Do Not Throw In The Weight Loss Towel

My last 3 blogs were dedicated to ways to strip down for the summer. I have one more trick up my sleeve for those who may be ready to throw in the “weight loss” towel.  One  reason that weight loss is practically impossible for you is because you are in metabolic limbo. So have I got a diet for you!

It is a diet that was used somewhat regularly at The Atkins Center for clients who were dedicated to sticking to their weight loss plan but there was a disconnect with weight loss results. If this is happening to you, DO NOT THROW IN THE WEIGHT LOSS TOWEL. It is likely your body needs a rest. If you are pumping out too many hormones or organs are not working they way they should, give ‘em a rest.

Try something that will rock your world and shock your system into submission. Try something completely contrary to the imagination…try a fat fast.

A fat fast will trick your body into thinking it is fasting when in truth you are eating 1000 calories. Some people may get away with eating up to 200 calories more. In order to help reset your system, you must consume mostly fat, 75-90% of your calories from fat (not man-made unhealthy trans fats), because fat is the nutrient that has the least effect on your hormones. If hormones are blocking your weight loss, they will no longer be present to stop weight loss progress. If this works, you will have found the answer to your weight loss problem…Metabolic Resistance.

Now this is a complete mental adjustment for those who are low-fat connoisseurs but for you low carbers, its only a stone’s throw away.  As most low carbers typically consume 60-75% fat. You must eat mostly fat.

It has worked for Dana Carpendar and now thanks to her it is a much easier task for you. Why? Because she wrote a cookbook! This makes eating mostly one nutrient, fat,  much easier and certainly much more palatable.

Here is Dana’s story, http://holdthetoast.com/content/so-what-happened-me. Here is her cookbook,  ”Fat Fast Cookbook: 50 Easy Recipes to Jump Start Your Low Carb Weight Loss, http://www.carbsmart.com/fat-fast-cookbook.html.

I had a chance to interview Dana to get  a more personal perspective and better insight into her latest masterpiece.

Interview

Valerie:  What are your favorite recipes in the book?

Dana: I really like the shirataki recipes, especially the Asian noodles and the fettuccine with pancetta cream sauce. And the pepperoni chips are crazy-good, though I try not to eat processed meats too regularly.

Valerie:  Have you had any feedback on hunger or negative side effects? Positive side effects?

Dana: Nope, except people telling me they’ve broken months-long plateaus, and lost 3-5 pounds in a few days.

Valerie:  How long can someone follow the fat fast safely?

Dana: I don’t think anyone really knows for sure. The longest I’m aware of that it’s been used in clinical research is 10 days. Jackie Eberstein, who worked with Dr. Atkins for thirty years, puts those who are seriously metabolically resistant on a rotating schedule of 5 days of Fat Fasting, 2 days of Induction. She has people follow this for as long as they can handle it, or until they’ve lost all their weight, whichever comes first. I trust Jackie’s judgment and years of experience.

Valerie: Yes I worked with Jackie for many years at the Atkins Center and I second that opinion.

Valerie:  What are the ranges of calories and macronutrient breakdown in your fat fast and recipes?

Dana: We kept the recipes in the neighborhood of 200-250 calories each. They range from just under 80% of calories from fat to at least 96% calories from fat. I’ve arranged them in groups by fat content, so that it’s easy to figure that if you eat something in the 80% range earlier in the day, you need to choose something in the 90%-and-above range later in the day to balance it out.

Valerie:  What is the average amount of time to complete the recipes?

Dana: Varies quite a bit. You can make pepperoni chips or Keto Coffee in just a few minutes, but the Coconut Flax Bread will take over an hour. However, once you have that bread in your fridge, all it takes is cutting a slice and spreading it with butter or cream cheese, and you’ve got a quick Fat Fast “feeding.”

Valerie:  Any important aspects of the book that we have not discussed and that may be important?

Dana: It’s useful for more than Fat Fasting. Anyone who is trying to stay in a good, deep ketosis will find it helpful, whether they’re doing it for weight loss, or to fight cancer, or to treat dementia. It should also be very helpful for parents with kids who are on a keto diet for seizure control.

Considering a fat fast?

