First, Add the Good

"But I love my junk!" People keep saying this to me as if it's the last line in their personal health story. Well, even a love of junk food doesn't have to stop you from improving your health. After all, if junk food alone really killed people, the average life-span of most Americans would be like 7, right? In my opinion, the main problem with eating empty calories is that they replace the nutrient-dense foods our bodies so desperately need. There are overweight people actually suffering from malnutrition for this reason. In fact, some experts even theorize that modern "epidemics" like anxiety, depression, poor sleep and stress are results of chronic malnutrition because of the prevalence of empty calories in the American diet.  When you consume so much junk, you have no room left on your plate or in your stomach for the foods that actually contain the essential vitamins and minerals you need for good physical and mental health.

At IIN we have a theory called "crowding out." The idea is that rather than trying to reset your health by avoiding the bad foods you love, you first incorporate good foods you need -- like water and greens. It's simple: make yourself drink 8 oz of water upon waking and see if you still need both cups of coffee.  Have a large serving of spinach or another colorful vegetable with your steak and fries.  Eat the vegetables on your plate first and you might notice that not all the fries disappear or that now 4 oz of steak seems like plenty.  Even if you still clean the plate, you have done something positive for your health by making it more colorful.  Interestingly, a lot of people do lose weight fairly quickly when they practice crowding out despite the main rule being to "eat more of something." Most of us have a set range of calories our body can consume in a day and if you fill up on healthy, fiber-rich veggies and fruit and drink lots of water you just won't have as much room for the junk, even if you allow yourself to sample it.

Basic psychology explains why crowding out works better than a strict diet that forbids certain foods. Like the bad boy in high school, foods become so much more appealing when we are told they are off limits. A friend told me that on her first few weeks of South Beach when fruit was not allowed, all she could think about was fruit despite not eating enough of it before going on the diet. We all know this syndrome, apparently it even affects the maybe-human Gwyneth Paltrow who says just the word diet makes her want to eat more. It makes sense.  So, if you want to do something positive for your health, first ADD the good stuff.  You might just notice you subtract the bad without even missing it.

Is Atkins Just Misunderstood?

If this heart attack waiting to happen is your idea of a perfect Atkins Diet meal, you are not only very confused but should steer clear of this popular diet. As part of my IIN studies, I recently listened to a lecture by a VP at Atkins Nutritionals, and was surprised to discover that in the mind of the people who work for the company, the Atkins diet is nothing like the bacon, egg and cheese fest we all imagine it to be. While many people in my program remain very skeptical of this diet and any potential benefits, I believe that done correctly and for a short period of time, it could be beneficial to someone who really needs to lose weight.
The key benefit of a low carbohydrate diet in layman's terms is that when you eat tons of high-carb, high-sugar foods, your body is so busy trying to burn off the excess energy created by the rise in glucose in your blood (which triggers your body to release insulin) that it has no time to do its real job, which is burn fat. When you eat lots of bread and cookies and boxed cereals, your body is like an office employee that is so buried in meaningless paperwork that she can't actually do her real job. In addition, any energy produced by the rise in your blood sugar that cannot be used by the cells quickly will be stored as fat.  So unless you are training with Lance, you cannot have a lot of bread and pasta in your diet without putting on excess weight.  I don't have the time or space to delve into too much detail, but here are a few important points from The Heimowitz lecture (more info on the Atkins website):
1) Atkins, especially the strict "induction" phase, is not for athletes or people who only need to lose a few pounds.  The diet is intended for people who have developed insulin resistance from overeating sugar and carbs, not housewives or gym rats who want to lose 5 lbs!
2) The diet has four phases and you add more carbs (starting with the healthiest) in each one.
3) The ideal Atkins meal would be something like 4-8 ounces of grass-fed beef or wild salmon and a few cups of greens sauteed in olive oil or butter along with a green salad topped with raw veggies, a little cheese, avocado and olives (or my personal "breakfast of champions" from the last post) NOT a fatty 16 oz steak covered in butter and smothered with cheese with nothing green in sight.

As a health coach would I encourage someone to go on Atkins?  Probably not, although I think a modified version that discouraged some of the unhealthier fats but allowed starchier vegetables, fruit, beans and unprocessed grains in very small portions then increased these slowly could be very beneficial for breaking the carb/sugar craving cycle and losing weight. There is no doubt that a diet high in healthy carbs - vegetables, fruit and legumes - and low in refined carbs, along with moderate intake of protein (preferably lean and wild or "pastured") and healthy fat (think olive oil, nuts and seeds) is a very healthy diet. This is the way I strive to eat all the time but sometimes life gets in the way (especially on the weekends!).

As a final note, if you decide to start any diet, read about it thoroughly before embarking on it. Just as one size does not fit all, one diet does not fit all either!

