Have the food experts been misleading you?

Whole grains. Day after day we are absolutely bombarded with them and their wide range of associations in our culture. Some of them we recognize as unhealthy – like spaghetti dinners, donuts, apple pie, birthday cake, etc.

However, there are others that are just as solidly etched into our modern American psyche that appear, and in fact are marketed as healthy – corn on the cob, whole wheat bagels, bran muffins… the list goes on and on.  Grains have become such a staple of the American diet that they take up the majority of the square footage at any local supermarket!

Despite the food pyramid’s efforts to convince you that grains should be the largest percentage of your nutritional intake, they will single handedly destroy your weight loss efforts or any efforts you make to improve your body composition. Sounds like a bold statement, doesn’t it?  Good!  Am I suggesting that the “experts” may be giving you the wrong advice?  YES!  But let’s look at why…

Among my many problems with grains, the first and foremost is the effect it has on your glucose levels, thus eliciting an unhealthy insulin (and other hormones) response.  Humans have developed the insulin response to help us metabolize sugar and to carry excess glucose out of the bloodstream. However, we as a human race have simply not evolved enough (nor do I believe we ever will) to handle the mass quantities of carbohydrates with which we tax our systems. And make no mistake about it, the average American’s carbohydrate intake comes from grains!

So why is this a problem? Simply put, grains elicit a physiological response that favors fat storage.  All carbohydrates are broken down into glucose.  Unless you’ve just completed a long, physically taxing workout (in which case those grain-based foods could be used in restocking depleted glycogen stores), then those carbohydrates will more than likely be stored as fat. In addition, the hormonal production that occurs to respond to elevated glucose levels also taxes the adrenal system, the pancreas, and the immune system. That’s not the way I would want to approach a fat loss program!

As far as the nutritional value of grains…they truly fall short of being the complete nutritional sources they’re cracked up to be. What they may give you in fiber, they lack in many other categories. They have been associated with vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and they have also been proven to reduce the body’s ability to process Vitamin D.

Whether you’re trying to lose weight or simply make healthier food choices, the question is the same. Why not get the same nutrients from the sources that won’t come back and haunt you? For example, you can get the same B6 vitamins from chicken that you can get from whole wheat pasta…and without the havoc on your blood sugar! Similarly, if it’s fiber you’re after, why not get it from real fruit and vegetable sources? In terms of nutrient density, grains can’t hold a candle to whole, natural food sources!

Hold on, there’s more to this grain story!  There are other substances that lurk in grains that can really reak havoc on the digestive system.  Specifically, gluten and lectins… both of which you may say initiate digestive chaos!

Gluten is the large, water-soluble protein that is found in most common grains like wheat, rye, and barley (By the way, it’s also the primary adhesive in wallpaper paste).  Gluten has proven to elicit a perceptible inflammatory response in most people.  Over time, those who are particularly gluten intolerant can also develop an array of dismal medical conditions, including joint pain, acid reflux, and autoimmune disorders.

Lectins, though more mild, are still natural toxins that are found in most common grain varieties. Researchers have uncovered that lectins can actually inhibit the natural functions of the GI tract, allowing an array of undigested molecules into the bloodstream. Over time, this repeated taxing of the digestive system can lead to the further development of autoimmune disorders.

Here’s the bottom line (for those of you who enjoy mathematical equations): grains = glucose spikes = insulin response = fat storage. Not a great formula for success if you’re trying to lose weight or burn fat from your body. A diet low in grains has been shown to manage your blood sugar, and therefore decrease your risk for problems associated with diabetes. Also, low grain diets will help you lower your blood pressure, alleviate digestive problems, minimize inflammation, and shed abdominal fat.

Look, it’s not going to be easy to eliminate grains completely from your diet, especially because they’ve become such a staple of the American diet. But take it one step at a time and have patience with the process. Make small changes first- replace your cereal with eggs, replace your sandwiches with salads, and pile some veggies on your plate for dinner instead of rice or pasta! Your waistline, and your health will thank you.

If you feel that your carbohydrate intake has hindered your weight loss, share your struggles with us and the community by leaving your comments below.  We’ll answer and questions and you are sure to get some helpful hints!

If you enjoyed the article, be sure to share this on Facebook so some of your friends and family can enjoy it as well.

Check back with us soon, as we will be following up on this article with some tips on developing strategies to greatly reduce or eliminate grains from your diet!

