(Health.com) — Scientists have finally confirmed what the rest of us have suspected for years: Bacon, cheesecake, and other delicious yet fattening foods may be addictive.

A new study in rats suggests that high-fat, high-calorie foods affect the brain in much the same way as cocaine and heroin. When rats consume these foods in great enough quantities, it leads to compulsive eating habits that resemble drug addiction, the study found.

Doing drugs such as cocaine and eating too much junk food both gradually overload the so-called pleasure centers in the brain, according to Paul J. Kenny, Ph.D., an associate professor of molecular therapeutics at the Scripps Research Institute, in Jupiter, Florida. Eventually the pleasure centers “crash,” and achieving the same pleasure–or even just feeling normal–requires increasing amounts of the drug or food, says Kenny, the lead author of the study.

“People know intuitively that there’s more to [overeating] than just willpower,” he says. “There’s a system in the brain that’s been turned on or over-activated, and that’s driving [overeating] at some subconscious level.”

In the study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, Kenny and his co-author studied three groups of lab rats for 40 days. One of the groups was fed regular rat food. A second was fed bacon, sausage, cheesecake, frosting, and other fattening, high-calorie foods–but only for one hour each day. The third group was allowed to pig out on the unhealthy foods for up to 23 hours a day.

Not surprisingly, the rats that gorged themselves on the human food quickly became obese. But their brains also changed. By monitoring implanted brain electrodes, the researchers found that the rats in the third group gradually developed a tolerance to the pleasure the food gave them and had to eat more to experience a high.They began to eat compulsively, to the point where they continued to do so in the face of pain. When the researchers applied an electric shock to the rats’ feet in the presence of the food, the rats in the first two groups were frightened away from eating. But the obese rats were not. “Their attention was solely focused on consuming food,” says Kenny.

In previous studies, rats have exhibited similar brain changes when given unlimited access to cocaine or heroin. And rats have similarly ignored punishment to continue consuming cocaine, the researchers note.

The fact that junk food could provoke this response isn’t entirely surprising, says Dr.Gene-Jack Wang, M.D., the chair of the medical department at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, in Upton, New York.

“We make our food very similar to cocaine now,” he says.

Coca leaves have been used since ancient times, he points out, but people learned to purify or alter cocaine to deliver it more efficiently to their brains (by injecting or smoking it, for instance). This made the drug more addictive.

According to Wang, food has evolved in a similar way. “We purify our food,” he says. “Our ancestors ate whole grains, but we’re eating white bread. American Indians ate corn; we eat corn syrup.”

The ingredients in purified modern food cause people to “eat unconsciously and unnecessarily,” and will also prompt an animal to “eat like a drug abuser [uses drugs],” says Wang.

The neurotransmitter dopamine appears to be responsible for the behavior of the overeating rats, according to the study. Dopamine is involved in the brain’s pleasure (or reward) centers, and it also plays a role in reinforcing behavior. “It tells the brain something has happened and you should learn from what just happened,” says Kenny.

Overeating caused the levels of a certain dopamine receptor in the brains of the obese rats to drop, the study found. In humans, low levels of the same receptors have been associated with drug addiction and obesity, and may be genetic, Kenny says.

However, that doesn’t mean that everyone born with lower dopamine receptor levels is destined to become an addict or to overeat. As Wang points out, environmental factors, and not just genes, are involved in both behaviors.

Wang also cautions that applying the results of animal studies to humans can be tricky. For instance, he says, in studies of weight-loss drugs, rats have lost as much as 30 percent of their weight, but humans on the same drug have lost less than 5 percent of their weight. “You can’t mimic completely human behavior, but [animal studies] can give you a clue about what can happen in humans,” Wang says.

Although he acknowledges that his research may not directly translate to humans, Kenny says the findings shed light on the brain mechanisms that drive overeating and could even lead to new treatments for obesity.

“If we could develop therapeutics for drug addiction, those same drugs may be good for obesity as well,” he says.

Some Easy Tips:

-Involve your kids in the cooking process

-Allow them choices– but healthy choices.  By no means should your kid be in control of the kitchen, but you can let them express creativity and independence by allowing them some choice in what they or the family is having for dinner. 

-Eating meals together as a family is a great way to spend time together and to teach good healthy habits. 

-Serve a variety of healthy meals and snacks to keep things interesting. 

-Be a role model by eating healthy yourself.

Snacks for Kids

Yam Chips

2 small yams, cut into 1/8-inch slices

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon onion powder

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  In a self-sealing plastic bag, place yam slices, herbs, and onion powder.  Shake to coat.  Place the yams on the nonstick baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Bake for about 45 minutes or until yam slices are slightly golden and crispy, making sure to turn at least once during cooking process.  Be careful not to burn yam slices. 

**You can make this a sweet treat by substituting 1 packet of stevia and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon for the Italian herbs.

Nut Mix- By roasting your own nuts, you can ensure you are getting all the freshest nutrients they have to provide.

2 Tablespoon coconut oil

½ cup Almonds

½ cup pecans

½ cup walnuts

½ cup pumpkin seeds

¼ teaspoon cayenne

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Melt coconut oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add all ingredients to skillet, stirring constantly to blend making sure to coat nuts evenly with spices.  Cook until nut mixture is lightly golden brown and toasted, about 6 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Store in air tight container.

-Turkey with lemon, fennel, and garlic

-Savory Gravy

-Whole Grain Stuffing – there are lots of great recipes for stuffings using brown rice, millet, and quinoa.

-Carrot Soup – add this soup to your menu for nutrition and for its lovely autumnal color. 

-Whole Cranberry Sauce – using fresh cranberries and sweetening with agave nectar puts canned cranberries to shame.

-Vanilla Sweet Potatoes

-Garlic Mashed “Potatoes” – using cauliflower is a great way to make a delicious mashed potato substitute.

