Specific Recommendations - Carbs and Grains

YEAH!!  Someone left a great comment on my blog posting regarding my recent comments on daily intake of Carbs and daily intake of Grains.  Thank you for your comments and thank you for being interested and informed regarding the importance of a healthy diet.  Diet recommendations (particularly the low carb high fat diets) are still controversial, and much research is being conducted to determine the best route to a healthy lifestyle.  My reader referred to an article http://articles.latimes.com/2010/dec/20/health/la-he-carbs-20101220/2 which referenced a study wherein a group of people with metablic syndrome were put on either a low carb, high fat diet or a low fat high carb diet (each group was allowed 1,500 daily calories).  The results demonstrated the lower carb, high fat group showed lower trigs and higher HDLs (these are good things) at the end of the study. I looked further into the study and it showed the HFLC diet ratio of 59F/28P/12C vs the LFHC diet ratio of 24F/20P/56C. This study may prove that this type of restricted diet may be suited for people who don't metabolize or tolerate carbs well (such as the cohort involved in the study who had metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance).  I agree that most people DO eat too many carbs and not enough of the "right" type of carbs (should stick to complex carbs)! Even so, many dieters may find living with extremely small amounts of carbs and large amounts of fat and protein (as suggested in the popular diet plans marketed), impossible to keep up for the long term. Americans as a group do suffer from carb, calorie overload and lack of exercise, which can have an impact on the development of "metabolic syndrome". Too many carbs and calories and not enough exercise are a nationwide problem. My reader also indicated that the recommendations of 6 servings of grains daily was a bit much.  The 6 servings of grains daily is probably difficult to maintain, yes. The new US Dietary Guidelines just released and US.Gov Food Pyramid recommends for daily intake of whole grains:  "3 oz equivalents for adults" with "one ounce" equaling in general 1 slice of ww bread, 1 cup of ready to eat cereal, or 1/2 cup cooked brown rice, cooked whole wheat pasta, or cooked ww cereal.  (Some refined grains such as white rice, white pasta are tasty and can be good for us because they may be fortified with folic acid and other essential nutrients, but need to be limited). If we can encourage people to eat at least 3 servings daily of whole grains along with some fruits and veggies and a diet that is satisfying, healthy and easy with which to comply, and plenty of exercise, we may be able to make some headway in fighting the battle of obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes that is plaguing our country.    Thank you again for your comments and insight!

LA Times Health

I've been following a blog about two crazy guys who are "into" the LA scene and trying to lose weight on a 6 week challenge @LATimesHealth (I'm following LATimesHealth on Twitter).  Lots of fun to actually witness (blog style witness) people realizing that weight loss and weight management is not an "event" or "episode", rather it is a lifestyle and forever.  I love these guys.

Watched "The Hills" yesterday just for fun.  WOW, those girls have their own dialect...amazing (and I don't use that word often).  Somehow they speak from the back of their throat, words run together with no emphasis on either vowels or consonants - basically unintelligible.  It is a "version" of Valley Girl speak of the 80's.  AND -  they drink like Sailors.  They must have rich parents, because like June Cleavor, I never see them work!?!?!?

Bottom line and "in line" with this blog....they are very thin - don't ever see them eat either.  Not a lifestyle that meets my parameters for healthy living and would not consider them "role models".  My suggestion - let's stop watching that dumb show.

YOUR Plan

Atkins just revised the diet - now adding more carbs. Good.  Very difficult to digest proteins without carbs.  Digesting proteins without carbs is like trying to water ski in a lake full of peanut butter...not fun.  Think more in terms of Weight Watchers and using your own good sense to make the right choices - life at every turn presents new challenges, no matter what "plan" you are "planning" to follow.  The best plan is one that incorporates how to deal with all of those "not planned" events - you know, the event that smacks you upside the head and then you put off until tomorrow what you need to be doing today - 

In today’s world of instant information access overload, discerning what, when, how, where and why to eat is challenging!  Indeed, careful consideration and some professional counsel are essential in determining the best plan for you and your lifestyle.  However, the greatest challenge is finding the answer to the ever present, ever elusive question of how to consistently implement the best and healthiest plan every day and for a lifetime.

