Food Cures (6 page)

HIGH-QUALITY CARBOHYDRATES

Just as there are superior protein choices for weight loss and good health, there are good (and poor) carbohydrate choices. Carbs are necessary because your body breaks them down into glucose, the kind of simple sugar used by your cells for energy. When we eat low-quality carbs, we’re essentially dumping glucose into our blood stream, which provides a quick rush of energy, followed eventually by a slump…which in turn causes us to eat more. It’s a vicious cycle. A smart weight-loss plan limits or avoids low-quality carbs, including sugar and sugary foods, anything made with white flour, fruit juice, and soft drinks.

High-quality carbs, on the other hand, are rich in vitamins, minerals, and
fiber
. Fiber is the unsung hero of weight loss. There are two kinds of fiber, both abundant in whole grain foods, fruits, and vegetables. The first,
soluble fiber
, turns gooey when digested and stabilizes blood sugar, keeps you feeling full, and controls hunger. The second,
insoluble fiber
, is a volumizer—it adds bulk to food, so you can eat a lot more food without a lot of extra calories.

Fiber is critical to weight maintenance. Nutrition researchers at the University of Texas at Austin discovered that people who are not overweight eat 33 percent more fiber and 43 percent more complex carbohydrates than people who are overweight. This echoes the results of studies that have shown that people who eat high-fiber diets are less likely to be overweight than people who eat low-fiber diets. By including fiber-rich, high-quality carbohydrates with your meals, you’ll feel energetic, full, and satisfied as you drop weight.

HEALTHY FATS: MONOUNSATURATED AND OMEGA-3

Along with protein and carbs, fats are an important component of a good nutrition program, but some fats are better than others. Unhealthy fats are saturated fats (found mainly in full-fat dairy products and fatty meats) and trans fats (found primarily in packaged baked goods). Healthy fats are omega-3 fatty acids (found mainly in fish oils and some nuts) and monounsaturated fats (found mainly in olive oil, canola oil, avocado, and some nuts).

Fats convey much of the flavor and texture that most people find—and here’s the official term for it—
yummy
. It’s natural to want to eat them. But fats contain more than twice the number of calories as the same weight of carbohydrates and proteins, so eating an ounce of a fatty food will put on more weight than an ounce of a nonfatty food. Studies have shown that people who are overweight tend to have diets that are high in fat. In fact, some intervention studies have shown that, over the long run, people who reduce the amount of fat in their diets (especially the bad fats)
and
increase the amount of fiber they eat lose up to three times more weight than people who followed other types of diets.

Still, it’s not a good idea to eliminate all—or even most—fats. Fat can help satiate your appetite and stabilize blood sugar levels. Monounsaturated and omega-3 fats play an important role in maintaining good health, regardless of your body weight. People who eat monounsaturated fats (substituting them for unhealthy fats) lose weight, and so do people on very low-fat diets, but the good fats also help reduce the risk of heart disease by decreasing cholesterol and triglycerides.

JUICY FOODS

Some foods are mostly water. That’s a good thing. These juicy foods help fill you up, much more than drinking plain water can. That’s because plain water goes right through you—it’s absorbed or eliminated very quickly. Water that’s integrated into food hangs around your stomach, making you feel full longer. Fortunately, these high water-content foods are healthy fruits and vegetables. That doesn’t mean they’re calorie-free—you still need to count the calories. Still, my successful clients know that incorporating them into your meal and snack rotation is a big help in achieving your ideal weight.

THE PLAN: OVERVIEW

All the meal plans in this book (including the one in this chapter 3), have been calculated to provide 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day—from meals alone. All my meals break down like this: Each breakfast option provides 300 to 400 calories, each lunch option provides 400 to 500 calories, and each dinner option provides 500 to 600 calories. The additional calories you consume from snacks will be entirely up to you. You’ll notice I provide snack options that are 100 calories or less, and snack options that are 100 to 200 calories. Depending on your daily caloric goal, pay close attention to the number and kind of snacks you consume.

If you want or need to lose weight,
and
have other medical concerns to address, I recommend following my 4-Step Plan for Weight Loss for the first full week—this will show you the basics of a low-calorie meal plan, jump-start your metabolism, and help you drop a few pounds fast. Then, if you have other health concerns, turn to that chapter and follow the specific recommendations there. As mentioned earlier, the meal plans in every chapter hold to the same calorie limits, so you can continue to lose weight while addressing other health issues. There are a three exceptions: If your primary concern is celiac disease, severe irritable bowel syndrome, or type 2 diabetes, read this chapter through to the end to understand the mechanics of weight loss, but don’t follow the weight loss meal plan. Instead, turn to your appropriate chapter and begin that program immediately.

