Steps to Healthy Weight Loss

Interested in healthy weight loss? The holidays are fast approaching and we all will be tempted by high-sugar, high-fat treats. On average, people gain 7 to 15 lbs over this time of the year. Not only that, but this high sugar intake depletes our immune systems, leaving us more vulnerable to seasonal colds and flu’s. This guideline is meant to encourage you to stick to your healthy eating plan, to stay healthy, and to avoid the weight gain, or even drop some unwanted pounds.

Causes of Weight Gain

In addition to taking in too many calories for our bodies’ needs, excess weight can be caused by several different factors. Most people with weight struggles have a combination of these: liver stress / toxicity, adrenal / thyroid fatigue, and digestive deficiency. (In Oriental Medicine diagnostics, these would equate to Liver Qi Stagnation, Damp-Heat in the Middle, Spleen deficiency with Dampness, and Kidney deficiency.)

Steps to Successful Weight Loss

In addition to the appropriate acupuncture and herbal regimen, the following guidelines are essential to help correct these imbalances, and shed excess weight. The more of these steps you follow, the more you will benefit.

Reduce your stress levels:

Take up yoga, meditation, prayer-work, breath-work; whatever helps you manage your stress. This is #1 for a reason. If reducing your stress means changing your career / job, relationship, or residence, then you should consider doing so.

Why? Aside from halting weight loss, and promoting fat gain, stress is a killer! It is a major precipitator of all forms of disease and dysfunction in the body. Stress puts a burden on the adrenals, which weakens the thyroid, and causes cortisol release, wreaking havoc with hormonal balance, and adding belly fat. Stress also impedes the processes of the liver, which is vital for detoxification, blood sugar balance, hormonal balance and metabolism. Lastly, stress makes us crave junk food & refined / processed carbs and leads to overeating.

Sleep 8 hours every night:

Why? Enough sleep allows the body to recharge and renew itself. Without it, the adrenals, thyroid and liver become depleted. Too little sleep also adds more stress into the system. Plus, we tend to crave junk food and overeat when we are tired.

Walk at least 30 minutes every day, after a meal:

after lunch or dinner, or both. This is in addition to any other exercise you are currently doing. Why? The light, low-impact, rhythmic movement of walking after meals promotes digestion and stokes metabolism. This is not about burning a lot of calories, so you don’t have to walk fast.

Drink enough water:

Women, 64-96 oz daily. Men, 80-112 oz daily. This should be filtered or purified water. No added flavors other than fresh squeezed lemon, lime or sliced cucumber. (After about 10 days, your body will get used to the water, and you won’t have to run to the restroom so often.) Why?  Studies show that increasing water consumption boosts metabolism, aids in detoxification of liver and kidneys, assists hormonal balance, decreases aches and pains (inflammation) and calms excessive hunger.

Have a snack between meals: Do not allow yourself to get too hungry:

If you are feeling hunger pangs between meals, eat a handful of nuts, some fresh fruit, a clean protein shake, or some fresh veggie sticks.

Why? Allowing ourselves to get very hungry drops blood sugar too much, causes adrenal and liver stress, and leads to poor food choices and overeating when we do eat again.

Limit caffeine intake:

to 1 cup daily of organic coffee or tea, before 10 am. Why? More than this stresses the adrenals and liver, releasing stress hormones that throw off blood sugar levels, making us crave sugar and adding belly fat.

Follow the “50/25/25 meal plate” at your 3 main meals per day:

Visualize dividing your plate into 4 quarters:

50% (2 quarters) of your meal is vegetables: raw, steamed, sautéed, stir-fried, roasted – it doesn’t matter – it just needs to be vegetables (not corn or peas). Do not add cheese or creamy dressings to your vegetables. You may add dressing made of balsamic vinegars, herbs, spices and raw flaxseed oil or hot sauces (if they don’t contain sugar.) For roasting or sautéing use grass-fed ghee, sesame oil, coconut oil or authentic virgin olive oil.

Why? Vegetables are nature’s perfect health & diet food; Low in calories and fat, while being high in fiber, vitamins, minerals and anti-cancer properties, as well as countless phyto-nutrients that assist the thousands of processes that our bodies and organs must perform everyday.

