As an adjunct to my post yesterday of, The True Meaning of a Calorie, I was just emailed by a colleague an amazing study that demonstrates the power of relying on our own internal body wisdom rather than external cues (like calories).
It is well known in the health world that dietary restraint (which is what most Americans use as the primary method of altering body composition) actually has a 95-98% failure rate. This means that dieting, counting calories and eliminating and restricting certain types of foods is not working. The researchers in this study wanted to figure out if teaching basic skills about hunger awareness could reap benefits in blood sugar and beyond. Of course I am interested. Awake, intuitive, conscious eating has a power that I have seen bypass any external method or program.
This study, published in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, was designed to assess whether training a group of subjects in the skill of identifying initial hunger would prove effective in regulating eating patterns and improving blood sugar markers. In previous studies it had been shown that waiting for hunger before eating was associated with a significant decrease in energy intake.
The basic criteria was training individuals to understand the feelings of hunger. The subjects were asked to only eat when they could identify true physical signs of hunger. The subjects reported that their hunger came in the form of gastric pangs, sensations of emptiness and hollowness and mental or physical weakness. Through many methods of identifying physical hunger, the subjects at the end of the study were using only the subjective sensation alone of initial hunger as when to begin a meal.
In the trained subjects, significant decreases were found in insulin sensitivity index, insulin and BG peaks, glycated haemoglobin, mean pre-meal BG, standard deviation of diary BG (BG as recorded by subjects' 7-day diary), energy intake, BMI, and body weight when compared to control subjects. In other words, the subjects trained in listening to their bodies (rather than trained in the diet mentality alone) ended up eating less, losing weight and having a healthier blood sugar and cardiovascular profile over the five month period than those who didn't.
Here is a link to a table showing the effects: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnume/2010/286952.tab2.html
The more that we attune to our naturally embedded biological signals of hunger, fullness and satisfaction, the closer we become to our natural, unlimited state of health.
Nat
Mario Ciampolini, David Lovell-Smith, Riccardo Bianchi, et al., “Sustained Self-Regulation of Energy Intake: Initial Hunger Improves Insulin Sensitivity,” Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, vol. 2010, Article ID 286952, 7 pages, 2010. doi:10.1155/2010/286952
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Day 28 - The True Meaning of the Calorie
The numbers float in our head like a scene out of A Beautiful Mind. We have seen them on the back of every box, can and bag; featured in magazines, newspapers and periodicals; devoted to by our society in news headlines; entire books dishing the details of their imprint on every consumable. They may have shadowed the previous pleasure and satisfaction that we got from our meals just because we think that they do, in fact, exist. The calorie. A once elusive concept that had no precedence over our food decisions has now become our religion. Our commandments with the God of calorie is to monitor, identify, label and judge.
Can you imagine how it must look to in-tune-with-their-body indigenous people if they were catapulted into our society without knowing about our divine calorie God? How would it seem to them as we went through the grocery store aisles evaluating the food based on the number that a lab coat gave it? Would it make sense to them, after using their internal senses of sensation, hunger and fullness since the dawn of their inception to suddenly believe a written number on a label instead of their internal instincts? I am sure they would wonder why people read and conjecture through the choices, when they have been taught to simply listen to the body.
What really are calories and why do they get so much press?
Calories are really just a unit of energy labeled by science. They apply to anything that contains energy potential like gasoline (a gallon of which contains 31 million calories). We know them mostly as when applied to food.
A calorie is the amount of energy that is required to raise the temperature of one gram of water to one degree Celsius. I know. How bland. Wait for my definition below. What you see on the food labels are not actually calories at all but are actually kilocalories. If a can of soda contains 200 calories it is actually 200,000 regular calories or 200 kilocalories. No matter; they are just a form of energy-potential measurement.
Our bodies burn the calories from food through metabolic actions where enzymes break each food component (protein, fat or carbohydrate) down into smaller molecules that can travel into the bloodstream and be stored or reacted to with oxygen to be used for immediate energy.