Ciao

Dennys Passeto

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Whether you’re of Irish descent or not, St Patrick’s Day  seems to bring out the party animal in everyone! What better excuse to celebrate an Irish tradition than to head out to a  local bar or festival to down a few gallons of green beer with your friends!  But, before you reach for your next one, let’s take a look at the real effects of what you’re putting in your body.

No, I’m not gonna bore you with what you already know. Most  of us have already heard how bad alcohol is for you. We know that it can cause a host of health issues, including liver  and pancreatic cancer, kidney dysfunction, hyperglycemia, malnutrition and cirrhosis of the liver to name a few.

However, if that’s not enough to scare you away from excessive alcohol consumption, let’s talk about another way that it  can negatively impact your life. If you’re fitness-minded, let  me be the first to break the news to you that alcohol can (and will) single-handedly sabotage your fitness gains, and more specifically – your fat loss efforts!

Now, you may be thinking that I’m gonna give you a lecture on limiting your carbohydrates to control your weight, yada yada. But, no, alcohol has nothing to do with your carbohydrate  intake. Though you may only hear about light beers bragging  about being low carb, the fact is, almost all alcohol is low  in carbohydrates because they are burned off in the fermentation process. So, if you’re monitoring your carbohydrate intake (which you should be if you’re watching your waistline), alcohol  most likely will not be an influencing factor.

The real problem with alcohol is that it provides what are  known as empty calories, that is, calories that have no real  nutritional value. If you’re trying to lose weight, yet drinking even moderate amounts of alcohol, you’re not giving yourself a  good enough chance to create the caloric deficit that is absolutely necessary for weight loss. Sure, there are some lower calorie selections out there. For example, most beers only  contain about 120 calories, 4 ounces of wine only contain about 110 calories, and 1.5 ounces of most liquor only contain about 100 calories.

The trouble is, if you’re having a few “harmless” drinks with your meals, you’re adding up to 360 calories to your diet without any specific nutritional benefit. That’s at  least an extra 45 minutes of vigorous exercise that’s needed to burn off those extra calories…sounds like a lot of work to negate the effects of a couple of casual cocktails!

I encounter people everyday that are trying desperately to lose weight yet drink 8-10 beers every Friday and Saturday night.  Adding 2000 calories to your diet is not an intelligent path to weight loss! Furthermore, studies have shown that alcohol has a definite ability to increase your natural appetite, so people who are drinking typically consume more calories through their food intake as well. Unfortunately, most people don’t tend to  crave a medley of steamed vegetables while they’re drinking. The natural tendency is to reach for foods that are high in fat and starch to counterbalance the effects of the alcohol.

The other challenge that alcohol presents in the struggle for weight loss is its proven ability to slow the process of  burning fat. Your body recognizes alcohol as a poison (which it is), and therefore attempts to rid of as rapidly as possible. The result is that the process of lipid oxidation, which is simply the utilization of fat cells for energy use, is significantly delayed, since the body will burn off the alcohol for fuel before anything else. Research from the American Journal of Clinical nutrition has  proven that most people experience a 73 percent decrease in their lipid oxidation process for up to 24 hours after the consumption of  alcohol. This occurs mostly because alcohol not store as glycogen.  Instead, it converts to a substance know as acetate, which hinders the fat cells from being mobilized.

Weight loss aside for a moment, alcohol has also proven to lower testosterone levels. If you’re trying to develop a consistent exercise regimen, I dare you to try to do so with depleted testosterone levels. I know I wouldn’t be rushing to the gym to pick up heavy weights or go for a long run if I wasn’t feeling energized! The point is, alcohol can also hinder you from any fitness goal, even if you’re not necessarily trying to lose weight!

So go out and have a great holiday celebration. Just remember that before you reach for that next drink, your organs AND your waistline will thank you if you can keep your alcohol consumption to a minimum!

Happy St. Patty’s Day!!

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Clients are always asking me advice about their diet. But more than anything, I get asked about the popular diet programs that are out there. Do they actually work? Are they actually healthy for you? Can you lose weight if you do them? In this article I will show you the advantages and disadvantages of the four most popular fad diets.

The Atkins Diet
Probably more than any other, the Atkins Diet has held a position of controversy. I mean, who would follow a weight loss diet that told you to eat fat and cut carbs. Well, tons of people! So let’s look at it more closely.