Speak with a knowledgeable physician before trying this and keep in mind, I absolutely do not recommend this for anyone who can lose weight on any standard diet. It should only be used for those who need to pull hormonal influence out of the weight loss equation.

 

5 Secrets To Omega 6:Omega 3 Balance

Why should you make changes to your daily eating plan to include a variety of different fats? Check out last weeks blog, http://valerieberkowitz.wordpress.com/2012/09/14/eat-foods-with-fat-5-balance-foods-with-fat/ and Dr. Weil’s blog, http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400149/balancing-omega-3-and-omega-6.html

Now that you know why it is healthier to eat a variety of fats, you should know that it is not that difficult. A few  small changes and your Omega ratio should shift quickly towards the ideal 1:1 Omega 6, Omega 3 fat ratio.

TIPS

1. Read the ingredient section on labels. Look for vegetable, corn and soy oil.

2. Eat less commercially prepared foods that contain vegetable, corn and soy oils.

3. Eat low mercury and low PCB containing fatty fish

4. Eat more omega 3 plant foods along with saturated fat (to help the plant Omega 3 convert to the fish form of Omega 3).

5. Add Omega 3 fish oil supplements

More specific tips include:

• Replacing bottled salad dressing with olive oil
• Cooking with coconut oil instead of vegetable oil
• Adding organic shredded coconut in snacks for example make your own trail mix
• Baking or fry shrimp or chicken with egg and organic shredded coconut, flaxseed, crushed nuts or all three to “fancify” meals.
• Using fresh food as snacks: low glycemic fruits, non-starchy vegetables (Omega 6 will lower  because you are not eating as much from commercial products), instead of commercially prepared snacks.
• Consuming natural meat products instead of frozen meals containing soy/corn. Learn more here, http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400149/balancing-omega-3-and-omega-6.htm

You might find it interesting that these foods contain both saturated fat and omega 3:

Lamb

Beef, short ribs

Pork

Dairy: cheese, sheep milk, butter, sour cream, heavy whipping cream

Unsweetened baking chocolate

Non-meat sources high in Omega 3

Walnuts

Grape leaves

Flaxseeds

Chia seeds
Herbs/Spices high in Omega 3

Cloves

Oregano

Rosemary

Sage

Tarragon

If you fell into the fat trap, “all fats are bad” and just now realize that “some fats are good”,  DO NOT fall into the same trap again. Natural fats that are saturated and unsaturated provide nutrients that work to keep us healthy.

My goal is to get everyone to eat healthy natural fats and improve Omega 6 to Omega 3 consumption ratio.

 

Eat Foods With Fat (5): Balance Foods With Fat

Oil3 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Healthy foods with fat are natural foods:

Red meat

Seafood

Poultry

Eggs

Coconut

Olives

Nuts

Seeds

Avocado

Butter

When I say eat foods with fat, I do not mean eating only fish or olive oil. Saturated fats need to be part of the balance. Why?

A healthy omega 6 to omega 3 balance should be in a 1:1 ratio but no more than 6:1. Twenty to one is what most people eat today. How?

1. Omega 6 foods are cheap (soy, corn, vegetable oil) and are used in many commercially prepared foods.

2. Consumers have bought into the idea that unsaturated fats are healthy.

3. As consumers buy into conventional dogma and avoid meat/ saturated fat they eat more unsaturated fat.

So I’m here to open your mind to adding saturated fat as part of a variety of foods that should be added to your shopping list. The omega 6/omega 3 ratio is too high. Eating less omega 6 foods and adding back saturated fats can help improve this ratio and keep you healthy.

Here’s why, here’s how:

• Excess Omega 6 is linked to  inflammation on the cellular level that can lead to  many health issues (heart disease, arthritis, obesity and diabetes, metabolic syndrome, stomach issues, cancer, asthma, mental health issues).

• When you use vegetable oils at high heat to microwave,  bake, sauté or fry, the high temperature oxidizes the oil and unsaturated “good” fat changes to bad cholesterol leading to heart disease,

• Omega 6 also can compete with Omega 3 and reduce the body’s ability to use Omega 3.

