Tag Archives: thin

Sugar Addiction Worse Than Heroin Addiction?

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What?  Sugar is an addiction worse than heroin?

Many articles have come out about how certain foods are designed to be addictive to the human brain.  (One example: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2349007/Food-really-addictive-Study-finds-brain-activity-similar-heroin-users-eating-certain-processed-foods.html)

The articles basically says that studies have shown that food could be as addictive as class-A drug heroin and nicotine in cigarettes.  They found substance abuse and food with a high glycemic index – such as white bread and potatoes – may trigger the same brain mechanism tied to addiction.  And that eating highly processed carbohydrates can cause excess hunger and stimulate brain regions involved in reward and cravings.

No, not the Oreos!

oreoeat

Another study came out last week about Oreos.    (One example:  http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/10/16/oreos-may-be-as-addictive-as-cocaine/?iid=nf-article-trend-now)

The articles about Oreos basically explain that Oreos are as addictive as cocaine with lab rats.  According to the new study,  eating Oreos activated more neurons in the rat brain’s “pleasure center” than drugs such as cocaine.

oreosstuffRead more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/10/16/oreos-may-be-as-addictive-as-cocaine/#ixzz2iCLeTJXs

If you read books like Salt, Sugar, Fat, by Michael Moss,  http://www.amazon.com/Salt-Sugar-Fat-Giants-Hooked/dp/1400069807, you will see how those companies learned how the brain reacted to the combination of those three items and how to “hook” their customers.  Whether you like it or not, Coca Cola, General Mills and the like–are all drug pushers and you, the addicted one, are their junkee.

Here are the signs if you are a sugar junkie:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-sugar-addiction?ecd=wnl_wlw_101913&ctr=wnl-wlw-101913_ld-stry&mb=XIrxC%40bWr0GXHmtrgs5c0eHnVev1imbCQlyzenL1KWg%3d

If you want to go through detox and stop being a junkie, here are some ways to do it.
Detox:

3 day Detox:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2392930/The-Three-Day-Sugar-Detox-How-banish-sweet-stuff-life-look-younger-AND-lose-weight.html

21 day Detox: http://www.rosecole.com/handouts/21DaySugarDetox.pdf

One you have detoxed, then you can really start to cut back more on carbs like Quinoa, oats, wheat, and rice–in order to lose more weight.  It is hard to lose a lot of weight if you eat more than 50g ot 100g of carbs a day and those things have a lot of carbs.  But, your first focus should be to DETOX and you will still lose weight because your body is obviously getting less carbs and sugar from eating less of the junk carbs.  So, detox and then look at any of my other blogs on losing weight the low carb way and reaching your goal weight.  (Example:  https://skinny-rules.com/2013/10/18/the-rules-for-losing-weight/)

I will go into more depth on next week, in case you need a breakdown.  Now, go detox!  Find a friend, detox together.  It is easier to do it with a friend.  There is also Overeaters Anonymous meetings.  Those are free and for those who can’t stop eating foods that they want to stop eating…..

Birth, Death and Dieting

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I found out yesterday that my oldest dog, Charlie, might have cancer.  I love that dog.  I am pretty devastated.  However, I will not stray from my quest for physical fitness and staying thin.  I still got up and went to Pilates today.  Letting myself go will not make him healthy and I still have two other dogs who need a healthy mom.  I still have a husband who loves me and we will get through this together.

Today’s food will be the same as usual and I will stay on track.  It was my birthday on Thursday and I still ate appropriately.  I had a FEW bites of my husband’s chocolate gelato, but I stuck to my usual low-carb foods for the day.  Tonight, friends are taking me out to an Indian restaurant and I will only eat 4 ounces of Chicken Tikka and some of the Cauliflower of the Gobi Gobi.  NO naan bread, etc.

I will not allow myself to fall into the pit of depression or birthday eating, where you screw up months and years of hard work.  Carbs will NOT make me feel better in the long run.  I will only feel worse because–“Once over the lips, a lifetime on the hips.”