25% (one quarter) of your meal is clean protein: (about 4-6 oz) all animal protein must be ORGANIC and GRASS-FED or FREE-RANGE. Any fish must be WILD CAUGHT. You may also choose gluten-free, vegetarian protein options such as whole cooked beans, nuts, organic tempeh/tofu, or a clean sugar-free protein powder. Any dairy must be ORGANIC and GRASS-FED. Any eggs must be ORGANIC and CAGE-FREE.

Why? Animal-based foods that are not organic, grass-fed, free-range and wild-caught have higher concentrations of antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, PCB’s, dioxins and other toxins, due to the biomagnification of fat soluble toxins as they travel up the food chain. All soy products must be organic because non-organic soy is genetically-modified.

25% (one quarter) of your plate is either Wheat-free, Whole-food Starch or Fresh Whole

Fruit: Wheat-free, whole-food starches include: Baked sweet potato, yam, acorn squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash; or Slow-cooked brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, buckwheat, or oatmeal.

Why? These are the most healthful, lowest glycemic starchy carbs. Contrary to popular fad “low carb” diets, our bodies actually need high quality whole-food starches to perform optimally. Low-carb diets stress the liver, gallbladder, thyroid, adrenals and hormonal processes.

Eliminate:

alcohol, sugars of all types (except for whole fresh fruit), sweets and sweeteners of all types (other than stevia), hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils (a.k.a. trans fats), all flour-containing products such as breads, tortillas, chips, pretzels, crackers, as well as instant oatmeal or other instant cereals/grains. Also avoid all artificial colors, flavors and preservatives (as much as possible!)

Why? All of these products burden the liver and adrenals, and wreak havoc with blood sugar balance, slowing down or halting fat burning, and making us crave junk food.

Notice if you are sabotaging your own weight loss:

If you find that you are eating in response to negative emotion, then seek counseling or coaching to help you resolve the emotional issue, and find healthier ways to manage stress. Why? Many emotional-eaters have experienced an abuse, major loss or trauma in the past that precipitated overeating. If this is true for you, you must address and resolve this before you will be able to shed the weight for good.

Taking it to the Next Level

Those who are the most successful at dropping and maintaining their weight also incorporate these things:

1. Use the free My Fitness Pal to track calorie intake. It includes a program to determine how many calories you need per day. In general, meals should be between 300-400 calories (women) or 500-600 calories (men) and snacks between 100-200 (women) or 200-300 (men). More than this at any one sitting usually gets stored as fat.
   

2. Plan your meals! Know each day what and when you are going to be eating. Get creative! Try new tasty, vegetable-heavy recipes, such as salads, soups, stir-fries, and green smoothies.
   

3. Maintain a positive attitude. Realize this is a day-by-day process. Successful, long-term weight loss is not a quick fix. You will slip up, and hit plateau’s. It is important to stay positive and keep on going.
   

4. Stick with it. It can sometimes take 2-3 months on this program before you see significant change. This is because you are feeding your body vital nutrients and rest that it may have been lacking for many years; often the body needs time to heal and detoxify before it is “willing” to release excess weight. Be patient. Have faith, know that you doing the right thing for your body. Even if you can’t see the changes externally yet, your body is getting healthier.
   

5. Add a regular routine of resistance training, cardio and/or yoga. A regular fitness routine will help tremendously. Building muscle revves up the metabolism, tones the body, greatly helps to balance blood sugar, and decreases the aches and pains of everyday life. It also keeps us more mobile and able to do things as we age.

Best wishes to you and your family for a wonderful and healthful Holiday Season!

#food #health #nutrition #weightloss

Nutrients Depleted by Pharmaceutical Medications

As a Diplomate of Oriental Medicine, I prefer to seek natural alternatives to pharmaceuticals for myself and my family, and I love helping patients do this as well, in order to reduce or eliminate their need for drugs. But this is not always possible with every patient, condition or medication. Contrary to what some may think, I am not completely anti-pharmaceutical. I think drugs can be helpful and even lifesaving in certain situations. I just prefer alternatives wherever possible, for many reasons.

One of these reasons is this:

Most pharmaceutical medications require specific nutrients from the body in order to be metabolized, such that those nutrients become depleted over time. In fact, many of the long-term side effects experienced from pharmaceutical medications can be due to the nutrient deficiencies that they create.