-Butternut Squash Pie – a recipe without added sugar but still pleasantly sweet.

-Asparagus with lemon-herb dressing

-Spinach Salad with Lemon Rosemary Dressing

-Pumpkin Custard – a delicious way to reinvent the classic pumpkin pie, sweetened with agave nectar.

An easy fix for a healthier lunch is to use healthier bread choices.  Spelt, Sprouted, or Whole Grain Breads have less sugar and more nutrients.  Whole Grain Pitas or Tortillas are also good alternatives.

 For fun fillings between the slices, try hummus with shredded vegetables or even a revamped tuna salad; this works great in a pita. 

                   Tuna Salad Remix:  Instead of mayo, try using mustard, hummus, or even cottage cheese to mix up your tuna sandwich.  Add chopped carrots, bell peppers, cabbage, zucchini, cucumber, green onions, or spinach to liven it up.

A healthy burrito or quesadilla is a nice change in the lunchbox, using whole grain tortillas, refried beans and roasted vegetables, flavored with garlic, cumin, and yummy salsa.  With creamy refried beans, they won’t even miss the cheese!

A good time saver is to recycle dinner’s leftovers into the next day’s lunch.  Roasted chicken or pork is a much healthier and tastier sandwich meat than processed sliced meats.  Turn leftover brown rice, whole grain pasta, or quinoa into a nice cold salad, adding whatever veggies you have on hand and making a quick vinaigrette with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, Bragg’s liquid aminos, and salt and pepper to taste.  Leftover roasted vegetables from the night before are also an excellent filler for sanwiches. 

Bring back the thermos with tasty soups, expecially as we move into winter.  Creamy carrot soup or butternut squash soup paired with whole grain crackers or a whole greain roll is delicious (and remember there are lots of great creamy soup recipes that don’t require dairy).

For a restyling on the classic peanut butter and jelly, try using almond or cashew butter and honey.

A Better Snack:

Part of the fun of bag lunches is eating with your fingers.  Hummus with sugar snap peas, carrots, celery, cucumber, or sliced bell peppers is lots of fun.

Instead of chips, offer crunchy nuts and dried fruit.  Celery and almond butter is also a crunchy alternative. 

Popcorn can also be an exciting lunch addition, try popping the kernels old fashioned style on the stove for better flavor (Air popping is fine as well, avoid microwave popcorn).  Once popped, toss with cashews, cinnamon, and a little agave nectar for a sticky, sweet treat.

For an occassional suprise, try making a batch of homemade cookies, looking for recipes that use whole wheat flour, applesauce, and oats – healthier and just as tasty.

Kyla is here to assist those who are following the alkaline diet and gluten-free diets. She is also available for those individuals desiring to lose weight, who want a nutrition plan to complement an active lifestyle, who want to learn more about organic food, or who would like to learn about preparation and serving techniques.

Kyla looks forward to helping you! Please email her at kyla@wholehealthcenters.com.

Call 303-4HEALTH for reservations.

Wed, June 18th	Thu, June 19th	Wed, June 25th
Lecture Series	Cooking & Shopping Class	Lecture Series
Treating Arthritis–Naturally	Healthy Summer Snacks	Treating Arthritis–Naturally
by Madalina Mateescu, L.Ac.	with Peyton Dryden & Lori Baird	by Madalina Mateescu, L.Ac.
7:30 PM	6:00 PM	6:30 PM
9366 S. Colorado Blvd., Highlands Ranch. ..	9366 S. Colorado Blvd., Highlands Ranch. ..	5910 S. University Blvd., Littleton.. ..
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Cooking Class		In the Community
Rice Noodle Soup		Wellness Fair
by Chef Shu
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]]> http://www.wholehealthcenters.com/blog/acupuncture/free-classes-and-events-in-denver-june-2008/feed/ 0 http://www.wholehealthcenters.com/blog/tips/food-preservatives-and-dyes-linked-to-hyperactivity-in-children/ http://www.wholehealthcenters.com/blog/tips/food-preservatives-and-dyes-linked-to-hyperactivity-in-children/#comments Sun, 01 Jun 2008 17:43:13 +0000 Kindra Farizel, L.Ac. http://www.wholehealthcenters.com/blog/?p=176 Researchers in Great Britain have demonstrated that there is a link between hyper­activity in children and the artificial colors and food preservatives in their diet. The study was commissioned by the British Food Standards Agency and carried out at Southhampton University.

The Agency’s Committee on Toxicity’s (COT) evaluation of the study has lead to an advisory which suggests that consumption of mixes of certain artificial food colors together with the preservative sodium benzoate, could be linked to an adverse effect on a child’s behavior. Sodium benzoate is a food preservative commonly found in most popular soft drinks, fruit juices and salad dressings.

The study involved two separate groups of about 300 children. The first group con­sisted of 3-year-olds and the second group of 8- and 9-year-olds. Each group was given one of three possible mixtures to drink over three one-week periods. The first received a drink with no preservatives or dyes; the second the amount of the substances typically found in soft drinks; and a third group that received a weaker amount of dyes and preservatives.

Researchers found greater amounts of hyperactivity in both groups among the ones who received the highest amounts of preservatives and dyes. Also, it was found that both groups responded with more hyperactivity to the reduced quantity test drink, but that the younger children responded more than the older group. As a result of the study, a COT statement said, “We consider that this study has provided supporting evidence suggesting that certain mixtures of food colors, together with the preservative sodium benzoate are associated with an increase of hyperactivity in children from the general population.”

Professor Jim Stevenson of Southhampton University authored the study and said, “This has been a major study investigating an important area of research. The results suggest that consumption of certain mixtures of artificial food colors and sodium ben­zoate preservative are associated with increases in hyperactive behavior in children. However, parents should not think that simply taking these additives out of food will prevent hyperactive disorders. We know that many other influences are at work, but this, at least, is one a child can avoid.”