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Some researchers maintain that reducing your carb intake can impact your brain’s serotonin levels, putting you at risk for depression and mood imbalance. Therefore, it is important to eat protein every 3-4 hours, get between 50 to 100g of carbs a day and to exercise to increase serotonin levels.  That is why I made sure I made it to Pilates today.  I will try to get on the elliptical later too.  And I am taking my vitamins.  B Vitamins are really important in times of stress!  I will also take L-Theanine 200mg, which is the most magic remedy for any kind of stress out there and it is a natural protein with no side effects.

So, if you are down–go for a walk, do something.  Not this kind of exercise…..

exercisefridge

 

Here is my Charlie in better times. He loves going to the park (The bench at the park pictured behind him.  I am sure he peed on it!)

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10 Tricks To Keep Losing Weight

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1.  Portion Control:  You have to weigh and measure your food.  You can find visual aids to help you along until you get used to size.  But, if you are supposed to eat 4 ounces of meat per protein meal out of 6 meals a day, and you are eating more or even less than that…you will be messing up your diet.  So, get a scale and learn.  Use measuring cups and use visual aids, if needed.

2.  Learn about size through visual aids:  Here is a website to show you the portions compared to everyday items. http://www.foodnetwork.com/healthy-eating/tips-for-portion-control/pictures/index.html

chicken3.  Read Food Nutrition Labels:  The labels tell the story.  It will tell you the AMOUNT of portions in your bottle or container and how many carbs and proteins are in them.  Go for higher protein and lower carbs.  Remember that between 50 and 100g of carbs a day are better for a diet.  And 1g of protein isn’t even worth eating or drinking the item.

4.  Look at the nutritional Information of the Food at Restaurants:  Same goes here for knowing what you are eating per PORTION.

5.  Trick Your Eyes:  Use Smaller Plates:  You will feel that you are eating more if you use smaller plates for your measured PORTIONED food.

6.  Avoid Buffets:  It is too easy to go back for seconds, thirds, etc. and it is hard to say no to all of those carby, sweet things.

7.  Doggy Bag It:  I always break my food down when I am out…and I put the portion that is beyond my eating portion in a doggy bag and put it aside.  Less likely to keep eating and ruin my diet.

8.  Don’t Supersize Food:  Saving money?  Not losing weight.  It isn’t worth it.

9.  Write Meals Down:  Keeping track of what you eat helps you keep your carb intake and food intake under control.

10.  Watch What You Drink:  If you drink, do not use sugar and don’t drink juice, laden in sugar and carbs.  Drink water, coffee, tea or flavored water with sugar substitute.  And watch alcohol.  Lots of carbs and sugar.  The least offensive–vodka or gin, but there are still carbs and the alcohol will take up a lot of energy processing in your body and you will not burn as many calories that day.  It really is not worth it.

 

 

 

 

You Might Be Fat Because of Label and Size Trickery

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I have written before about portion control.  It is important to know that since the 1950s, people have been doubling in size, but that is because portions have doubled in size.

And the food industry does a great job of hiding facts and they have been tricking you into eating TOO MUCH FOOD!

portion

I had a client come to my office with a 15 ounce large bottle of Green Machine Naked Juice (GMO fruits, company owned by Pepsi) and he attempted to drink the entire thing himself.  The bottle had at least 5 or 6 small servings for a family at breakfast and because it was in a bottle, he thought he should drink it himself.  You have to be careful reading labels.  This is what the label says:

1 cup is almost 30g of sugar (almost 8 sugar cubes) and almost 35g of carbs.  No wonder diabetes is on the rise.

Stick to cup-sized portions.  Get out a measuring cup and get accustomed to the size of it.

cup

HERE IS THE TRICKERY!

So, do you know how much is in a cup?  Most people don’t.  A cup is 8 ounces.  How many ounces are in the bottle?  15 ounces!!!!!!!!!!!!  (some of the other Naked Juice drinks are even worse!)

So, if you DOUBLE the amount of nutritional information if you DRINK THE WHOLE THING, then you will realize that you are actually drinking almost 60g of sugar (about 16 sugar cubes) and almost 70g of carbs–about as much as you want for the whole day if you don’t want to maintain or lose weight.

