inflammation in arteries is more of a causal factor in cardiovascular disease than high cholesterol itself.

It must be said that some statins have actually been shown to reduce inflammation in the arteries. However, incredibly inflammation has also been linked to drugs used to lower cholesterol and also, wait for it… the many Low-Fat (high fad) diets that have pervaded our lives. So in essence, whilst statin use has been shown to lower the risk of mortality from cardiac episodes, the reduced risk may have really come about from the anti-inflammatory properties some statins possess. Cholesterol is only a problem when it builds up. How can it build up in one area without inflammation or scarring inside vessels?

Next time your doctor wants to prescribe statins for you, ask why. If they say your cholesterol is high, ask why this is a problem? Ask what dietary changes you can make to lower so-called “bad” cholesterol and importantly, to assist you to naturally reduce inflammation. As I always say, you can’t beat eating good wholesome foods including some fats. It’s excess that kills, along with lack of exercise, smoking, alcohol and high-acid diets!

Benefits of a Cold Shower

In many cultures the proverbial “cold shower” is something you have, or maybe are told to have, when you are getting a bit frisky or aroused. But are there health benefits as well? Could there be more to the saying than we are led to believe? Some people swear by the virtues of a cold shower so let’s investigate why.

Firstly, it’s hard to find negatives at all with the exception of existing or unmasked cardio-vascular issues such as heart disease, high cholesterol, angina, etc. If you are, or think you might be susceptible to conditions like this or similar (particularly with age), please see your healthcare professional before jumping into a cold shower. Studies show that most heart attacks occur in the morning, particularly in the shower or at the breakfast table. (Arif, Dr Imran http://phys.org/news142791169.html October 9, 2008)

Beyond that it all seems to be upside. In my own experience I have a full shower at a moderate temperature and simply give it an 8-10 second cold blast at the end at which time I rotate to give myself maximum exposure and to share the “cold load”. This exercise certainly leaves me feeling very alert, yet relaxed. Within seconds of finishing, my skin becomes flushed with blood giving me a warm glow all over. I leave the shower feeling really vibrant and ready to take on the day. What happens also from this short blast is that gradually the rest of my showers are subsequently getting cooler and cooler as I adapt and no longer feel comfortable with a hot shower. When it’s too hot now I notice how sluggish I am, with a corresponding sluggish attitude.

Other reported benefits of proponents of cold showers claim greater clarity of mind, increased alertness and fearlessness among other things. Obviously, there is the potential side benefit of saving money on your electricity bills. Some people claim increased immunity, improved metabolism, improved circulation, improved temperature regulation, increased testosterone (men), increased fertility, increased energy, improved lymphatic movement, better sleep, improved stress tolerance, improved breathing, decreased inflammation, relief from depression and better skin and hair. What a list!

So next time you are after a cheap and easy general health tonic, with proper guidance try a cold shower or cold shower blast. It’s no wonder elite athletes have their ice baths, and this treatment is open to everyone.

Hydration

Most people know to some degree how important hydration is, but how many of us actually manage our hydration properly? Popular diets usually instruct followers to consume at least 1.5 litres of water a day or more. Many of the molecules in our body are made up of Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H) and Oxygen (O) atoms and we all know water is H2O. Catabolic (breaking down) processes in the body often create water as a by-product which passes out of the body through urine and sweat (around 2 litres). Anabolic processes (construction) require water to form new molecules to replace those lost and for healing and growth. So it’s not just enough to know that our bodies are over 50% water, it’s also good to understand the importance of water at are more fundamental level. Minute to minute and hour to hour the balance is thus critical to our health.

Unfortunately, modern diets aren’t always conducive to good hydration. Diuretics like coffee are increasing in popularity. Alcohol consumption is also a great concern. Soft drinks (sodas) remain popular and the salts (sodium, potassium, etc.) and caffeine in them play havoc with hydration. Not to mention so-called “energy drinks” many of which are loaded with caffeine. Worse still, we have young people mixing energy drinks with alcohol – a double whammy of dehydration, coupled with stimulant and anti-stimulant properties! All these drinks are making your body fight against dehydration. As your body wages this battle, it cleverly tries to protect critical things like brain function, blood volume, waste removal, etc. So, to do this when you are dehydrated it takes from elsewhere. If you have regular headaches, muscle pains and cramps, erratic thinking and concentration, poor bowel movements and so on, chances are you are simply dehydrated.

Ah, what to do? “I don’t like drinking heaps of water Jason, it’s boring, tasteless, etc.” you say. Well there are other options. Limit your alcohol to a couple of glasses a week. Enjoy only one or two cups of coffee a day. Try and mix this with alternatives like herbal teas, fruit juices, vegetable juices, rice milk, almond milk… and just plain water! If you mix it up a bit, you may just have one a day from each of these categories and if you do have coffee you will appreciate it much more as a real treat. Also try to eat more fluid-friendly foods such as fruit and vegetables. Junk foods are not only fattening, but the salt and sugar content can leave you quite dehydrated.