When each new patient comes in, I review their list of medications. I research the known nutrient depletions associated with each medication, and what possible symptoms commonly manifest from those deficiencies. Many times I find that the symptoms listed correlate with one or more of the patient’s main complaints. So I can have the patient add to their diet more foods containing those missing nutrients, and/or add a supplement to replenish and maintain the missing nutrients. This alone can make a huge difference for symptom relief.

Keep in mind, however, that not every medication’s nutrient depletions are known or studied. And there are other negative effects that pharmaceuticals can cause to the body long-term, so the more we can change our diets and lifestyles, and find natural alternatives, in order to minimize the amount of medication that we require, the better off we will be in the long-run.

Here are some of the more common nutrient depletions that I see in my patients. See if any of these could be a factor for you:

Cholesterol Meds:

Statin Drugs, including Lipitor, Zocor & Crestor, can cause a depletion of Coenzyme Q-10 (Co-Q-10). Deficiency of this nutrient can cause various cardiovascular problems, weak immune system, low energy, muscle pain & weakness (especially in the legs), and large joint pain (especially the hips & knees). Note: Even red yeast rice, a more natural product for lowering cholesterol, works like a statin in the body and can deplete Co-Q-10 over time.

Antacids:

and PPI’s such as Pepcid, Zantac, Prilosec and Prevacid can cause multiple nutrient depletions, partially because they reduce the stomach acid required to break down and digest certain nutrients. Depletions include Vitamin B-12 (causing anemia, depression, fatigue, weakness), Folate (causing birth defects, cervical dysplasia, anemia, heart disease, cancer risk), Vitamin D (causing osteoporosis, muscle weakness, hearing loss, cancer risk), Calcium (causing osteoporosis, heart and blood pressure issues, tooth decay), Iron (causing anemia, weakness, fatigue, hair loss, brittle nails), and Zinc (causing weak immunity, poor wound healing, weak sense of smell/taste, sexual dysfunction).

Three Classes of Blood Pressure Lowering Drugs:

ACE inhibitors, for lowering blood pressure, such as Lisinopril, Lotensin, Capoten, & Altace, can cause depletion of Zinc. Symptoms of Zinc deficiency are weak immunity, poor wound healing, weak sense of smell/taste, sexual dysfunction.

Beta Blockers, also for lowering blood pressure, such as Metaprolol, Coreg & Lopressor, can cause depletion of melatonin (a hormone that regulates your circadian rhythm and allows you to fall asleep at night). Also, Coenzyme Q-10 is depleted, causing various cardiovascular problems, weak immune system, low energy, muscle pain & weakness (especially in the legs), and large joint pain (especially the hips & knees).

Angiotensin II receptor agonist meds, also for high blood pressure, such as Cozaar, Benicar and Avapro, deplete Calcium (causing osteoporosis, heart and blood pressure issues, tooth decay), Magnesium (causing cardiovascular problems, asthma, osteoporosis, cramping and PMS), Zinc (See ACE inhibitors for list of symptoms) and Co-Q-10 (See Beta Blockers for list of symptoms).

Anti-Depressants:

SSRI anti-depressants, such as Prozac, Lexapro, Zoloft and Paxil, deplete Folate (causing birth defects, cervical dysplasia, anemia, heart disease, cancer risk) and Melatonin (a hormone that regulates your circadian rhythm and allows you to fall asleep at night).

Anti-Inflammatories:

Both prescription and over-the-counter NSAIDS, for pain, such as Celebrex, Voltarin, Naproxen, Advil, Motrin, & Aleve can deplete Folate (causing birth defects, cervical dysplasia, anemia, heart disease, cancer risk), Iron (causing anemia, weakness, fatigue, hair loss, brittle nails), Melatonin (a hormone that regulates your circadian rhythm and allows you to fall asleep at night) and Zinc (causing weak immunity, poor wound healing, weak sense of smell/taste, sexual dysfunction).

A quick Google search will reveal many more nutrient depletions caused by pharmaceutical medications. It might be worth a quick look for those caused by your own medications, if you take any.