I have seen many people drink these whole bottles as one meal.  You need to look at your labels!  You could have had a whole plate of spaghetti and meatballs instead and liked it better!

The standard serving for soft drinks is one cup – 8 fluid ounces. But most cans sold in vending machines are 12 ounces. Bottles drinks often come in 20 ounce portions, all for consumption by a single person.  That is just way too much in one go.  We are eating too much, drinking too much.

At Starbucks, the portion sizes are not only skewed to large, the names are confusing as well: Tall (12 ounces), Grande (16), and Venti (24).

bagelsize

It gets even harder to order the smaller options when you do the financial calculation – the larger portion almost always is cheaper per ounce than the smaller one.

What to do when you’re eating out?

  • only eat 4 ounces of meat (a palm-sized amount), a cup of vegetables, small salad size.
  • serving
  • Ask for a take-out container and put your food in there even before you start to eat so you won’t be tempted to keep eating.
  • ask your server / waiter what the portion size is for the dish you are ordering
  • order the smaller option (including kid sized portions, which are the right size for an adult in the first place)
  • share your dish with your dining partner
  • drink water – no serving size limit!
  • I don’t do pasta, but if you do, remember what a cup looks like!  (and it is about 43g of carbs!  That is a lot and it is just a cup!
  • pasta_serving2
  • portion-plate

Sugar Cravings

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Getting off of grains, most fruits and sugar products is very hard.  As you do it, your body and  MIND have been trained to look for the “hit” at the pleasure point in your brain.  In a way, you conditioned or brainwashed your brain to want and need the sugar, but over time,  you can get over it.  You allowed the foods that you were conditioned to eat do this to you and you have no idea that this was happening.  You were conned into buying and eating those foods, without realizing how they would have control over you like an addict has no control over their need for their drug of choice.  So, fight back.

How to get through the cravings.  

  • Drink lots of sugar-free fluids.
  • Get enough lean protein and fiber.   There have been studies.  The people who eat more protein report feeling less hungry.  When I am hungry, I get a protein bar, protein drink, some meat or a piece of cheese and it satisfies the cravings.  The second thing that fills me up is fiber.  That is in vegetables, but also in protein bars and protein drinks.  A lot of people will eat cereal to fill them up and that has fiber, but it also is mostly carbs and not only will you gain weight or not lose any weight, but you will be hungry again very soon after and go through a sugar rollercoaster.
  • Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables.  The more fruit and vegetables that are in the diet, the greater the weight loss and you are less likely to say that you feel hungry on any given day. Have you ever tried to eat a lot of vegetables?  You get full fast, right?  It is the fiber!

kick_sugar_craving_225

Studies have show that changing your habits to focus on protein, water and fiber-rich foods helps maintain weight loss for many years.  I try to stay away from sugar.  If it is natural and in my fruit, etc.–that is fine, but if you have a sugar product, your brain will want more.  It is a lot of work fighting the pleasure center of your brain.  Consider alternative products without a lot of sugar, corn-syrup, etc.

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Follow Up On The Low-Carb FlatOut Bread

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The Flatout bread was excellent. If you want to make it or learn more about the ingredients, look at my blog yesterday.

Here are the pictures I took. I make a mighty good pizza.

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What About Processed Foods?

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I have discussed carbs, but some of you (and I) are concerned about processed foods and their safety. Processed foods are not really good for us. In fact, I read today that they can really affect our auto immune systems.

What are processed foods?

Processed foods have been altered from their natural state, either for safety reasons or for convenience. The methods used include canning, freezing, refrigeration, dehydration and aseptic processing.

Some of these foods are not bad for your health at all. For example, milk would be considered a processed food because it’s pasteurized to kill bacteria and homogenized to keep fats from separating, so most of us are happy to consume the healthy processed milk we find in our grocery stores.

Freezing vegetables preserves most vitamins and minerals and makes them convenient to store, cook and eat all year around. Fruit and vegetable juice is also an example of a healthy processed food and fortified with supplements. Oatmeal, unbreaded frozen fish fillets, canned salmon, frozen berries and 100-percent whole grain bread are also examples of processed foods that are good for you, except now there is a concern that the wheat is modified and not good for us.

