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Eat The Right Way
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BEAUMONT MEDICAL STAFF MEMBERS
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11 ► 11I's are
► tillia ► it,
f you walk into a book-
store, look for the sec-
tion on diet and nutri-
tion. There will be many
publications that will offer
advice on the best method
to lose weight. A popular
bookseller's Web site has
more than 3,000 items on
this subject.
Obviously, such an excess
of advice relates to a lack
of successful, universally
accepted methods to effec-
tively drop pounds and keep it off.
The bestselling books on this topic
are changing as quickly as the older
theories succumb to new ones. The
pendulum is constantly swinging from
"low-fat/high sugar" programs to
"low carb/eat all the bad fat you want"
approaches.
It is vital to focus on correct eating
habits, more than the weight itself. If
eating properly can be broken down to
simple principles, the weight will fall in
a gradual, healthy manner. Three basic
concepts are the foundation of this:
• Eat every three hours: Our bodies
handle nutrients in the most efficient,
healthiest way when we can avoid
the "starvation mode." The develop-
ing human race adapted to famines
by storing the scant food available as
fat. We still posses this response to
hunger by producing hormones, such
as insulin, that will store food as fat if
our body "thinks" it's starving. If we
keep our nutrient intake more constant
throughout the day, we can better avoid
the tendency to turn our food into fat.
This strategy can be somewhat dif-
ficult, but it is likely the most important
of the three. One must plan ahead and
anticipate where and when our meals
or snacks will occur. Food often must
be prepared in advance of a long day at
work or extensive time out of the house.
• Each of these frequent meals
should be a combination of healthy
carbohydrates and lean protein:
Nutrients in our food should absorb into
the bloodstream in a slow, gradual man-
ner. A more constant level of fuel in our
engine will keep our system "satisfied;
avoiding the urge to prematurely fill up
the tank. Healthy carbohydrates and lean
protein best accomplish this task.
Healthy carbohydrates consist or
fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
These foods avoid the processing that
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f.
c ,., AsedistoMillestak&-e
turns "complex" carbo-
hydrates (in their natural
form) into "simple" carbohy-
drates, which are absorbed
into our blood too rapidly.
Lean proteins consist of low-
fat meats (fish and white-
meat poultry), legumes
(such as beans and lentils),
nuts, eggs (mostly whites)
and low-fat dairy (skim
milk, cottage cheese and
yogurt).
•Strongly avoid "bad"
carbohydrates and saturated fat:
These foods comprise the bulk of
unhealthy foods that permeate our
eating culture. When people think they
"snack" too much, it is these "junk"
foods that dominate.
Bad, or simple, carbohydrates are
quickly absorbed from our gastroin-
testinal system into the bloodstream.
In turn they rapidly cause a rise and
subsequent fall of blood sugar lev-
els, prompting further hunger. This
unhealthy cycle is prevented by eating
slowly absorbed foods that satisfy our
hunger needs for a longer period of
time (hopefully for three hours!).
These foods consist of sugar (in its
many forms), and white/processed flour,
frequently seen breads, pasta and rice.
Saturated/unhealthy fats (acceptable
in many "low-carb" diets) consist of
beef, heavy dairy (cheese, ice cream,
and butter), fried foods and trans fats
(margarine and many high-fat snacks).
These foods contribute to elevated LDL
(bad) cholesterol and promote heart
disease.
This program will encourage slow,
gradual weight loss in a "heart-healthy"
manner. It avoids the extremes that
many unhealthy eating programs pro-
mote. Note that "calories" have not been
mentioned at all. Calorie counting is not
necessary as eating this way naturally
avoids high-calorie foods.
This method is not a "fad" diet; it
must be good for life. Remember, do
not start an eating program that is so
difficult that it is meant to be stopped
upon achieving a certain weight goal.
Our goal is healthy eating, not focusing
on a specific weight. ❑
Dr. Lewis is a primary care internal
medicine physician at Premier Internists/
Millennium Medical Group PC in Southfield.