Breakfast of Champions

I believe we each have a breakfast that works best for our individual metabolism, and I am willing to bet that a box of Wheaties (or any other processed cereal) is not it for most people.  I credit about 80% of my weight loss this past Fall to changing what I eat for breakfast. The change from a big bowl of Kashi Go Lean cereal with soy milk and fruit to scrambled eggs and sauteed veggies (my personal breakfast of champions) started out as a part of The Fat Flush Plan I was on but has continued to be a part of my life since the weight loss.  I no longer eat it every morning but I always eat it to "reset" after a big weekend or just anytime I feel those carb cravings creeping back in. Even though Kashi cereal with soy milk and fruit sounds healthy, I was eating too large of a portion (have you ever poured the actual portion size of a boxed cereal into a bowl? It looks like a toddler's snack cup!) and it was too much sugar along with the sweetened soy milk and fruit for my metabolism. I thought I was a carb addict and had to eat every 3 hours or else be a threat to everyone around me, but it turned out I was just eating the wrong breakfast! A large plate of sauteed veggies and two scrambled eggs, while less calories, actually keeps me full considerably longer.  I don't have a drop in blood sugar a few hours later because it has a low glycemic load compared to the cereal, and I can last a good 5 hours until lunch after this breakfast without getting shaky or irritable. However, this doesn't mean this is your breakfast of champions.
Here's an experiment: try a different breakfast each day next week and record how you feel afterwards and your level of hunger a few hours later. Make note of any digestive issues or headache or mood changes as well. This could alert you to a latent food allergy or sensitivity.  If you normally have coffee, continue to do so. This is a guide; you don't have to follow this exactly but the point is to alter the relative amounts and types of carbs, proteins and fats each day:

Day 1: 1 cup boxed high-fiber cereal with milk (regular or soy) and a banana (carb/light protein/fruit)
Day 2: Two eggs (fried, poached or scrambled) and wheat toast with 1-2 tsp butter (protein/healthy carb/fat)
Day 3: 1 cup berries, 6 oz of Greek Yogurt and 1/4 cup walnuts or almonds OR smoothie with cup berries, Greek yogurt and 1 T flax oil (fruit/dairy protein/healthy fat)
Day 4: 2 scrambled eggs with 1 cup chopped veggies sauteed in 2tsp olive oil (protein/veggies/healthy fat) and sprinkle of parmesan cheese if desired (protein/veggies/fat)
Day 5: Ezekial English muffin with 1 T almond butter (healthy carb/fat)
Day 6: 1 cup steel cut oats (1/2 cup dry)  (McCann's now makes a great 5 min version) with fruit and 1/4 cup walnuts or slivered almonds  (unrefined carbs/fruit/fat)
Day 7: 1 large bakery scone or blueberry muffin (carbohydrate/sugar/unhealthy fat)

Pay special attention to the difference between healthy and unhealthy carbs and the difference when you do or don't eat dairy. I find that less carbs and sugar at breakfast means less carbs and sugar all day for me. You may do better on something else, just make sure you do what's right for you! If you find one that works well, play around with it (add or subtract fruit or nuts or dairy, etc.) until it feels like your breakfast of champions!

Recipe: Raw Kale Salad

The first time I voluntarily ate raw kale as a snack I felt like I did the first time I turned the dial to public radio -- like in some small way I had evolved as a human being. Or at least become a bit more of a grown-up. If you are interested in nutrition, you are hearing about kale everywhere -- even Oprah declared her love for it on her show featuring Jamie Oliver. A serving of kale contains more than your daily requirement of Vitamins A, K and C and is a great source of fiber, magnesium, iron, folate, calcium, vitamin B6 and Potassium. It even contains protein!  Eat organic kale every day and you could pretty much throw out your multivitamin. If food can heal (and I most certainly believe it can), kale is medicine for the body and soul. I first discovered raw kale salad at Whole Foods and became obsessed.  I mentioned at work that I had started stalking the prepared foods section at WF to get my fix and my co-worker Chelsea told me she had a recipe for it! I was excited to a disturbing degree and have made it several times now:


Kale Salad
1 bunch regular kale (or purple kale or dinosaur kale).
lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon per 1 bunch kale)
salt
Put kale in sink and soak for a few minutes in water.  Swish around a few times then drain or spin dry.  Remove middle rib from each leaf.  Take several of the remaining halves of leaves and stack them up, then roll tightly and cut into fine strips (save time by cheating like me and buy your kale pre-cut and packaged at WF). Pour lemon juice over the cut up kale and sprinkle with salt. Use your hands to knead the lemon juice and salt into the kale to tenderize it (this is what allows it to taste good raw).
Once it has softened, drizzle olive oil over it and toss the leaves. You can add whatever you like but I do it with sweetened dried cranberries, toasted pine nuts (which make anything taste good) and raw or dried blueberries. Whenever I get that urge for something a little crunchy or a little salty, this is a good go-to in the fridge.

If you are Atlanta-based, stay-tuned for an announcement on an upcoming seminar with Chelsea and me on great grains and greens!