The number of kilocalories in a food represents the potential energy that it possesses. Potential energy is key to understand here because the power of the calorie can only be implemented properly when traveling alongside other constituents. For example, 200 kilocalories of licorice and 200 calories of almond butter are very different forms of food that create vastly different energy consequences. Here are some of the elements in food and the body that change the impact of potential energy:
In addition, the number of calories that we need to function and thrive is different for each person. Throw away the 2000 calorie standard. To give out a number would be like estimating exactly how much fuel a car needs in America today. Each car has a different weight, energy requirement and internal demand; in addition to that each car's fuel needs depend on how far it is going and how its driver will function. These demands change every day are in a constant state of flux.
The truth of a calorie is this: a calorie is a unit of measurement that was derived to attempt to understand the complex and mysterious synergy of energy changing form. This scientific standpoint, although useful in many other realms beyond health and weight management, has actually become counter-productive in diet. A calorie is a limited marker that does not take into account the equation of so many vast variables, known and unknown. The truth is that a calorie is a false gauge that we now trust more than the ultimate guide; our body's natural, intuitive voice. No one can tell you how much energy potential you can create and utilize; and yet we do this everyday.
Imagine how indigenous people feel when they see how we approach eating food. Truly, our relationship with food shouldn't be based upon what science is clumsily trying to convince us is fact. Rather, when we are attuned to what we require from our bodies, the amount of food we need to accomplish our goals is an enjoyable eating experience. Food; real food; whole food is meant to fully be enjoyed and appreciated so we can tackle our daily tasks at hand with passionate vigor.
Part of the Awake Eating Method is about truly savoring your food for the pleasurable experience it is supposed to be, instead of a stressful event of caloric understanding. To discover your highest physical potential all you need to understand are the sensations inside your body. No other measurement is needed.
Nat
Can you imagine how it must look to in-tune-with-their-body indigenous people if they were catapulted into our society without knowing about our divine calorie God? How would it seem to them as we went through the grocery store aisles evaluating the food based on the number that a lab coat gave it? Would it make sense to them, after using their internal senses of sensation, hunger and fullness since the dawn of their inception to suddenly believe a written number on a label instead of their internal instincts? I am sure they would wonder why people read and conjecture through the choices, when they have been taught to simply listen to the body.
What really are calories and why do they get so much press?
Calories are really just a unit of energy labeled by science. They apply to anything that contains energy potential like gasoline (a gallon of which contains 31 million calories). We know them mostly as when applied to food.
A calorie is the amount of energy that is required to raise the temperature of one gram of water to one degree Celsius. I know. How bland. Wait for my definition below. What you see on the food labels are not actually calories at all but are actually kilocalories. If a can of soda contains 200 calories it is actually 200,000 regular calories or 200 kilocalories. No matter; they are just a form of energy-potential measurement.
Our bodies burn the calories from food through metabolic actions where enzymes break each food component (protein, fat or carbohydrate) down into smaller molecules that can travel into the bloodstream and be stored or reacted to with oxygen to be used for immediate energy.
The number of kilocalories in a food represents the potential energy that it possesses. Potential energy is key to understand here because the power of the calorie can only be implemented properly when traveling alongside other constituents. For example, 200 kilocalories of licorice and 200 calories of almond butter are very different forms of food that create vastly different energy consequences. Here are some of the elements in food and the body that change the impact of potential energy:
- Additives, chemicals, pesticides, etc
- Enzymes
- Vitamins
- Minerals
- Fiber
- Water
- Antioxidants
- Metabolism
- Organ reserves
- Emotional state
- Physical activity
- Brain function
- Intact digestive system
- The list goes on and on!
In addition, the number of calories that we need to function and thrive is different for each person. Throw away the 2000 calorie standard. To give out a number would be like estimating exactly how much fuel a car needs in America today. Each car has a different weight, energy requirement and internal demand; in addition to that each car's fuel needs depend on how far it is going and how its driver will function. These demands change every day are in a constant state of flux.
