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Family Medicine *Specializing in All Aspects of Pediatric, Adult, and Geriatric Medicine including... • • • • Annual Physicals School/Sports Physicals Gynecologic Care Sick Visits *Same Day Appointments Available* Maple Rdll 4 Mile Rd. 13 Mlle Rd. 12 Mlle Rd. A34 BEAUMONT MEDICAL STAFF MEMBERS ,„ , , 3 ,1 0:frtt -t• t pl July 31 • 2008 „ , ;W. in NC%Niwrr ■ Sfitiare Hitler . - Shopping Center) (2-#;) 960-3727 ,‘„,.. Z11141 NS 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 iN 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.