For a more personalized evaluation of your nutrient status, I recommend getting a micronutrient test performed. This is a urine and blood test that shows your existing nutrient profile. It removes the guess-work. I offer this test to my patients, as do many natural medicine doctors. The more informed we are about what is going on in our bodies, the better!

Dawn Potter, AP, Dipl.OM

#vitamins #medication #minerals #nutrientstatus #nutrientdepletion

Vegan vs. Paleo: An Analysis

Vegan and Paleo diets are the two fastest growing styles of eating in the U.S. these days. Why? Because we are realizing that our Standard American Diet (a.k.a. “SAD”) is sorely devoid of many vital nutrients, while being full of processed and chemical ingredients that harm our bodies, promoting chronic illness.

Both camps, vegan and paleo, claim to offer the best remedy to this problem, with decades of research backing them up. Though they have several similarities, they also have some significant differences.

In this post, I will give a brief description of each diet and an analysis of their similarities and differences. Then I will outline the Good, Bad and Ugly regarding each diet. From there, we will see what Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) would say about this matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS:

Vegan diets are 100% plant-based. The only requirement is that there are no animal-based foods eaten at all, including meat, poultry, seafood, eggs and dairy.

There are several reasons people eat vegan; we will focus on the health-related aspects here. Most proponents of veganism for health promote a whole-food, low-oil version, minimizing  processed or refined foods, and focusing the diet on vegetables, whole-grains, fruits, beans/legumes and nuts/seeds.

Other vegan-for-health advocates promote raw-veganism, in which plant foods are eaten only in their raw form. Since grains and beans cannot be digested raw (unless they are sprouted), they are excluded.

Paleo diets aim to mimic the diet of the hunter-gatherer, upon which human beings evolved and lived for hundreds of thousands of years, before the advent of agriculture, (a.k.a the “Paleolithic” era). The hypothesis is that since we evolved eating them, these are the foods our bodies are designed to eat: vegetables, fruits, meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, nuts and seeds. Paleo diets exclude dairy, grains, beans/legumes, starchy vegetables, and processed/refined foods, as these were not readily available to the hunter-gatherer.

Some paleo authors seem to conflict about whether saturated fat and cholesterol from meat, poultry and eggs are harmful or beneficial to health. Also, there seems some disagreement regarding exactly how much of the diet should be composed of animal foods, with most sources recommending somewhere between 45 to 65% of caloric intake.

SIMILARITIES & DIFFERENCES:

What do whole-food vegan and dairy-free paleo diets have in common? Both emphasize whole-foods, vegetables, sprouts, fruits, nuts and seeds, while warning against dairy products, sugar and processed, refined or chemical-based ingredients.

The difference? Whereas the vegan diet includes plenty of whole grains and beans/legumes, with the exclusion of meat, poultry, eggs and seafood, the paleo diet is the opposite: including meat, poultry, eggs and seafood, while excluding grains and beans/legumes.

Both cite research stating that they are healthier than the Standard American Diet. I don’t find it surprising that ditching processed foods, refined grains, trans-fats, preservatives, sugars, artificial sweeteners, colors, and additives would make a huge difference in the health of anyone who has been eating them. And adding a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits would add another layer of healing.

THE HEART of the ARGUMENT:  

GRAINS & LEGUMES vs. ANIMAL FOODS: 

Vegans say that grains & legumes provide healthful fiber and phytonutrients that are missing from animal foods, while still providing all 9 essential amino acids (proteins); while animal foods are full of saturated fat, cholesterol, carcinogenic compounds and inflammatory fatty acids that promote heart disease and cancer.

Paleo advocates say that grains and legumes contain anti-nutrients (preventing absorption of certain nutrients) and turn into sugar too readily in our bodies, contributing to systemic candida, increased intestinal permeability, allergies and autoimmune problems; while animal foods provide complete proteins, essential fats and B-vitamins in concentrations that are lacking in plant materials.

In my opinion, they both have some good points…all of these foods have their merits, and their not-so-great qualities…Let’s take a closer look at how the quality of all of these foods has degraded significantly over the past century with the industrialization of agriculture…

THE INDUSTRIALIZATION of AGRICULTURE:

With the industrialization of food production has come: The hybridization of soy, corn, canola and wheat (which increases gluten content); The use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers (adding endocrine disruptor toxins to the mix); And, most recently, the genetic modification of these same crops (resulting in more toxic and inflammatory elements, the full implication of which we are yet unaware). (If you haven’t seen it, check out Food, Inc, available on Netflix & Amazon Prime.)