Source: Britan’s Food Standards Agency. September 2007. http://www.food.gov.uk/news/pressreleases/2007/sep/colours

Seafood is a terrific protein source.  It is much lower in fats than other animal proteins and most of the fat from seafood is the healthy kind, unsaturated fats.  But it seems like you can’t talk about seafood these days without talking about PCBs and methylmercury. In some stores you’ll even find warning labels posted in the seafood departments.  Which leaves many of us asking “which fish are safest?” The answer is slightly different for methylmercury than it is for PCBs, so I’ll deal with them separately.

Mercury

Mercury contamination in seafood is unfortunately nothing new. As early as the 1930s, mercury contamination in seafood was identified as the cause of children being born with severe brain damage. It happened in a small fishing community: Minamata, Japan. Thousands of children were affected by industrial waste being dumped into the bay by Chisso, a plastics and pesticide manufacturer. So while the scientific community was well aware of the hazards of mercury, the world public remained ignorant. The US government did not issue its first advisory about mercury in seafood until 1994. It took another 5 years for congress to call for research on the subject to find out what constitutes a safe level and which fish should be avoided. The resulting report that was published a year later was vague and confusing, leaving a lot of guesswork to the consumer.

Let’s just get the bad news out of the way: All seafood contains methylmercury. We’ve been burning coal for power for quite some time now. Mercury is spewed into the atmosphere by the power plants, but it is heavy so it readily falls back to earth landing in lakes, rivers, soil, oceans…everywhere. Once in the water supply, microorganisms turn it into methylmercury. Then the little fish each the microscopic organisms and the bigger fish eat the little fish — and so on. Methylmercury accumulates in muscle tissue and big predatory fish eat lots of smaller fish, so they accumulate higher concentrations of methylmercury.

So here’s the skinny on methylmercury: Filter feeders and smaller fish have less; Big predatory fish have more.

Filter feeders and smaller fish include: sardines, herring, bay scallops, clams, mussels, Pacific cod, Dungeness crab, trout, striped bass

Avoid these: shark, swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel, albacore tuna, Chilean seabass, Groupers

There are many other fish that fall in the “eat only occasionally” category.  Refer to the fish lists at the end of this article for a more comprehensive listing.

PCBs

PCB, polychlorinated biphenyls, is a category of chemicals that includes some particularly nasty synthetic agricultural pesticides such as chlordane, dieldrin, and DDT. Many of these pesticides have been banned for years, but guess what – they’re still lingering in the environment. Just like methylmercury, the higher you go on the food chain, the higher the concentrations of PCBs. PCBs accumulate in fatty tissue, so the fattier the fish, the higher the concentration of PCBs. In general, farm-raised fish have higher levels of PCBs because they are fed fish meal made from larger fish that have been ground up. This reverses the order of the big fish eating the little fish.

General guidelines for minimizing PCB consumption: Choose Wild over farm-raised, select fish lower on the food chain(non-predatory fish), and choose leaner, less fatty fish.

Fatty Fish include: Orange roughy, swordfish, carp, fresh tuna, eel, so use caution with these.

So asking “which fish are the safest to eat?” is a really good question. But a better question to ask is “Why are PCBs and methymercury in our oceans and why is the problem getting worse?” You can attempt to follow the Fish Lists that advise which fish to enjoy and which to avoid, but if we don’t address the problems of coal-burning and conventional farming, eventually all fish will be on the “Avoid” list.

If you want clean fish, GET INVOLVED!

• Offset some or all your households energy usage with windpower.
• Speak with your dollar – Buy organic fruits and vegetables.
• Use the seafood guides to avoid fish that are high in contaminants or are not sustainably farmed
• Write to your senators and congressional representatives and tell them you want tougher emissions standards for coal-burning power plants.
• Write to your senators and congressional representatives and tell them you want stiffer penalties and stronger enforcement for industrial polluters.

For More Information:

www.mbayaq.org access printable pocket seafood guides

www.oceansalive.org

www.blueoceaninstitute.org

www.seafoodchoices.com this site does not offer any lists directly. It acts as a clearing house for numerous organizations.

www.seafoodwatch.org

www.epa.gov find out about advisory on lakes and rivers in your state

If you’re on your mobile phone, you can go to fishphone.org to find out about the dish you’re considering for dinner tonight

Check out Marion Nestle’s book What to Eat. It’s a fairly thick read, but the density of information is presented simply and straightforwardly. You’ll be the most informed consumer in the grocery store.

For more information on wind energy and other alternative energy sources, visit these web sites:

www.windenergy.info

www.myenergystar.com

www.newwindenergy.com

There are two other considerations when selecting produce: organics and seasonality.

Organics

You pay more for organics, so are they worth it? Researchers have sparred for years over whether organics are better for you. Are they more nutritious? Do they taste better? Maybe and Maybe. Organic farmers spend the bulk of their time making sure the soil is rich with nutrients and organic matter.  Healthy soil grows healthy plants.  The amount of minerals a vegetable contains directly relates to the quality of soil it was grown in.  Flavor is a favor of both the quality of the soil and the variety of the plant (genetics.)  But the true benefits of organics are in what they don’t have – no synthetic chemical residues. When you eat conventional produce you could be consuming as many as 55 different synthetic chemicals — from pesticides, fertilizers, fungicides, and other chemicals used in processing. If you want just a peach the way nature made it and nothing else, buy organic.

