Original attempts at dieting often fail because we cut out fats, focus on salads and low-fat food, then wonder why there’s no weight change. When I gave up the idea of dieting to eat peanut butter on bread to satisfy those carb cravings, I started losing weight and tripped into the lesson that we need fats for body function. More importantly, I soon learned that fats are also precursors of hormone production. Without the right kind of fat our body thinks it’s starving and we can’t lose a pound. Udo Eramus then authored a book on ‘Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill’ and the importance of the right kind of fat was publicized.
Today, I don’t believe in dieting but like many, I do advocate a healthy diet. Foods that are pure, consisting of a variety of fresh, nutritious produce and legumes as well as healthy fats and natural sweeteners are choices that promote health and vitality. It also requires selective shopping.
In most grocery stores, good health doesn’t come from the average instant, dried or frozen ready-made package. Most of it still has an ingredient list of chemical additives included to enhance taste and colour that is increasingly under scrutiny for long-term ill effects, including impaired nervous systems and poor digestive system health.
Some people have discovered that switching to freshly cooked, organic food gradually leads to desiring smaller meal portions and that body weight will balance naturally because increased nutrient content provides better satisfaction with less food intake. In time, it promotes a healthier system with fewer cravings. Examining the ingredients on every product you purchase provides knowledge of the nutrient level you feed your body.
Options listed below may help adjust eating habits, followed by therapies that can make the process easier by accelerating detoxification, reducing cravings and settling nervous system function.
Eating small nutritious snacks without omitting regular meals ~ Preparing nutritious snack food enables you to avoid the ravishingly hungry stage where we may lose our selectivity. Be wary of the popular granola bars and read the ingredients to know if the sweetener used is natural or artificial and whether or not the soy included is organic or not… with ‘not’ usually meaning genetically engineered soy.
Snack Options ~ Keeping a few apples, a limited amount of nuts and seeds or a box of organic snack bars in the car may be the answer to arriving home without annoying cravings. It also avoids irritability and nervous strain for better relationships.
Reading the label and ingredient list ~ This is likely the most important habit for optimum health and especially important when weight-loss is the goal. What is the calorie intake of that granola bar? There are a variety of options and levels of nutrition versus empty sugar calories for a quick but possibly detrimental ‘fix’.
Knowledge of the effects of artificial sweeteners versus natural sweeteners ~ This permits healthier choices in all food selections, from cereals to bread or power bars.
Journaling ~ increases your awareness of which foods are your least healthy choices and more importantly, when you are more susceptible to eating them. Having a record of everything you eat and the time will provide options to avoid whatever triggers the wrong type of snacking.
Portion size of meals ~ Healthier eating includes fresh vegetables of every colour, fresh fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains and only natural sweeteners. Eating pure food eventually leads to smaller portions but consciously reducing your portions as soon as possible is key when weight reduction is your goal. To get there faster, having a variety of tasty soup recipes that freeze well can be one of the easiest ways to accelerate reduced portion size of meals.
Soup and Stomach Signals of Fullness ~ Inclusion of soup with any meal provides benefits from the warm, soothing and nutrient-rich broth that starts the flow of digestive juices to help satisfy our appetite.
A crock pot with a timer enables homemade soup to be an effortless entrée that awaits you, complete with delicious aroma upon entering your home each evening
Studies show it takes 15 to 20 minutes to receive signals of fullness between the stomach and brain, depending on hormones and neurotransmitters released. Eating slowly, then, is a beneficial habit to cultivate because we can eat a lot of calories we don’t require by eating quickly without allowing that time-lapse to register fullness.
Cravings - When you crave carbonated beverages, especially soda pop, consider if you’re missing the sweetness or the carbonation. If you’re craving sweetness, options to reduce sugar cravings include:
- fresh fruit, or
- 20 – 25 nuts, or
- a piece of cheese
- good quality chocolate, allowing one to two squares during the initial phase of weaning off soda pop and sweets
- keep in mind the equivalent amount of sugar reported to be in a can or bottle of pop ranges between 7 to 10 teaspoons. How would a glass of water taste with that much sugar?