Sure, there are a lot of processed foods that aren’t good for you. Many of these bad ones are made with trans-fats, saturated fats, and large amounts of sodium and sugar. These processed foods should be avoided, or at least eaten sparingly.

Processed foods that may be bad for your diet:

  • Canned foods (including soup) with large amounts of sodium or fat.
  • Pasta meals made with refined white flour instead of whole grains.
  • Packaged high-calorie snack foods such as chips and candies.
  • Frozen fish sticks and frozen dinners that are high in sodium.
  • Packaged cakes and cookies.
  • Boxed meal mixes that are high in fat and sodium.
  • Sugary breakfast cereals.
  • Processed meats. *

* Some studies suggest that eating processed meats may increase your risk of colorectal, kidney and stomach cancer. Processed meats include hot dogs, bologna, sausage, ham and other packaged lunch meats. These meats are frequently high in calories, saturated fats and sodium.

Breakfast cereal can be good for you if it’s made with 100-percent whole grain and fortified with additional nutrients, but many breakfast cereals are low in fiber and contain too much sugar, and again the wheat can lead to problems and weight issues.

Be sure to look for products that are made with more whole grains, less sodium and have fewer calories. They should also be low in saturated fat and free of trans-fats (be sure to read the label, sometimes foods that claim to be trans-fat free still contain partially hydrogenated oils). Make sure you pay attention to serving size, too, and balance out the processed foods with more fresh foods. If you choose a convenient meal in a skillet, add a garden salad, fresh vegetables, and some whole grain bread to make the meal healthier. You can also the nutritional value of ramen noodles by adding fresh vegetables.

Honey, You Might Be Killing the Kids!

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I know someone who came to my office this weekend with his son. This man wants to lose weight and he wants his children to lose weight too. He says he is watching what they eat, and they were late to my office that morning and came in with “breakfast drinks.” What were they drinking that was “good” for them, as he put it?

Nestle Strawberry flavored milk (30g of sugar) and Naked Juice (38g of carbs). There are approximately 4g of sugar per sugar cube. So, I pulled out my sugar cube box and I showed him 7.5 sugar cubes and asked him if he would give them to his son. Of course, he declined, but I told him he was with the chocolate milk–as that is how many sugar cubes are in his drink. And there were about 9 in Dad’s drink.

But, milk and juice is healthy!? Not so much. A balanced amount of milk as a protein, each day, is good for you. However, flavored milk AKA SUGAR milk is not good for you. And, the juice is overkill. FRUIT is good, the pulp and the fiber is needed and NOT in that juice. So, in his juice is 1/2 a banana, 1/3 of a mango and 21/2 apples. If you had to eat that many pieces of fruit in one sitting, you could not really do it. So, EAT fruit, don’t drink it. It is less fiber and too much sugar. Plus, both the milk and the juice were in huge containers and they were both trying to drink the whole thing. They should have just had a little bit of it.

So, what should dad have fed himself and his kid for breakfast? Sure, they were in a hurry that day and they wanted something easy and quick. So, what could Dad have done instead?

Parents need to educate themselves. No wonder there is a problem with a large amount of childhood obesity, and more adults are obese now than ever in the history of the United States. So, here are some ideas!

Quick Low-Sugar Breakfast Ideas:

1. Hard-boiled eggs (pre-made) or just scramble some eggs–quickly.
2. Microwaveable STEEL cut oatmeal (there is some at Trader Joes and at Costco) and put some blueberries in it.
3. A low-carb protein bar.
4. Low-fat string cheese or mini baby bells.
5. Worse case scenario–fast food place, just order scrambled eggs and bacon.
6. Turkey or chicken slices with low-fat cheese or microwaveable turkey bacon or sausage
7. A low-carb protein drink.
8. Put ONE piece of fruit in a blender with some ice and some veggies (there are recipes online) and make a small smoothie.
9. A glass of low-fat milk, low-carb Greek yogurt.
10. Low-carb pancake mix and syrup.