Are the chemicals sprayed on conventional produce harmful to your health? There’s a growing body of circumstantial evidence to suggest they are harmful, but that’s hard to answer definitively. Researchers have shown that these chemicals build up in the body over time and that people who eat conventional produce have significantly more of these chemical in their bodies. We also know that waste products from synthetic pesticides are showing up in our oceans and the seafood we eat. In the Central Valley near Fresno, California where a large portion of US produce is grown, farm workers and residents have statistically higher rates of several forms of cancer. However, proving that there is a direct correlation between pesticides and cancers would require researchers to control for a variety of lifestyle factors, dietary habits, and family history over decades – an impossible task. So if you are waiting for scientists and researchers to come to a consensus on that question, don’t hold your breath. The real question is “Are you willing to be one of the guinea pigs in this giant experiment called conventional farming?” If you asked the residents of Bhopal, India, they would tell you that agricultural pesticides are lethal. If you asked the residents of Minamata, Japan, they would tell you agricultural chemical wastes cause birth defects. No one is arguing that these chemicals are beneficial to your health, so you are doing yourself no harm in avoiding them. For me personally, if I ask “Is this safe?” and I’m met with resounding silence, I take that as a “No.”

Marketers and the media may be toting organics as a new trend, but organics are hardly new. Until fairly recently, all farming was organic; there were no chemical alternatives. DDT was invented in the 1940s along with several other pesticides. By the 1950s we knew the harmful effects of DDT. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was instrumental in bringing the truth about this deadly pesticide to the public forefront and eventually in getting it banned in the US. But the marriage between chemical engineering and farming would continue to grow stronger. Dozens of pesticides have followed since the 1950s. By the 1960s, what we now call “conventional” farming (farming with synthetic chemical pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers) had become the norm. Organic farming has been around for thousands of years. That makes conventional farming the new kid on the block. When you look at it that way, it seems ridiculous that a farm has to be certified to grow produce organically. Shouldn’t it be the other way around?  Shouldn’t you have to have permit to introduce synthetic chemicals into the food supply?

Seasonality

Seasonality is a far less controversial topic. It has everything on its side. When you buy fresh produce in season, the quality is better, the taste is superior, and the price is at its lowest. On the surface, seasonality is simple. It means buying produce in the season it was harvested — apples in autumn, citrus in winter, asparagus and lettuces in spring. Seasonality depends on your growing region. For the purposes of this article, we’re going to call the United States our growing region. But in today’s global economy, when you walk into a grocery store, you get the impression that everything is available all the time; you can get greenhouse grown tomatoes from Belgium and grapes from Chile and apples from New Zealand. I remember a situation that reminded me how out of touch we are with where our food comes from. I had a gentleman get very angry with me one Thanksgiving because the store I was working at didn’t have peaches in stock. I told him they weren’t in season but we would probably see them again around Christmas from Chile. He insisted I was grossly misinformed because his grandmother baked a fresh peach pie every Thanksgiving. She had died that year but he was going to continue the tradition. I debated for a split second whether to reveal his grandmother’s secret, but decided against it, felt too much like telling a child there’s no Santa Claus. I apologized for the inconvenience and wished him luck on his search.

So why wouldn’t you want grapes from Chile? After all, California grapes are not available year round. The short answer: Transportation. There are 2 factors in transportation – time and cost, and they are inversely proportional to each other. Time is not kind to harvested produce, so ideally you want to keep the amount of time from harvest to grocery store as short as possible. They are basically 3 modes of transportation for getting produce from the field to your local grocery store – boat (slow), airplane (fast), truck (in the middle.) Produce that has a longer travel time has to be harvested less ripe which is generally not good for flavor; additionally some produce is simply more fragile and doesn’t have that long of a shelf life. Tomatoes coming from Belgium by airplane have a short travel time but an expensive mode of travel. A boat is much more fuel efficient than a jet, but also a lot slower. Buying produce that is in-season somewhere else in the world and not in your growing region means you are either going to pay a lot more for it or the taste will be disappointing.

You also don’t want to buy produce from your growing region that is out-of-season. Apples are a great example. After the harvest, everything that did not go straight to market is put into either cold storage or long term storage. Cold storage is for the short term; it is refrigerated to preserve it until it goes to market. In long term storage of apples, apples are put in special storage rooms where oxygen is removed and replaced with carbon dioxide. This halts the ripening process. That is why you can still purchase Washington grown apples in March or even May. As you might have guessed, keeping these apples in stasis for months requires energy, which costs money, and that cost is passed onto the consumer. So in March you can buy the same apples that you purchased in October, but you’ll pay more for them and their flavor and some of their nutritional value will have declined.

Including a list of seasonal vegetables and fruits would be far too long, so here are some good resources for lists.

www.nrdc.org/health/foodmiles/ This is the Natural Resources Defense Council’s web site. I like this one because you can pull up lists specific to your state and the time of year.

www.cuesa.org/seasonality/charts/vegetable.php This is the website for the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture. This site provides the most extensive list of seasonal vegetables, as well as a separate one for fruits.

1) Choose Whole Grains over processed grains. Whole grains still contain the chaff and the germ of the grain. These are the nutrient rich parts of a grain containing a wealth of vitamins and minerals. When a grain is processed, many nutrients are lost such as calcium, B6, iron, niacin, folic acid, fiber, protein, among others. At the same time, ounce for ounce processed grains have more calories. The federal government considered this a big public health issue given that 20% of the calories in the average American diet are coming from processed grains (meaning 20% of the average American diet has very little nutritional value.) Federal law now mandates that processed flour be enriched (adding nutrients back to a food) with iron, niacin, folic acid, riboflavin, and thiamin. Although the federal government recognized that many other nutrients were being lost thru processing grains, they didn’t require enrichment because they argued that you get plenty of these from the rest of your diet. That is true if you eat a diet rich in unprocessed foods such as fresh vegetables, fruits and grains. If you are not, you’re likely facing the dilemma of the average American diet: overfed and undernourished.

2) Choose foods higher in fiber. Whole grains are naturally higher in fiber than processed grains. Fiber isn’t just about “staying regular.” Fiber serves the very important function of slowing down the absorption of glucose into the blood stream and moderating blood sugar levels.