The truth of a calorie is this: a calorie is a unit of measurement that was derived to attempt to understand the complex and mysterious synergy of energy changing form. This scientific standpoint, although useful in many other realms beyond health and weight management, has actually become counter-productive in diet. A calorie is a limited marker that does not take into account the equation of so many vast variables, known and unknown. The truth is that a calorie is a false gauge that we now trust more than the ultimate guide; our body's natural, intuitive voice. No one can tell you how much energy potential you can create and utilize; and yet we do this everyday.
Imagine how indigenous people feel when they see how we approach eating food. Truly, our relationship with food shouldn't be based upon what science is clumsily trying to convince us is fact. Rather, when we are attuned to what we require from our bodies, the amount of food we need to accomplish our goals is an enjoyable eating experience. Food; real food; whole food is meant to fully be enjoyed and appreciated so we can tackle our daily tasks at hand with passionate vigor.
Part of the Awake Eating Method is about truly savoring your food for the pleasurable experience it is supposed to be, instead of a stressful event of caloric understanding. To discover your highest physical potential all you need to understand are the sensations inside your body. No other measurement is needed.
Nat
Day 27 - My Favorite Pesto Pasta Recipe Ever!
Hearty Whole Grain Almond Pesto Spaghetti
Adapted from Cafe Fernando- Istanbul
Ingredients:
16 oz. Whole Grain Rice Pasta
1/2 cup of Organic Raw Almonds
1 Bushel Fresh Basil
1 tbsp Grated Lemon Zest
3 tbsp Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
3 Garlic Cloves
1/2 tsp Salt
5 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Nat
Adapted from Cafe Fernando- Istanbul
Ingredients:
16 oz. Whole Grain Rice Pasta
1/2 cup of Organic Raw Almonds
1 Bushel Fresh Basil
1 tbsp Grated Lemon Zest
3 tbsp Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
3 Garlic Cloves
1/2 tsp Salt
5 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Place almonds in a food processor or powerful blender (I use my Vita-Mix) until finely ground. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, basil and salt. Process until finely chopped.
- With machine running, gradually add oil and process until smooth. The pesto is done!
- Cook the pasta as you normally would, according to directions, strain and mix with pesto, adding more olive oil and salt to taste.
Nat
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Day 27 - The Customizable Anastasio Hodgepodge Salad & It's Origin
There are two things predictable about my father. The first is that he will always call once a week to check in. It's like clockwork. If a response is not received within a couple days the potential onslaught of a brigade to my last whereabouts may be deployed to ensure that I am not lying dead in a ditch somewhere. I love it. My own personal Italian Mafioso.
The second is that when you go to his house for dinner it is only inevitable that he will showcase his brilliant HodgePodge Salad (HPS) - a salad that has a significant meaning to the Anastasio family.
I remember when he first introduced me to it. I had been eating salad for quite sometime. They consisted of lettuce, canned beets and tofu... every single time. I never thought of anything else. I had memories of restrictive dieting where the bland and lifeless side salads were my only belly-comfort in the course of a week. It took a tremendous amount of will power to swallow every diluted and tasteless bite; I thought it nearly impossible to ever truly love something so torturous. Then I ate HPS. I could never go back.
My father was initially no different than me in his contempt for health food. We both were accustomed to casseroles, burgers and desserts as the mainstays in our diet. Vegetables consisted of a couple thin slices of lettuce atop a sandwich, or a piece of tomato on a macaroni and cheese platter; maybe some steamed carrots slathered in butter.
It was not until his health declined so rapidly that HPS came into our life. With the first signal of colon cancer and then soon after type II diabetes, my father divorced the core menu of his diet. Because both conditions were so intimately linked with diet, he focused on finding a way to incorporate a fiber-rich, nutrient-dense meal into his everyday life that was satisfying and delicious.
He started by using lettuce or greens of his choice like a bedded canvas on the bottom of a rustic wooden platter. He would then use kitchen utensils to thinly slice or grate vegetables into a artistic display. The avocado would be displayed like stacked halved butterfly wings, thick and abundant in one pile near the corner. A mound of rich and dark olives and slivers of beets would co-mingle next to a mountain of tuna fish salad and a heaping ladle of bright orange carrot gratings. Drizzled with a divine vinaigrette concoction it was a gateway drug to pure vitality.