(yes, some of that is processed meat, and nothing is perfect, but it won’t add to your waistline like sugar drinks will.)

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What Is Causing Your Cravings?

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Today, I was in my Pilates class and I was listening to a woman explain that she follows Weight Watchers, but there are sweets in her house (two teenage boys) and she winds up following her plan for a few days and then succumbs to the sweets because of the cravings.

One issue that is a whole other Oprah, I will discuss in another blog soon — that I think it is a mistake to have sweets around for teens with the excuse that they are teens.  There are so many delicious HEALTHY options for teens and kids that it is just a poor excuse because they are growing fast and need calories to burn, that you can give them EMPTY calories in the shape of cookies and cake.  But, that will be for another day.

Today’s issue is what is causing MOMMY (or Daddy’s) cravings? Two things!

1.  You are addicted to sugar and you have to get off and allow yourself to get through withdrawal (like crack addiction).

2.  You might have Leaky Gut Syndrome.  You might ask, “What the heck is that?”  It is a real medical condition that not all doctors know about or talk about, but good ones do.  Your doctor might scoff, but then you will need another doctor.  Dr. Andrew Weil knows about it and writes about it.

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA361058/what-is-leaky-gut.html

I had this condition and it caused me to be very ill and gain a lot of weight.  It also caused my sugar cravings.  In a nutshell…

Leaky Gut Low

” leaky gut syndrome (also called increased intestinal permeability), is the result of damage to the intestinal lining, making it less able to protect the internal environment as well as to filter needed nutrients and other biological substances. As a consequence, some bacteria and their toxins, incompletely digested proteins and fats, and waste not normally absorbed may “leak” out of the intestines into the blood stream. This triggers an autoimmune reaction, which can lead to gastrointestinal problems such as abdominal bloating, excessive gas and cramps, fatigue, food sensitivities, joint pain, skin rashes, and autoimmunity. The cause of this syndrome may be chronic inflammation, food sensitivity, damage from taking large amounts of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), cytotoxic drugs and radiation or certain antibiotics, excessive alcohol consumption, or compromised immunity.”

(If you have migraines, gut issues, yeast infections, nail issues, bowel issues, skin issues–it could be caused by Leaky Gut Syndrome!)

leaky

How do you heal this condition?

1.  avoid alcoholm NSAIDS, any foods that you’re allergic to.

2.  Make sure you’re eating plenty of fiber.

3.  Take Culturelle or another probiotic supplement containing Lactobacillus GG.

4.   Eat an anti-inflammatory diet, including essential fatty acids like fish oil and GLA. In addition, you might try supplementing with glutamine, an amino acid that helps maintain intestinal metabolism and function and seems to benefit patients who have had intestinal injury from chemotherapy and radiation.

5.  Cut sugar out of your diet as much as possible and follow a MEVY diet (Meat, eggs, vegetables and yogurt) if you can’t follow the anti-inflammatory diet.  If you eat fruit, stick with fruit that has low sugar like berries or citrus.  A side benefit is that you will lose weight.  You will have sugar cravings for about a week, find something to keep your mouth happy like gum, lots of flavored water or coffee.  Try to avoid milk for awhile–lots of sugar.  Use non dairy creamer if you need light coffee.  Sweeteners can be an issue, and if you like the taste of Stevia at all, use that.  I couldn’t give up my Splenda–so getting the Leaky Gut Syndrome cleared up for me took many months.

 

 

Low-Carb Noodles or Pasta

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Sometimes I just want something different.  Sometimes I just miss pasta.  Sometimes I just want something that feels like comfort.

I have written about this before, but I want to remind people that you can have pasta noodles with a little bit of sauce, just make sure they are the tofu kind and not the wheat-based kind.  Only 3g of carbs per serving.  Not available at every store.  But, you can look online to locate them.  They are also on Amazon.com.

http://www.shiratakinoodles.net/

shirataki

They are good.  They smell funny until cooked and then they are awesome.

Try them.  Inexpensive too!

I think I am going to have some right now.