To understand this, we need a brief biochemistry lesson. Carbohydrates can be loosely divided into two categories: 1) sugars – small molecules that the body rapidly absorbs into the blood stream and 2) starches – very large complex and branched molecules that require considerable processing in the small intestine before they can be absorbed. Sugars create a rapid increase in blood sugar which in turn stimulates the pancreas to secrete large amounts of insulin. Insulin moves glucose (blood sugar) out of the blood and into the brain and muscles where it is used for energy. Starches take longer to digest and provide the body with a steadier and more even flow of energy.

We can measure how quickly glucose is absorbed from a food; it is called Glycemic Index. The scale goes from 0-100 with lower being better. Processed grains have a higher glycemic index, for example breads made with processed wheat range from 70-90 GI, while breads made with whole wheat are about 50 GI.

So what does all this mean? If you regularly eat foods high in sugar or processed grains, you can overload your pancreas. Your pancreas will produce too much insulin, blood sugar levels will plummet, muscle begins resisting taking in glucose, and the body begins to store the glucose as fat. The result is you gain weight and you still feel hungry because your blood sugar levels are on a roller coaster. You also put yourself at risk for Type 2 Diabetes, the fastest growing disease in the US. Limiting or avoiding sugars and processed grains is key to avoiding this unhealthy cycle.

3) Choose foods with no added sugars. We have already seen how processed grains affect your blood sugar levels, add sugar on top of that and you have a bad combo. Sugar can appear on a label in many forms: sugar, high fructose corn syrup, brown sugar, maple sugar, dextrose, maltose, corn syrup solids, fructose, sucrose, dehydrated cane juice, can juice, can juice solids, glucose syrup, invert sugar….and that’s just to name a few. Be wary of fruit juice concentrates or “fruit juice sweetened.” These may have started with fruit juice, but they have been processed to remove everything until all that’s left is fruit flavored sugar.

The FDA has set Daily Values on nearly everything in food except sugar. The Center for Science in the Public Interest has petition the FDA repeatedly to set the upper limit for an adult at 40 grams/day. The FDA is lobbied heavily by the sugar industry and so far the FDA has refused to set a Daily Value for sugar. I challenge each of you to tally your daily intake of sugar and see where you fall. Statistics show that Americans get 30-40% of our daily sugar intake from beverages – soft drinks and fruit juices. For American children that number tops 50%! You could do a lot for your health by simply making your beverage of choice water.

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I discuss the concept of the glycemic index versus the old theory of sugar length as the determining factor of the rate of absorption of sugar or glucose on my web page under glycemic index. Since our primary concern is the rate our blood sugar rises following a meal, you can now appreciate the fact that a major aspect in determining the quality of carbohydrate you may choose to eat is largely determined by which theory you accept. This is where many physicians and patients alike become confused because the medical establishment (nutritionists, dietitians, physicians, weight loss experts) still base all of their decisions based on the concept of simple sugars and complex carbohydrates. However, the medical literature and the rest of the world (hopefully the US by the time this book is released) are realizing that the concept of glycemic index and glycemic load is the true way to evaluate the effect a certain carbohydrate will have on our blood sugar. It only makes common sense that if you measure the blood sugar rise following the ingestion of a certain carbohydrate you can clearly determine the effect that carbohydrate will have on your blood sugar.

Again, I want to review the practical aspects of the glycemic index and the glycemic load again. The glycemic index is defined as the rate blood sugar would actually rise following the ingestion of a particular test food relative to the ingestion of a standard food (either white bread or glucose). Therefore, the glycemic index of a specific food or meal is determined primarily by the nature of the carbohydrate or carbohydrates consumed and by other factors that affect the digestion of that particular meal (primarily the fat and protein content of that meal). Glycemic load is defined as the weighted average glycemic index of individual foods multiplied by the percentage of dietary energy as carbohydrates (grams of carbohydrates or calories) that particular food contains. A simple calculation allows you to arrive at the glycemic load of any food. You can usually locate the grams of carbohydrate a particular food contains by looking at the food label or using a food composition table and then multiplying it by the glycemic index found at the back of this book. Then you divide this number by 100.

Glycemic load = (Glycemic Index x Grams of Carbohydrate) divided by 100
Spaghetti: 1 cup of cooked spaghetti has a GI value of 41 (average) and contains 52 grams of carbohydrate.
Glycemic Load: (41×52) divided by 100 = 21
Carrots: Glycemic index is 49 and the average serving contains an average of 5 carbohydrates per serving.
Glycemic Load: (49 x 5) divided by 100 = 2.4

This is an important example because it begins to illustrate the fact that the glycemic index is only one aspect in choosing quality carbohydrates. If you were to just look at the glycemic index, spaghetti beats out carrots fairly easy. However, when you look at the amount of carbohydrate you are consuming with one serving of spaghetti (52 grams of carbohydrate) compared with the amount of carbohydrate you are consuming with an averaging serving of carrots (5 grams of carbohydrate), it becomes apparent that the spaghetti is going to create a greater rise in our blood sugar and our insulin response. Especially, when you consider most of us do not eat just one cup of spaghetti for our average serving. Therefore, when you look at the quality of a particular carbohydrate on of the main factors to consider is the glycemic index and the glycemic load.

The next important consideration is the quality of nutrients a particular carbohydrate contains. In this present world of highly processed foods, the quality of nutrients a carbohydrate contains varies tremendously. For example, all of our fruits, nuts, grains, and vegetables are classified as carbohydrates. These whole foods contain the vital vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals our bodies need to survive. However, processed white sugar, which is consumed in alarming amounts in the modern world only contains one molecule of glucose and one molecule of fructose. Glucose has a glycemic index of 100 and a glycemic load of 10 while fructose has a glycemic index of 19 and a glycemic load of 2. Combined together in your normal white table sugar it has a glycemic index of 61 and a glycemic load of 6. Now, I believe that you would agree with me that the nutritional value of sugar is not the greatest. However, when you just look at the glycemic index and the glycemic load of table sugar, it really is not that horrible. Therefore, any foods that are high in sugar can give this highly processed carbohydrate a fairly good glycemic index and glycemic load. The point that I am trying to make is the fact that more and more people are becoming knowledgeable about the glycemic index of foods and basing which carbohydrates they are going to eat solely just on this index. You have to understand that the glycemic index is important but was never intended to be the only consideration when choosing which carbohydrates you were going to eat.