Pros — The diet has proven that people who follow it do in fact lose weight and improve their blood lipid profile(HDL LDL cholesterol and triglycerides). And if you love to eat meat and dairy and fats in large quantities this is surely diet heaven for you. However, you are steered away from eating carbohydrates, which is difficult for many people. That means that pasta, rice, potatoes, bread and whole grains and even fruits are off limits. Yet the diet claims that once you successfully cleanse these from your system by eating nothing but proteins and fats, their cravings disappear.

Cons – Since this diet is based on a no-carb regime, it begins losing its traction and benefits when even “low-carb” items are eaten. Atkins essentially eliminates an entire macronutrient all together. In terms of non-weight health issues, this diet does place a lot of stress on the body, forcing it into a state of relative ketosis, or the “I am sick” state. This creates marked energy loss, tiredness, and lack of energy available for exercise. If you’re going to stay active and exercise regularly, your body needs some carbohydrates from healthy food sources.

Conclusion — Making yourself ill to lose weight does not seem as important as being robust and healthy with the drive and energy for all life has to offer. In short, Atkins is an unhealthy way to lose weight.

South Beach Diet
Like Atkins, South Beach is a low-carb diet, but somehow managed to be structured in a way that didn’t bring on controversy.

Pros – The biggest pros of this diet is that it does bring with its weight loss aspect other positive health results, including reduction in triglycerides, blood sugar and blood pressure while raising good HDL cholesterol. The diet provides a simple form to follow, as it does not require people to track caloric intake with too much detail. It conveniently places foods in various lists to choose from. It also offer a tiered system designed to work back in more of the foods you would like to eat.  Thus making it a more sensible approach but with a definite shock factor to kickstart it initially.

Cons – The biggest complaint from dieters is the difficulty of the first phase of South Beach due to its tight food restrictions. In fact, they are so restrictive that even the author doesn’t recommend people stay there more than a few weeks. This makes it even more difficult for its followers to transition into the second phase of the diet where they are allowed to slowly re-introduce carbohydrates. There are no true guidelines to the quantities that are allowed in this phase and most followers report that the urge to carb load becomes extremely overwhelming.

Conclusion — For the most part this is not a terrible diet. It begins with a no-carb, low saturated fat phase then slowly brings you back into a more balanced eating approach. However, the diet is a bit “dated” in that it emphasizes the glycemic index of foods. This causes the diet to recommend quite a few foods that have a high glycemic load, as this concept was not really understood until after the book was written.

The Zone Diet
The Zone Diet isn’t a low carb diet but it follows a pie chart of macronutrients: 30% of the calories derived from protein, 30% from fat, and 40% from carbohydrate. And it is the strict balance of this equation that leads to the success or failure on the plan.

Pros – According to Dr. Sears, the founder of The Zone, if you are able to maintain a 30/30/40 balance of protein/fat/carbs then you will successfully maintain steady blood sugar levels. When insulin production is at the correct levels your body is able to effectively burn fat. The best part of this diet is that its proponents claim to have elevated energy and mental alertness and many athletes subscribe to it for this very reason. What’s more, with stable blood sugar comes a decrease in cravings for simple carbs and sugar laden foods, so weight is easier to keep off.

Cons – You have to follow a strict guideline of portion control, even when hungry in the initial stages. Also people say the rules are difficult to follow and the structure requires quite a bit of time to plan out meals and stick with its restrictions. If you don’t pre-plan your meals or portion them out in advance, it is extremely difficult to stay within the guidelines.

Conclusion – It is true that athletes say the diet gives them more energy. Yet many sports nutritionists and trainers are now saying their athletes are bottoming out during practice and games after long bouts of Zone dieting. This, they claim, is due to the lack of complex carbohydrate intake. Though, this is still avoidable within the Zone standards.

The Low Fat Diet
Pros – Eating low fat can be an effective way to eliminate harmful substances from your diet, including trans fats, hydrogenated oils and excessive amounts of animal fats. These, as we know, have been linked to several serious health issues including heart disease and various types of cancer.

Cons- Eating low fat substantially decreases your intake of an entire macronutrient that is critical to your overall health. As I’ve pointed out in other articles, there are definite benefits from eating the right fats, including the infamous saturated fats. Eating the right fats supports heart health and a healthy metabolism, and therefore is a critical tool for weight management.

Conclusion – Your body needs a steady, consistent intake of fat to properly dispose of stored fat, so why would you drastically restrict fat if you’re trying to burn it off? “Low fat” has also become synonymous with “high sugar” in most foods, so eating a low fat diet simply is not an effective weight loss tool.