Stay tuned for the answers in WiTHIN You Now!™  by Dr. Stacey Hilton-Davis  ....coming soon on e books and print.  I will keep you posted.

Allow your carbs to be as complex as YOU!

About a decade ago (or more), the big push was for a low carb high protein diet.  Everyone went coo coo over eliminating carbs from their diet and chowing down on high fat proteins such as beef, bacon and cheese.  America's desperation to lose weight was so HUGE that they refused to look at the lack of science behind the claims and looked at the new "low carb high protein diet" as their instant pathway to losing weight.  A colleague (Registered Dietitian) and I had a scary experience with the public's madness over "low carb" that almost got us beaten up by an angry mob of people who came to listen to our lecture entitled: "Facts about the new low carb diet craze"....  The people attending the lecture thought we were going to tell them how wonderful a low carb diet is and WOW were they angry when we tried to enlighten them on the benefits of complex carbohydrates!!  They did everything but throw fruits and veggies at us!!  Fortunately for everyone, since that time, the low carb frenzy has died down, and people are coming to grips with the truth about the necessity of eating foods rich in complex carbohydrates.  As a matter of fact, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans issued by the Department of Human and Health Services recommend that 55% of daily total calories should consist of foods rich in complex carbohydrates.  This means you should be consuming 2 1/2 cups of veggies, 2 cups of fruit, six servings of grains (including three servings of whole grains such as whole-grain breads, cereals, pasta, rice and beans. 

Learn to love complex carbohydrates - they are rich in fiber, which aids in weight loss.

The Mirror is no Fool

On Average, Americans eat out four times a week.  CAUTION!!  Though eating out is pleasurable, it can be very dangerous indeed.  When we are eating out, we tend to feel that we are "on vacation from the kitchen" and allow ourselves to be careless about choices.  Don't get caught up in that thought process!!  Here are a few tips to help with the challenges of eating out:

• Pick a healthy appetizer and enjoy PRIOR to determining your main course
• Know the fat content and calorie count of a meal prior to ordering - BE INQUISITIVE!
• Share a meal even if they charge an extra fee
• Remember alcohol contains empty calories and makes smart decision making very difficult 

Telling yourself you "deserve" to splurge, binge or ignore calories because you are out of the kitchen only makes your "muffin top" and "bra fat rolls" more prominent.  Look in the mirror before going out to eat - the mirror is no fool - and neither are you.  Prove it to yourself - be strong, be powerful!

The Power of YOU

Think seriously about working toward successful lifetime weight management as a personal project, and the most important decision you will ever make.  You have the strength and power and energy to push forward, make the right choices and succeed.  Today is the best day to begin and best answers are the answers that you have WiTHIN your core.....and you know how important it is to work on your core!  Don't keep putting it off! 

Motivation and Money!?!

Click on the link below (thank you to @Droz on Twitter for recommending the article) to read an interesting story about using money to motivate weight loss.  Tell me what YOU think!  Would money motivate YOU to lose weight?  Perhaps, but what then?  When I was working within the acute care setting, many fellow employees and community members would get a "weight loss group" going and pitch in money for the "winner".  I would be asked to weight and measure "pre-contest".  I rarely saw anyone to measure "post-contest".  Most of the time, after a week or so, the energy would dwindle and who knows what happened to the money??? This happened time after time, and I know many of you out there have had experience with the very same thing.  Think back - how did it work for you - and how long was the "long term" outcome?  Money has not proven to be a direct motivator for long term weight management.  What then is the answer?  The answer lies WiTHIN You Now!™   Motivation is in your control and only you have control of your thoughts, your behavior and your future.  http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/01/07/health/main7223040.shtml?tag=cbsnewsSectionsArea;cbsnewsSectionsArea.1