Processed Carbohydrates—the Enemy

When you are trying to determine what a good carbohydrates and which are the bad carbohydrates in this world, you need to look at the glycemic index, the glycemic load, and the quality of nutrients contained within a particular carbohydrate. The main consideration for a healthy diet is for you to understand that the major reason we are in this health care crisis today of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes mellitus is because of the processed food industry and our fear of fat. That is correct; you must understand that highly processed carbohydrates are literally destroying your health. Everything that I have related and documented so far was so that you would hopefully be able to realize and understand why processed carbohydrates are so dangerous. They are all high glycemic and almost all have a high glycemic load. They are absorbed very quickly into the blood stream and therefore spike your blood sugar, which stimulates the release of insulin (your storage hormone) and suppress glucagon (your fat releasing hormone). Most of that sugar is driven into our fat cells where it is quickly changed to fat. The blood sugar is quickly driven down by the excessive release of insulin into the hypoglycemic range where counterregulatory hormones are then released to drive the blood sugar back up. You develop this overwhelming hunger (hyperphagia) and then you have to eat again—usually craving these high glycemic foods that started the process in the first place. I have discussed this problem previously in week one of your training and want to review this again because I feel this is the primary underlying reason people have failed to lose weight permanently. They just don’t appreciate how dangerous processed foods are to their overall health and weight control. How could they be so bad—after all they are low in fat? This fear of getting too much cholesterol and fat in our diet is the greatest fallacy that has ever been perpetuated on any society. The damage that this has caused to our health and our society is incalculable. You will learn more about this during the next week training when I discuss good fats and bad fats.

Whole Foods

As I have shared with you earlier, the concepts that I share in the Healthy and Lean for Life Program are quite simple to understand. You will not have to have a scale, weigh your food, or starve yourself to death in order to lose weight. You simply need to understand the fact that there are good carbohydrates, good protein, and good fat that needs to be combined together into every meal and snack that you consume. When you look at whole foods, which are defined as any food man has not messed with, you will find that with only a few exceptions they make up what I define as “Good Carbohydrates”. These are foods like apples, oranges, pears, grapes, beans, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, corn, nuts, carrots, and whole grains. These foods not only contain the vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, good fats, good proteins, and good carbohydrates our bodies require and need but they also have a low glycemic index and low glycemic load. Of course, there are exceptions to this basic rule like white potatoes (glycemic index of 88 and a glycemic load of 16) but in general if it has not been processed by man—it is a good carbohydrate.

In direct contrast, is the fact that if it has been processed in any way, it is generally not a good carbohydrate. For example if you take slow cooked oatmeal (glycemic index of 42 and a glycemic load of 9) and compare this to instant oatmeal (glycemic index of 66 and a glycemic load of 17). This is a major difference in this same food’s ability to spike your blood sugar and your insulin response. I find it interesting that in one of the studies that looked at how much children would eat following a high glycemic versus a low glycemic breakfast that the high glycemic meal they used was instant oatmeal. It is critical that you understand that when man processes foods that not only are many of the important nutrients necessary for life removed but that they change the structure of the carbohydrate in such a way as that the body is able to absorb it very easily. Also you must remember the fact that because the food loses much of its good taste during the processing procedure, food additives (sugar and high fructose corn syrup are some of the most widely used) must be added back to the food so that it is palatable. Are you starting to get the picture?

I have learned to use a simple guide for my patients which makes it easy for anyone to see very quickly which foods they can safely consume and the ones they absolutely need to avoid. I divide the main carbohydrates people consume into three categories:

1. Desirable Carbohydrates, Fats, and Proteins—should make up 70 to 80% of all the carbohydrates you consume.
2. Moderately Desirable Carbohydrates, Fats, and Proteins—should make up 20 to 25% of the carbohydrates you consume.
3. Least Desirable Carbohydrates, Fats, and Proteins—should make up only 5 to 10% of the carbohydrates you consume.

Please see the Recommended Food List for a detailed listing of the most common carbohydrates, fats, and proteins consumed in the United States and Canada. Now it is important to discuss the various categories of carbohydrates to give you even a better detailed understanding of the factors you must consider when you begin choosing to make changes to your eating habits.

Vegetables

Almost all whole vegetables are classified as highly recommended carbohydrates. They contain vital nutrients and are low glycemic and have a low glycemic load. They should make up a major aspect of your diet. Even those fruits and vegetables that have a higher glycemic index generally have a lower glycemic load and will not spike your blood sugar. Vegetables like carrots and beets that have a higher glycemic index (47 and 64) have a low glycemic load (3 and 5). Therefore, simply stated, eating any whole vegetables is recommended; however, I do not place potatoes in this category. I feel you need to look at potatoes as a separate category when you start to make changes to your own personal eating habits.

Potatoes

When you look at potatoes as a category, they are definitely a whole food but they are both very high glycemic and have a high glycemic load. It is the vegetable of choice of most Americans. They will eat them baked, boiled, fried, instant, mashed, and in any form they can get their hands on them. Other than breads, this may be the biggest adjustment you need to make in your thinking about your diet. The average baked potato has a glycemic index (GI) of 85 and a glycemic load of 26. French fried potatoes have a GI of 75 and a glycemic load of 22. They are also cooked in lard, beef tallow, or high temperature vegetable oil, which not only creates a high glycemic food that is loaded with either saturated fat or rancid fat (this will be discussed in detail during next week’s training). New potatoes actually have the lowest GI (57) and lowest GL (12) and are the potatoes I recommend my patients consume. I also like the yams with a GI of 37 and a GL of 13 or sweet potatoes with an average GI of 61 and GL of 17. Now I recommend that even the new potatoes, yams, and sweet potatoes be eaten only occasionally.