The Bottom Line
All of these diets bring both positive and negative aspects to the table. So what’s the best approach to take? The best advice I can give is not to follow any fad diet. Rather, you must educate yourself in the pros and cons of all aspects of nutrition and focus on eating clean, quality calories.

When all is said and done, a healthy diet must contain a balanced combination of protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, fruit, vegetables and plenty of water. This will ensure that you’re eating to support  ANY of your fitness and wellness goals.

So if you’re considering jumping on one of these diets in 2010 to meet your weight loss goals, you might want to reconsider. We are still offering a more effective way to achieve your fitness goals this year. Until the end of January, we are giving away 3 FREE Personal Training sessions when you purchase a package of 12 sessions or more. Don’t miss your opportunity to pursue your goals the right way this year. Call Mike at 888-872-7961 ext.1 to get set up for your free trial with one of the area’s best personal trainers!

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Tips For Preventing the Holiday Weight Gain

Balance and moderation may be the last things you think about during Thanksgiving. But, the fact is, the holidays give us too many opportunities to take a step away from our weight loss and fitness goals. Here are a few simple strategies
you can use to minimize the effects of your Thanksgiving feast on your body.

Don’t go to the Thanksgiving dinner hungry.
Starving yourself all day before the big meal will send your metabolism for a ride – a SLOW ride. You should eat breakfast and lunch as you normally would on any other day.

Don’t Drink Your Calories.
You will get plenty of calories from food during your Thanksgiving feast. Even a couple of sodas or beers can add several hundred calories to your intake and can also reak havoc on your digestive system.  Soda and beer can cause gas and bloating and will give you that dreaded stomach bulge you’re trying to avoid!

Eat like a Cow!
Did I say that? Yes! What do cows do extremely well? They chew their food! Your body needs some time to realize that it has a job to do after you’ve fed it. Allow time for your digestive enzymes to break down your food and use it for energy.

Balance Your Meals.
Thanksgiving dinner is not an all-you-can -eat buffet. Fill your plate primarily with lean protein and vegetables. You can still leave some room for your favorite foods, as long as its minimal. 

Go skinless on your turkey.
Choosing skinless turkey will slash away a good portion of fat and cholesterol. Save your appetite for the healthier side dishes and desserts.

Make a conscious choice to limit high fat items:
high fat food items are found in the creamy or cheese-filled food selections.  For instance, mashed potatoes are usually made with butter and milk; green bean casseroles are often prepared with cream of mushroom soup, cheese and milk and topped with fried onions; candied yams are loaded with cream, sugar and marshmallows.  If you cannot control the ingredients that go in to a dish, simply limit yourself to a smaller helping size. Moderation can save you hundreds, if not thousands of calories!

Pace yourself throughout the gathering.
Thanksgiving Dinner is quite a production in most families.  Therefore, we tend to want to honor the host by stuffing ourselves, acknowledging their hard work, well-prepared and delicious meal.  Avoid this trap.  It is still just a meal.

Research healthy Thanksgiving recipes in advance.
They’re all over the Internet! For example, instead of making stuffed turkey sandwiches, make a healthy turkey stew. Just boil a few slices of turkey in water, add bay leafs and a little white wine, and you have a great low-fat turkey stock. Now you can add as many vegetables as you want, and can even include some healthy whole grains if you’re dying for those carbs!

Eat one small meal at a time!
Many of us have multiple Thanksgiving meals. we go to grandma’s house for breakfast, then to Uncle Joe’s house for lunch, etc. If you’re locked into multiple eating commitments, make sure you treat each meal as a moderate one. Try small amounts of the foods offered at each meal instead of piling it on every time. Most Americans eat about 6,000 calories on Thanksgiving Day! Don’t be a statistic!

Get some exercise!
Don’t use the holiday as an excuse to sit on the couch all day. There are hundreds of scheduled turkey trots in the DC Area and most of them allow you to register the same day. Personally, I’m doing the Turkey Burnoff on Saturday the 28th with clients and Friends.  It’s at Seneca Creek State Park in Gaithersburg if you’re interested…
http://www.mcrrc.org/racing/2009/race_descriptions.php#turkey_burnoff
If you can’t join us for that one here are some other local area events going on throughout the entire DC, Maryland and
Northern Virginia region…

http://www.runwashington.com/archive0/news/nov03turkeyraces.html

If that sounds too overwhelming, just go for a walk or schedule a backyard football game. Made you could invite a few of the Washington Redskins players and have the kids show them a thing or two.  I’m sure they could benefit from the advice!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dennys Passeto and Entire Achieve Fitness Team

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