This HPS work of art saved my father from dying too early and along with other lifestyle changes cured him of both diseases. Because of this HPS and I are tight. I have a respect for her daily delicious power that is unwavering.
HPS is not like any other salad. She is an invention designed to alter your viewpoint on the idea of a 'salad.' She is not a diet salad but rather a medley of your favorite rich and fresh foods bursting off the plate. You can use her as a canvas for expressing your love of color, texture and varying temperature. Sweetness with creamy, sour with salty, cold with warm, crunchy and dense or chewy and light.
I have adapted HPS to suit my favorite foods. I have a list below of the foods that I combine and use on a regular basis. There are probably a lot more, so add to it as you go on!
Remember that Awake Eating is about not only enjoying your environment (Step 2) and enjoying your food apologetically (Step 3) but also about enjoying the way your body feels (Step 4) after you eat. An Anastasio HodgePodge Salad can do just that!
Nat
The second is that when you go to his house for dinner it is only inevitable that he will showcase his brilliant HodgePodge Salad (HPS) - a salad that has a significant meaning to the Anastasio family.
I remember when he first introduced me to it. I had been eating salad for quite sometime. They consisted of lettuce, canned beets and tofu... every single time. I never thought of anything else. I had memories of restrictive dieting where the bland and lifeless side salads were my only belly-comfort in the course of a week. It took a tremendous amount of will power to swallow every diluted and tasteless bite; I thought it nearly impossible to ever truly love something so torturous. Then I ate HPS. I could never go back.
My father was initially no different than me in his contempt for health food. We both were accustomed to casseroles, burgers and desserts as the mainstays in our diet. Vegetables consisted of a couple thin slices of lettuce atop a sandwich, or a piece of tomato on a macaroni and cheese platter; maybe some steamed carrots slathered in butter.
It was not until his health declined so rapidly that HPS came into our life. With the first signal of colon cancer and then soon after type II diabetes, my father divorced the core menu of his diet. Because both conditions were so intimately linked with diet, he focused on finding a way to incorporate a fiber-rich, nutrient-dense meal into his everyday life that was satisfying and delicious.
He started by using lettuce or greens of his choice like a bedded canvas on the bottom of a rustic wooden platter. He would then use kitchen utensils to thinly slice or grate vegetables into a artistic display. The avocado would be displayed like stacked halved butterfly wings, thick and abundant in one pile near the corner. A mound of rich and dark olives and slivers of beets would co-mingle next to a mountain of tuna fish salad and a heaping ladle of bright orange carrot gratings. Drizzled with a divine vinaigrette concoction it was a gateway drug to pure vitality.
This HPS work of art saved my father from dying too early and along with other lifestyle changes cured him of both diseases. Because of this HPS and I are tight. I have a respect for her daily delicious power that is unwavering.
HPS is not like any other salad. She is an invention designed to alter your viewpoint on the idea of a 'salad.' She is not a diet salad but rather a medley of your favorite rich and fresh foods bursting off the plate. You can use her as a canvas for expressing your love of color, texture and varying temperature. Sweetness with creamy, sour with salty, cold with warm, crunchy and dense or chewy and light.
I have adapted HPS to suit my favorite foods. I have a list below of the foods that I combine and use on a regular basis. There are probably a lot more, so add to it as you go on!
Remember that Awake Eating is about not only enjoying your environment (Step 2) and enjoying your food apologetically (Step 3) but also about enjoying the way your body feels (Step 4) after you eat. An Anastasio HodgePodge Salad can do just that!
Nat
Friday, January 7, 2011
Day 26 - Root Vegetable Rumble & Peter Pan Pesto Green Beans
Busy all the time and feel too tired to make a homemade meal? Read this blog for a super simple and easy dinner that is packed full of goodness!
With only 20 bucks in my wallet I had one goal: use only this money to make a killer dinner for three that is delicious, inexpensive and feels good in my family's collective belly well after suppertime.