Fruits

Again, almost all whole fruits are excellent carbohydrates to consume. They contain important antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins that are essential for our existence. Even though they are sweet, they contain fructose sugar which is both low glycemic (19) and has a low glycemic load (2). Now there is some negative concerns about high fructose corn syrup additives but I want to make it very clear that the amount of fructose that occurs naturally in our whole fruits is healthy and will not spike your blood sugar. When we consume too much fructose in foods, soda pops, sports drinks, and candy, it can overload our liver and cause definite concerns. Fruits like watermelon and cantaloupe which have a higher GI (72 and 65) have a low GL of 4. Even bananas that have a modest GI of 51 and a modest GL of 13 are still considered an excellent carbohydrate as well as are papaya, mango, and Kiwi fruit. There needs to be some caution using these higher glycemic fruits as stand alone snacks but they make great deserts following a wonderful, low glycemic meal.

Processed fruits can be dangerous just as can any processed carbohydrates. Fruit juice and canned fruit are the main culprits. It all is a matter of exactly how they have been processed. For example, an orange has a GI of 48 and a GL of 5 but orange juice reconstituted from frozen concentrate has a GI of 57 and a GL of 15. An apple has a GI of 40 and a GL of 6, while unsweetened apple juice has a GI of 40 but a GL of 12. However, most of the juices that are available are not 100% fresh squeezed or fresh frozen, but instead, are diluted and sweetened. This significantly increases both the GI and GL. A raw peach has a GI of 28 and a GL of 4. However, when it is canned in heavy syrup it has a GI of 58 and a GL 9. The basic principle you will hear me preaching is the more natural the food the lower the GI and GL and consequently the better it is for you.

Breakfast Cereals

It becomes apparent very quickly that most breakfast cereals are highly processed carbohydrates. Almost all of these boxed cereals are high glycemic and have a high glycemic load. This is not the way you need to start out your day. Especially, when you consider most people add two pieces of white or whole wheat toast and a glass of orange juice to their breakfast. Kellogg’s All-Bran takes the prize when it comes to a highly processed cereal that is both low glycemic and has a low glycemic load. If you have ever eaten an All-Bran breakfast you can understand why, it tastes like your eating the box. In order for companies to make a cereal taste good, they usually need to add a ton of sugar. This may make the cereal have a moderate glycemic index and glycemic load but where is the nutritional value? The highly processed grains that have been used as the basis of the cereal have had most of the quality nutrients removed. This is the main reason that they must fortify most cereals.

The best cereals are the “old-fashioned” slow-cooked cereals like oatmeal and steel cut oats. Yes, they take a little longer to prepare but they are lower glycemic and have a lower glycemic load. The grain is intact and has had minimal processing. I am sure that if you love cereal for breakfast and go back to these fine foods that you will be simply amazed out how well they taste and how satisfying they are. You can also add some soy or whey protein to your cereal just as you are finishing cooking it. This will add some needed protein to your meal and add to the flavor and satisfaction of your breakfast.

Breads

I believe the most difficult change you will have to make is avoiding white bread, white flour, wheat flour, and almost every processed bread made in the US and Canada. White bread has a GI of 70 and a GL of 10 and has been used a standard in many of the studies involving the glycemic index. Whole wheat bread (made from wheat flour) has a GI of 77 and a GL of 9. Now this makes your choice of whole wheat bread over white bread a mistake when you consider the glycemic index. Now brown bread may look healthier but it is a complete fake out. Now coarse wheat kernel bread (75% intact kernels—Canada) has a GI of 48 and a GL of 10. While white Wonder Bread (enriched) has a GI of 73 and a GL of 10. Bagels have a GI of 72 and a GL of 25. Highly processed whole wheat bread and white bread actually spikes our blood sugar and insulin faster than table sugar. Bread along with potatoes in all its processed forms is the major culprit and challenge when it comes to the Healthy and Lean for Life Program. Try to go out and avoid white bread, white flour, pasta, rice, and potatoes in the Western diet. It is nearly impossible unless you are willing to take back control of your health and not let your health and weight be at the mercy of the food industry. The choice is yours. However, this is why I want you to totally avoid all sugar, bread, potatoes, rice, and pasta during the first four weeks of the Healthy and Lean for Life Program. Now that you are nearing the end of Phase One, it is important to be looking for a very good whole-grain bread and learning which rice and pasta to re-introduce into your diet.

Obviously, you want to begin eating breads that are made the old-fashioned way. The way the peasants had to eat their breads over the past centuries. You want bread that is made with whole, intact grains. Not wheat or white flour. These grains should be stone-ground and not the result of high speed grinders. They are simply difficult to find. My research around the country as taught me that they are hard to find no matter where you live. Most brands that use whole wheat flour will also combine this with wheat or white flour. They just want to maintain the fluffy, light bread that tastes so good. Whole grains make the bread drier and coarser and frankly just don’t sell as well.

Eating coarse rye kernel (pumpernickel) bread is a step in the right direction because it has a GI of 41 and a GL of 5. Whole oat bran bread has a GI of 44 and a GL of 8. Another trick is to eat sour dough bread because the lactic acid it contains causes a decrease in the rate of absorption and lowers the GI of wheat bread to 53 and GL of 10. If sprouted breads (contains no flour) like Silver Hills bread or Ezekiel Bread are available in your area, you may consider switching to these types of breads because they are lower glycemic. However, the greatest change we all need to be making is simply just eating less bread. Breads and grains have been the base of our USDA Food Pyramid for years and making this change is going to take time. I feel that even the lower GI and GL breads need to be eaten much less and the average white and wheat bread needs to be treated like candy and sugar. It should be avoided as much as possible and if eaten at all should be nibbled at like it was a piece of candy. After all, it is worse than candy when it comes top the way it spikes your blood sugar and insulin.