No wonder so many people have health repercussions from wheat, corn and soy! They are nothing like they were even 100 years ago, let alone 10,000, when humans started cultivating them.

As for animal production, the industrialization of agriculture introduced the widespread use of antibiotics in order to keep higher numbers of animals in smaller spaces together without dying of infections; and steroid hormones to make the animals grow larger in a shorter period of time. This introduces antibiotics and hormones into our food supply, which wreak havoc with our own immune and endocrine systems.

Also, bringing animals in from grass pastures to be fed grain on feed lots fattens them up faster and allows production of many more animals than possible before. This feeding of grains (which, by the way, are the same genetically altered and chemically-sprayed grains mentioned above) has led conventionally-raised meat to be full of pro-inflammatory fatty acids, instead of the anti-inflammatory ones that would result from their natural grass diet.

Additionally, as the animal eats the pesticides on the grain, the toxins accumulate in the tissues of the animal in a much higher concentration than on the grain. This concept is known as biomagnification: each step up the food chain magnifies the concentration of toxins such as mercury, PCB’s, and pesticides in the animal tissue, especially in its fat.

These same problems exist in farm-raised seafood: antibiotics, hormones, unnatural diets and biomagnification. Even wild-caught varieties are full of environmental pollutants, since most of our fish-supporting waters are now contaminated.

The foods from today’s conventionally-raised animals is nothing akin to those of just 100 years ago, much less the wild meat that hunter-gatherers ate. No wonder conventionally-raised animal products promote disease.

All of these foods have become damaging to our health as production has become more industrialized.

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VEGAN: The Good:

As a physician, I love that whole-food vegan diets emphasize whole, unrefined foods, eliminate dairy products (aside from breast milk for babies), and greatly increase the disease-fighting, anti-aging, immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory phytonutrients and fiber found in vegetables and richly-colored fruits.

As a clinician, I have been promoting whole-food, plant-based diets for many years and have witnessed many dozens of patients completely turn their health around as a result, including those with heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, endometriosis, fibroids, infertility, migraines, allergies, arthritis, autoimmune conditions, obesity and even cancer. Whole-food vegan diets can be very cleansing and healing on multiple levels.

VEGAN: The Bad:

Vegan diets can occasionally result in nutritional deficiencies. While it is true that all essential amino acids (protein) are available in plant foods, certain nutrients may be lacking, such as B-vitamins (especially B-12), and certain essential fatty acids, unless the person is eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and legumes. Eating a standard American diet, minus the meat and dairy, is not going to provide adequate nutrition.

So, the vegan diet done right requires that the person educate themselves on how to prepare a fairly wide variety of plant-foods. While this is fun and exciting for some, for others it could be overwhelming or drudgery. As a result, I have seen that some vegan patients, over time, become depleted of some nutrients (as evidenced by symptoms & blood tests), causing energy deficiencies and even chronic fatigue-type symptoms.

VEGAN: The Ugly:

Because the only requirement for a diet to be called vegan is the absence of animal-based foods, there are many vegans who eat loads of processed foods, chemicals, preservatives, trans-fats and sugars. In fact, most cheese & meat substitutes are full of gluten, genetically modified soy and corn, hydrogenated vegetable oils, chemicals and preservatives. Even Oreo’s, Pop Tarts and soda pop are technically vegan. In no way are these foods health-promoting.

PALEO: The Good:

I love that Paleo diets emphasize whole, natural foods, while avoiding processed/refined foods and sugar.

I also appreciate that Paleo diets exclude most dairy products. Clinically, I find that in a large percentage of people, dairy causes or worsens sinus allergies, sinusitis, food allergies, asthma, digestive discomforts, blood sugar problems, hormonal imbalances, skin conditions, arthritis and autoimmune conditions.

Paleo diets also get my thumbs up for removing gluten from the diet; I find that many people have some degree of sensitivity to gluten, likely due to the reasons discussed above.