2 Large Yams
3 Large Purple Potatoes
2 lbs. Green Beans
1 package Garlic/Almond Pesto
Red Leaf Lettuce
Carrot
Avocado
Red Onion
Can of Olives
Root Vegetable Rumble: Cut up the potatoes that I purchased and put into a baking pan, drizzled with salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil. Baked at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.
Peter Pan Pesto Green Beans: Lightly steamed green beans that were then coated with a container of pesto.
Hodgepodge Salad: I added the rest of the ingredients I bought at the store above into a bowl along with some avocado, yellow beet and red bell pepper that I had left over. I sliced some chicken sausage on the side for those who wanted a denser meal. Served with Balsamic Vinaigrette.
My daughter (the current guinea pig in an unconditional permission to eat anything experiment) knocked my socks off with shooting for the two big plates of salad first. She gawked at the green beans (not a favorite) but I told her they were Peter Pan Pesto Green Beans; 'C'mon!!! Give just one a try.' She loved them. Ended up eating a plateful.
The decadence of the pesto paired with the simplicity of the green bean was genius. The way the crunchy and juicy texture of the salad items mingled with the Roasted Vegetable Rumble was divine. It reminded me of roasted vegetable salads that I used to have years ago at a pub.
With candle lit and the table set we had the nicest meal of the week. Going out to eat is so overrated. Do a Root Vegetable Rumble instead!
Nat
With only 20 bucks in my wallet I had one goal: use only this money to make a killer dinner for three that is delicious, inexpensive and feels good in my family's collective belly well after suppertime.
WHAT I GOT:
2 Large Yams
3 Large Purple Potatoes
2 lbs. Green Beans
1 package Garlic/Almond Pesto
Red Leaf Lettuce
Carrot
Avocado
Red Onion
Can of Olives
WHAT I MADE:
Root Vegetable Rumble: Cut up the potatoes that I purchased and put into a baking pan, drizzled with salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil. Baked at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.Peter Pan Pesto Green Beans: Lightly steamed green beans that were then coated with a container of pesto.
Hodgepodge Salad: I added the rest of the ingredients I bought at the store above into a bowl along with some avocado, yellow beet and red bell pepper that I had left over. I sliced some chicken sausage on the side for those who wanted a denser meal. Served with Balsamic Vinaigrette.
HOW IT WENT:
 |
| It is never too late in the day to make a delicious and fast meal! |
The decadence of the pesto paired with the simplicity of the green bean was genius. The way the crunchy and juicy texture of the salad items mingled with the Roasted Vegetable Rumble was divine. It reminded me of roasted vegetable salads that I used to have years ago at a pub.
With candle lit and the table set we had the nicest meal of the week. Going out to eat is so overrated. Do a Root Vegetable Rumble instead!
Nat
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Day 25 - Unconditional Permission to Eat for Kids
Basic Principles of Unconditional Permission to Eat
Nat
- There are no good foods or bad foods, only foods that create different experiences in the body (this is my favorite principle to remember).
- Allowance is key. Research shows that the more a well-meaning parent interferes with a child's eating the more likely they are to have a problem with eating and a problem with their weight. Allow your child to develop their own mastery of hunger and fullness.
- Every single one of us was born with the ability to nourish and feed ourselves without input from others. We can trust ourselves.
- Call 'healthy foods' nourishing foods. Their purpose is to feed and take care of the body.
- Call 'unhealthy foods' play foods. Their purpose is to have fun.
 | |
| Empty bag of cheese puffs in my daughter's room after movie night. |
- Have your child choose one play food for every grocery shopping trip (every three to four days for me). This is a gentle way to slowly incorporate the idea that any food is okay, without triggering a budget problem from the cart being full of every item imaginable.
- Portion sizing can be helpful. I do not encourage counting calories or measuring food. That is counter-productive to awake eating. One thing I did notice, though, was that with my daughter's first play food of chocolate pudding had individual cups that made it easier for her to know when the play experience could end. She never went back for more and felt complete. With her second choice of cheese puffs the large bag was challenging. What I am going to do for these non-individual container items is divide them up into individual baggies in the pantry. If she wants to have more than one serving (or more than one baggie) that is fine. The point is to get her to develop an awareness about amounts by simply reaching the bottom of the first serving and asking herself if she really wants a second or third.