Cookies, Cakes, Donuts, Crackers, Snack Foods, Candy

I can hear you now—you are not going to make me give up my favorite foods. My patients have told me over the years that it is simple to follow the eating habits I recommend—if it tastes good, then I can’t have it. Well, they were not really too far off. We have a society that is simply hooked on sugar and sweets. I feel that it is as strong of addiction as drugs, alcohol, and nicotine. Well, you can just guess where I place of these carbohydrates and it is not on my highly recommended foods to eat. However, I know that you are going to not totally give up deserts and sweets. You need to have a great respect for these foods because it is so easy to get back into the carbohydrate addiction. By now, fruits should taste very sweet to you. Whole fruits offer you a tremendous way to satisfy that sweet tooth without spiking your blood sugar.

Good Fats and Good Proteins

It is important to realize that the best fats and proteins generally come from our vegetables. These contain the essential omega-3 fatty acids as well as the monosaturated fats. They are very low in saturated fats. The next best fats and therefore protein comes from cold-water fish like salmon, mackerel, trout, tuna, sardines, etc., since they contain high levels of the omega-3 fatty acids. The next best fat and protein comes from foul because the fat of the bird is found just under the skin in the subcutaneous fat and not marbled into the meat. It is easy to skin your chicken or turkey and end up with a relatively lean serving of protein even though it is primarily saturated fat. The worst fat and protein comes from red meat and dairy products. You need to eat the leanest meat you can get your hands on and go for skim milk, low-fat cottage cheese and yogurt. Fatty red meat, cheese, milk, butter, and foods produced from these sources are your main enemy when it comes to getting too much saturated fat into your diet.

Hopefully, this Recommended Food List will help guide you into better eating habits and a healthier lifestyle.

Desirable Protein/Fat

Least Desirable Protein/Fat

Source: Strand M.d., Ray D. “Recommended Foods to Eat.” Bionutrition.Com. 2 Apr. 2008 .

Still not convinced?  How about modifying those leftovers into something a little more breakfast-y?  Here are some particularly adaptable leftovers…

Sweet  Potatoes

Take last night’s baked sweet potato and mash it Into your favorite hot cereal (like kashi or millet) Add a little cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice  f it’s too thick, add a little unsweetened soy or rice Milk and Enjoy!

Butternut or acorn squash work great too.

Or make a hash.  Chop sweet potatoes into a sauté Pan, add a handful of spinach (onions, bell peppers, Zucchini, etc.)  Serve with a poach or over-easy egg.

Vegetables – Any really…

Scramble 1 or 2 eggs with last night’s leftover Grilled asparagus (or zucchini, spinach, peppers… Etc.) Add a dash of your favorite seasoning, such as Italian seasoning or Fresh basil and garlic or Chipotle powder and cilantro For a vegan version, sub tofu (chop or crumble it) for the eggs.

Veg/Egg “Florentine”

Place a thick slice of tomato on a plate.  Topped with cooked chard (or any other greens) and a poached egg. Substitute kefir/Dijon mustard type sauce for hollandaise.

If hot cereal soothes your soul, try these:

Bob’s Red Mill brand – there’s over a dozen varieties to choose from, try the “Mighty Tasty GF Hot Cereal,” it’s gluten free and yummy.

Arrowhead Mills – also has a lot of varieties to choose from.  I especially like the “4 Grain with Flax.”

But leave out the butter and brown sugar.  Try some of these flavors instead:

Seeds – pumpkin and sunflowers are especially good
Spices – cinnamon, cardamom, and pumpkin pie spice convey a sweetness without the sugar
Nuts – almonds, pecans, or cashews
Herbs – Go for savory flavors, Basil or rosemary, perhaps with a little sundried tomato
Coconut – top your hot cereal with shredded coconut or add a little coconut milk
Some like it hot – diced jalapeno and pico de gallo or chipotle peppers (canned in sauce)

If you’re crunched for time…

1. Soups for Breakfast – Soups are fast.  They can be made ahead of time and can conveniently be consumed from your travel mug.  You’ll find several listed under the lunch recipes.
2. Rice cakes with almond butter
3. Chicken salad with Ryvita crackers, rice cakes, or Mary’s Gone Crackers – skip the coffee, skip the sweet stuff, you’ll get a bigger boost to your morning if you start with protein.
4. Finding cold cereals without added sugar could leave you reading labels in the aisles for hours.  These cold cereals have no added sugar.  Try them with unsweetened soy, rice or hemp milk: Arrowhead Mills, Shredded Wheat, Nature’s Path, Puffed Rice, Millet, Kamut, or Corn Weetabix, Erewhon’s Crispy Brown Rice, Uncle Sam’s Toasted Whole Wheat Flakes with Flax, Cascadian Farms’ Purely O’s and Multigrain Squares.

Or if you have plenty of time….

Frittata

• 3-4 small red potatoes, boiled and quartered
• 1 T Olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 zucchini, thinly sliced
• 2 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 c spinach or swiss chard, shredded
• Salt and Pepper. To taste
• 5 eggs
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Your favorite salsa or pico de gallo
• 1 lime quartered
• 1 avocado, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 F.  In a small bowl, whisk eggs.  Set aside.

Saute the onions in the olive oil until slightly translucent.  Add the potatoes, zucchini, and tomatoes and sauté for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper, if using.  Add spinach and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.  Transfer ingredients to a baking dish and pour eggs over top.  Bake for 3-5 minutes until eggs are cooked.

Serve with fresh cilantro, avocado, a squeeze of lime, and salsa.