- The superior choice to a can which contains aluminum content that can leach into the liquid you drink, is to select the bottled option
Availability of carbonated water may ease the craving for the fizz of pop. Mix it with small amounts of a pure fruit juice if necessary, remembering that fruit juices are concentrated sweetness and calories. Eventually, sugar cravings will reduce as your body clears itself of accumulated chemical waste it has been fed for ‘x’ many years. With that in mind, a detoxification routine can additionally help to reduce cravings faster and assist your system to balance more easily.
Still ‘dying for that chocolate brownie’ ? Then have one….or a slice of whatever is calling. But limit the size and the frequency of these treats. Life is to be enjoyed, so moderation in all things is the best choice to keep us – happily – on track.
Therapies to Speed Detoxification and Maintain Balance
Polarity therapy influences all body systems by targeting the subtle energy bodies that influence form, patterns and function. It’s a deeply relaxing therapy that balances body currents and settles our nervous systems. This work may address locked patterns in the tissue and work with the subtle cranial-sacral system that reflects into function. Polarity therapy education entails nutritional guidelines to tailored to individual body type and your particular dosha, exercises to maintain energy balance and/or herbs to enhance particular functions or goals. It can be particularly effective for new beginnings and dissolving old issues.
Lymphatic Drainage is a manual therapy that necessitates a light touch because the lymphatic system is a fine network just under the skin, not deeply embedded in the muscle tissue. A lymphatic massage will accelerate the function of your lymphatic system which is key in removal of tissue waste. For this reason it is often the therapy of choice for those on a detox program.
Massage therapy targets the physical tissue while reflecting into the nervous system to influence better circulation of both blood and lymph. It improves flexibility and overall wellness.
Some Basic Do’s and Don’ts for Optimum Health ~
- Do drink a minimum of 8 glasses of liquid daily – preferably pure water and herbal teas
- keep a journal of what you eat and when you eat, if targeting reduced weight
- have healthy snacks always available to satisfy cravings
- read the ingredient list on every food item you purchase
- use lemon or lime for salad toppings instead of commercial salad dressings, add a sprinkle of sesame seeds or flavourful herbs like fresh tarragon, dill or oregano for additional zest
- have a treat when cravings are strong, consider any of:
nuts (20 – 25 once daily); 1 – 2 cheese slices of cheese (not processed unrefrigerated); thin rice crackers; veggie snacks like sliced cucumber, broccoli flowerettes, raw cauliflower slices; one scoop of sorbet; 1 – 2 squares of a rich chocolate, fruit, 20 baked chips, organic popcorn. Moderation is the key.
- take a power food daily, such as a green drink or aloe vera
- remember our metabolism slows each decade which means we do not require the same amount of food we required when we were younger. Exercise is essential.
- eat at the table and turn off the television. Allow yourself conscious food intake to appreciate texture and flavour of food and permit that important response-time to level of fullness. Watching television preoccupies your mind with anything but the focus of food intake and your body signals
- avoid all artificial sweeteners. All low-calorie foods contain artificial sweeteners
- save the option of sauces for a treat when you are eating out, other than a flavourful lentil side-dish or yogurt accompaniment with cucumber, onion and/or mint
- Do not skip meals
- Do not drink low-calorie beverages
- Do not eat low-calorie foods
And a final reminder:
Aspartame and Weight Gain
A study conducted at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center reported a “41% increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day.” The findings come from eight years of collecting data by Sharon P. Fowler, MPH and colleagues. The results of the study were reported at the 65th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association on June 10-14, 2005 (Abstract 1058-P). While this study, by itself, does not prove that aspartame causes weight gain, it adds to the evidence seen in independent research.
Wishing you the best in healthy living,
Virginia