If weight loss is your primary concern, feel free to follow the 4-Step Plan for Weight Loss for as long as you like, or until you achieve your goal. The weight-loss meal plan contains custom-designed menus that are delicious and easy to follow. But if you prefer to create your own menus, use the following guidelines—they provide the basic building blocks for constructing healthy meals and snacks that will lead to weight loss while still allowing for personal flexibility. (Keep in mind that the meals listed in my custom-designed menus—in this and all other chapters—do not necessarily follow these guidelines. My calculations take into account many additional factors, but this is a good set of rules for simple meal planning.)

MAKE-YOUR-OWN WEIGHT-LOSS MEALS

• At each meal, eat
  1 SERVING of high-quality starchy carbohydrates,
  for a total of three total servings per day. (During the first week, skip the dinner starch. It’s an easy way to minimize calories during the meal when people are most inclined to overeat.)
  

One serving
of high-quality starchy carbs can include your choice of the following: 1 slice whole wheat bread; 2 slices reduced-calorie bread; ½ cup brown or wild rice; ½ cup whole wheat pasta; 1 small whole wheat pita bread; ½ regular whole wheat pita bread; ½ medium baked white potato; ½ medium baked sweet potato; ¾ cup whole grain breakfast cereal (120 calories or less); ½ cup dry plain oatmeal; ½ whole grain English muffin; ½ cup peas; ½ cup corn; ½ cup kidney beans; ½ cup chickpeas (garbanzo beans); ½ cup acorn or butternut squash
.

• At each meal, eat
  1 SERVING of lean protein.
  

One serving
of lean protein can include your choice of the following: 3 to 5 ounces of lean meat, chicken, fish, seafood, or tofu; 1 cup fat-free milk; 1 cup fat-free yogurt; 1 cup reduced-fat cottage cheese; 1 or 2 ounces fat-free or reduced-fat cheese; 1 whole egg plus 3 egg whites
.

• At each meal, eat no more than
  1 SERVING of a fat.
  

One serving
of fat can include your choice of the following: 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil; 1 tablespoon regular salad dressing; 2 to 4 tablespoons reduced-calorie salad dressing; 1 to 2 tablespoons nuts; 1 tablespoon peanut butter; 1 tablespoon regular cream cheese or 2 tablespoons light cream cheese; 1 tablespoon soft tub, trans fat-free margarine; 1 to 2 tablespoons guacamole; 1 to 2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise or 1 to 2 teaspoons of regular mayonnaise
.

• Every day, you may eat
  UNLIMITED SERVINGS of non-starchy vegetables
  (all veggies are unlimited except corn, peas, and root vegetables).
  

• Every day, eat
  2 SERVINGS of fresh fruit.
  These can be eaten at meals or as a snack.
  

One serving
of fruit can include your choice of the following: 1 medium piece of fruit (apple, pear, peach, nectarine, orange, etc.); 1 small banana; ½ mango, papaya, or grapefruit; ¼ cantaloupe; 1 cup berries, grapes, or cut-up melon; ¾ cup fruit salad
.

• Before lunch and dinner, drink
  ONE 8-ounce GLASS of water.
  During the first week on this program, make it two 8-ounce glasses before each of those meals.
  
• Every day, feel free to eat
  1 TREAT
  (150 calories or less). This will help satisfy cravings, and lessen the feelings of deprivation. If you choose, you may skip the treat and enjoy an additional serving of any of the food categories: fruit, high-quality starchy carbohydrate, protein, or fat.
  

BEST LESSONS

To sum it all up, the ideal diet consists of moderate amounts of high-quality carbohydrates, lean protein, and healthy fats…all while reducing calories. I wish it could be sexier than that, but the information doesn’t have to be exciting to work. My program definitely works.

But human nature can find loopholes in even the simplest program. Some of my favorite weight-loss secrets have come from finding solutions for the problems posed by my unique and wonderful clients. I’m sure you’ll find some answers here, too.

Even very low-calorie foods can add up.
Christina is principal ballet dancer with a national company who works diligently to perfect her craft and her body, putting in hours and hours at rehearsals every day. She came to see me because she had started gaining weight, despite counting every calorie. Her problem? Christina loved the “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” spray. As the label says, a single serving of 5 sprays gives foods a buttery taste with zero calories. What Christina (and most people) didn’t know was that each aerated spray serving has a little less than 1 calorie, and the label rounds down to zero. However, there are many, many servings per 8-ounce bottle, adding up to about 90 grams of fat and 820 calories. Because she thought the product had no calories, Christina went through an entire buttery bottle every day. When she broke the spray habit, the pounds dropped off.
The lesson: There are few foods you can eat in unlimited quantities. Even a so-called
zero-calorie
product can cause weight gain if you eat enough of it
.