PALEO: The Bad:

The paleo recommended 45 to 65% of our diets as animal foods is an extraordinary amount. Even if it were all high-quality, organic, and grass fed, I don’t agree that these large quantities are necessary or beneficial. Quite the contrary, high-protein/high-fat diets can be very hard on the gall-bladder, kidneys, intestines and circulatory system, and can promote cancer growth. This is well-established in medical literature, and I have seen this in my own clinic.

We know that humans evolved as opportunistic omnivores. We could take a good guess at how much animal foods we really need by looking at the natural diets of our closest DNA relatives, the chimpanzees and bonobos. They eat primarily fruit, but also leaves, leaf buds, seeds, flowers, stems, tree pith and resin. Insects, birds, bird eggs, and small to medium-sized mammals make up only 2-3% of their diet.

Many paleo diet advocates argue that humans need more animal-based foods than our closest DNA relatives. Even if this is the case, we could double or even triple their amount and still be eating less than 10% of our calories as animal foods.

We could also look at the diets of the healthiest, longest-lived communities in the world, such as those in Okinawa, Vilcabamba, Abkhasia, Hunza and Sardinia, and see that they all eat low animal-protein diets (less than 10%).

PALEO: The Ugly:

Many paleo-followers seem to think that as long as they avoid grains, legumes and sugar, then they can eat all the meat, poultry, eggs and seafood they can stuff in, and they will be doing good things for their health; even foregoing vegetables, fruits and nuts in favor of animal foods.

Also, I rarely see paleo-eaters making much (or any) effort to ensure that their animal products are organic, free-range and grass-fed. The fact is this high-quality meat is not always easy to find, it is hardly ever served in restaurants, and it is expensive. Most people can’t afford it in the quantities recommended by the paleo diet, so they end up eating large amounts of very poor quality animal foods, full of antibiotics, hormones, inflammatory fatty acids and biomagnified pesticides.

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THE TCM PERSPECTIVE:

If you haven’t read Nutrition, Part 2, it gives a thorough look at nutrition from an Oriental Perspective. The TCM recommended diet is: Whole-foods based, with the majority of the diet as vegetables, whole grains and beans/legumes, fruit and nuts, with 5-10% of the diet as animal products.

The TCM recommended diet includes small amounts of animal-based foods, used as accents to meals that are vegetable, legume and whole-grain based. Why so little? Because animal-based foods are very concentrated and rich, and according to TCM, this makes them likely to promote pathogenic Dampness-formation in the body, contributing to a myriad of diseases. (See Part 2 for explanation of pathogenic Dampness).

At the same time, animal-based foods are not entirely excluded from the TCM diet, because they can help build Qi and Blood in the body, for those who have weak constitutions, supporting vital energy and stamina. 5-10% of caloric intake is the guideline.

Absent in TCM literature is anything about gluten, (since ancient wheat had far less gluten than today’s), or genetically modified foods (GMO’s). Nor is anything mentioned about the quality of animal products, since only organic, all natural animals existed.

As a modern-day ambassador for Chinese Medicine, this is my take on it:

In regard to both gluten and GMO’s (these include wheat, corn, canola and soy) we see clinically that they can and do create inflammation, contributing to digestive problems, allergies of all types, and autoimmune conditions.

From a TCM viewpoint, this indicates the creation of pathogenic Dampness in the body, and therefore should be avoided or minimized. Avoid wheat and corn in favor of gluten-free, whole-grain options such as millet, quinoa, buckwheat, brown rice, wild rice, chia seed, hemp seed, etc. Replace non-organic soybeans with organic or other types of beans. And, if you must cook with oil, choose cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil, unrefined avocado oil, or sesame oil over canola.

In regard to the quality of animal protein, organic, grass-fed, free-range animals in habitats that allow for their natural behaviors create much healthier, happier animals, which translates into a higher quality food (and Qi) for our bodies. And only a small amount is beneficial, if it is needed at all. Each individual is different in this regard. Quality, not quantity, is the priority when choosing animal foods.

Dawn Potter, AP, Dipl.OM

#vegetables #primal #middleway #paleovsvegan #glutenfree #fruits #fiber #protein #balance #organic #paleo #antioxidants #phytonutrients #veganvspaleo #vegan #GMO #wholefood #plantbased