- Make sure that nourishing foods are provided at least three times out of the five times your child eats (3 meals, 2 snacks). For example, the play foods that my daughter has chosen are mostly snacks. I serve nourishing foods at the three meals, and she can choose what she wants for the snacks of the day. If your child wants a meal play food (lets say it is pizza or a fast food item) than make sure that snacks are provided that are nourishing foods.
- Make sure that you are feeding their body enough food so that red-flag hunger does not motivate eating behavior. If we get too hungry we are not able to listen to our body and enjoy the eating experience.
- Remind your child that to truly enjoy their play food they must pay attention to the eating process. Have them release distractions and sit down and savor it. This is key!
- What is a satisfying food experience? What was it like eating chocolate for dinner? Engage in empowering conversations about how best to enjoy their play foods and how different eating experiences made them feel.
- Make a list of your child's favorite nourishing foods. This should not be all about play food but about allowing your child to experience unconditional permission to eat any foods that she/he desires.
- If you find that you are having a hard time allowing, read the basic principles above. Remember that food is not the problem, it is the consciousness of lack and deprivation that is.
Nat
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Day 24 - Dieting's Dirty Secret
Driving to work I was listening to the local radio station. My interest peaked when I heard the DJ talking about dieting. I slowly turned up the volume (my daughter rolled her eyes at my so incredibly predictable interest).
"So how much are your customers losing?" the young female DJ said in a infomercial tone.
"Some are losing as much as 2 pounds a day!" the woman responded.
"Wow! And this is not a fad diet. This has been approved by doctors."
"That's right! We work in tandem with some local doctors to help customers lose weight with a sensible diet and exercise."
Later the DJ voiced that she herself used this program to lose 20 pounds in the past and that she loved the results so much that she always comes back to it when she wants to get 'beach body ready.'
GAG!
I could not help but wonder if anyone out there listening realized the irony of this sales segment. Yes, people can lose weight but the point is; are we gaining health, confidence, vitality and lasting changes that permeate our very existence? Obviously the DJ didn't. She had to go back whenever she wanted to lose weight. It reminded me of a movie I watched with my daughter; a woman having to touch a flower of immortality to look young again, only to whither within a short amount of time when she had to leave it and live life.
A diet is a regulated selection of foods that is prescribed for medical reasons or cosmetic weight loss. There is not a day that goes by where its marketing magic is not on radio, television, in print and spoken about by word-of-mouth. American's spend upwards of 60 billion dollars to discover the next diet or weight loss technique and yet we are getting more and more overweight than ever before. What is the common denominator in this flawed system?
Imagine going to the doctor and getting prescribed a medicine for your headache that improves your condition for a few weeks, only to stop working and causing your migraines to worsen in the long term. Would this be something that you would take? What about a cold medicine that actually caused you to contract more illnesses?
Dieting is a prescription that initially appears as an antidote to weight gain when in reality it causes more pounds to pack on. Would you diet if you knew that it promoted weight gain?
Here is some evidence*:
I am going to clue you in to a secret. Dieting is not what healthy and sexy people use to achieve their physique. These people are just active and joyous inhabitants of their bodies. They are awake and intuitive eaters.
Now you know dieting's dirty little secret. Just like the flower of immortality; it may seem to change you and give you a gift. The only caveat is that its effect is an illusion; a trap. Every time you go back for more you become weaker and more dependent on its misconstruction. It has the exact opposite effect of what you are desiring. There is no diet that has been invented already or will come out in the future that is the key to your dreams - that is all within you right now.
Nat
For nutrition counseling programs designed to awaken your inner intuitive and conscious eater, check on Natalie's website www.rootednutrition.com.
*Studies compiled and cited by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD.
[1] Mann, T. Medicare’s search for effective obesity treatments: Diets are not the answer. Am. Psychologist, 2007; 62(3): 220-233.
[2] Field AE et al. Relation Between Dieting and Weight Change Among Preadolescents and Adolescents. Pediatrics, 2003 112:900-906.
[3] Neumark-Sztainer D. et al. Obesity, disordered eating,and eating disorders in a longitudinal study of adolescents: how do dieters fare five years later?J Am Diet Assoc. 2006;106(4):559-568.
"So how much are your customers losing?" the young female DJ said in a infomercial tone.
"Some are losing as much as 2 pounds a day!" the woman responded.
"Wow! And this is not a fad diet. This has been approved by doctors."
"That's right! We work in tandem with some local doctors to help customers lose weight with a sensible diet and exercise."
Later the DJ voiced that she herself used this program to lose 20 pounds in the past and that she loved the results so much that she always comes back to it when she wants to get 'beach body ready.'
GAG!
I could not help but wonder if anyone out there listening realized the irony of this sales segment. Yes, people can lose weight but the point is; are we gaining health, confidence, vitality and lasting changes that permeate our very existence? Obviously the DJ didn't. She had to go back whenever she wanted to lose weight. It reminded me of a movie I watched with my daughter; a woman having to touch a flower of immortality to look young again, only to whither within a short amount of time when she had to leave it and live life.
A diet is a regulated selection of foods that is prescribed for medical reasons or cosmetic weight loss. There is not a day that goes by where its marketing magic is not on radio, television, in print and spoken about by word-of-mouth. American's spend upwards of 60 billion dollars to discover the next diet or weight loss technique and yet we are getting more and more overweight than ever before. What is the common denominator in this flawed system?
Imagine going to the doctor and getting prescribed a medicine for your headache that improves your condition for a few weeks, only to stop working and causing your migraines to worsen in the long term. Would this be something that you would take? What about a cold medicine that actually caused you to contract more illnesses?
Dieting is a prescription that initially appears as an antidote to weight gain when in reality it causes more pounds to pack on. Would you diet if you knew that it promoted weight gain?
Here is some evidence*:
- A team of UCLA researchers reviewed 31 long term studies on dieting and concluded that dieting is a consistent predictor of weight gain - up to two-thirds of the people regained more weight than they lost (1).
- Research on nearly 17,000 kids ages 9-14 years old concluded, "...in the long term, dieting to control weight is not only ineffective, it may actually promote weight gain." (2).
- Teenage dieters had twice the risk of becoming overweight, compared to non-dieting teens, according to a five-year study (3). The dieters did not weigh more than their non-dieting peers, exhibiting that becoming overweight could be linked to the independent factor of dieting in and of itself.
- Low calorie dieting doubles the enzymes in the body that store fat.
- Dieting slows the rate of weight loss with each new attempt.
- Metabolism is decreased by as much as 40% and may take up to a year to heal.
- Binge eating episodes and intense cravings are exacerbated.
- Premature death and heart disease are at an increased risk for yo-yo dieters.
- Other side effects of dieting: headaches, menstrual and hormonal imbalances, rapid aging, fatigue, dry skin and hair loss.
I am going to clue you in to a secret. Dieting is not what healthy and sexy people use to achieve their physique. These people are just active and joyous inhabitants of their bodies. They are awake and intuitive eaters.
Now you know dieting's dirty little secret. Just like the flower of immortality; it may seem to change you and give you a gift. The only caveat is that its effect is an illusion; a trap. Every time you go back for more you become weaker and more dependent on its misconstruction. It has the exact opposite effect of what you are desiring. There is no diet that has been invented already or will come out in the future that is the key to your dreams - that is all within you right now.
Nat
For nutrition counseling programs designed to awaken your inner intuitive and conscious eater, check on Natalie's website www.rootednutrition.com.
*Studies compiled and cited by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD.
[1] Mann, T. Medicare’s search for effective obesity treatments: Diets are not the answer. Am. Psychologist, 2007; 62(3): 220-233.
[2] Field AE et al. Relation Between Dieting and Weight Change Among Preadolescents and Adolescents. Pediatrics, 2003 112:900-906.
[3] Neumark-Sztainer D. et al. Obesity, disordered eating,and eating disorders in a longitudinal study of adolescents: how do dieters fare five years later?J Am Diet Assoc. 2006;106(4):559-568.
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