Saturated fat is more stable at high heat cooking temperatures. Use olive oil as a salad dressing but cook with natural sources of saturated fats that are not hydrogenated to avoid oxidation,  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/10/15/cooking-oil.aspx.

Fats can oxidize over time and saturated fats are more shelf stable than unsaturated fats,  http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/library/storagevegetableoils.asp.

Plant sources of Omega 3 ,like flax and chia seed, cannot be converted to the essential type of Omega 3 we need to utilize unless saturated fat is present.

Research supports saturated fats:

help prevent essential fats and skin cells from oxidation;

promote utilization of essential fats;

help balance the good bacteria in the gut and boost the immune system;

help in the process of calcium absorption and bone development;

lower  lipoprotein(a) ,  a risk factor for heart disease;

protect the liver from alcohol and other toxins created by medication metabolism.

There are a few simple ways to balance the foods you eat with fat.

Will let you know…next blog

But maybe you have some of your own ideas. I’d love to hear one or some?

Related articles

• Saturation be damned (primalmeded.com)
• Fat ‘truth’ under fire (theage.com.au)

 

Eat Foods With Fat (4) : Don’t Fall Into The “Non-Fat” Trap!

Reason # 4 when you eat foods they way G-d intended (real eggs, dairy with fat, natural peanut butter…) with natural fat, you are eating real food.  Fat adds flavor and texture to food. When you manipulate the food to eliminate fat, you make an originally healthy food, like yogurt, a science project that looks and tastes (not really) like yogurt but is really anything but yogurt. Many people do not focus on the ingredients but only have concern that there is NO fat in the food.

For example, this label (at the top of the page) is from a non-fat yogurt. Modified food starch, fructose, gelatin, water, more fructose and starch “natural flavor” (dunno what the natural flavor is?) aspartame, red 40, blue #1, sodium….Last time I checked the definition of yogurt, it said nothing about these ingredients, http://mw1.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yogurt.

When the consumer demand is to avoid fat, food companies must create a food to meet the demand but also to make the food taste good. This is true for Non-fat yogurt but many other non-fat foods as well.

Before you grab one these “healthy” snacks, read the label.

frozen yogurt

100 calorie snack packs

pretzels

non-fat yogurt (fruited), or should I say (jelly yogurt)

fruit roll-ups -Really? Do you really think this is rolled up fruit?

gummy bears or any candy that has no fat but loaded with sugar

granola (high in carbs and fat)

cold cereal

rice cakes

whole grain chips or crackers

grapes-If you choose to eat grapes, I never recommend more than 10/day most people eat them mindlessly by the pound not realizing that they are high in sugar/calories or any fruit by the piece.

Non-fat foods can end up being  MORE fattening than foods with fat. My suggestion, eat foods that contain fat in its natural state.

Eat nutritious packed balanced foods to help keep your engine running and give you the energy and optimal health you desire. Choose these foods instead on the non-fat items mentioned above and see the difference for yourself.

1/2 a small apple sliced with peanut butter, better yet cut the cals by cutting sugar and use a celery boat

1/2 a pear sliced with melted crumbled blue cheese

seasoned kale chips

hard boiled eggs

2% fat Greek yogurt with your own freshly added berries, check out the label to compare it with the one above, http://www.fageusa.com/products/fage-total-2-percent/

sliced tomato and mozzarella drizzled olive oil and balsamic vinegar

avocado with chicken strips or guacamole with peppers

baked shrimp with shredded coconut

a handful of nuts or seeds

You will get more fat, nutrients, good taste and satisfaction from foods containing natural fats.

Read labels, what are you actually fueling yourself with? If you do not understand what an ingredient is, take 2 seconds and look it up. It will blow your mind.If you would like to re-educate yourself on how to read a label properly, I suggest you get my book, http://www.amazon.com/The-Stubborn-Fat-Fix-Metabolic/dp/159486828X, learn how to read labels correctly and make better food choices that contain healthy fats.

Related articles

• ‘Health’ Food That’s Actually Junk: The 7 Worst Offenders (minyanville.com)

 

Eat Foods With Fat: What is your response to carb overload? (3)

Bet you are waiting for reason #3 and so here you have it, the three reasons why you should eat food with fat:

1. When you eat real “fat” foods, that provide nutrients NOT available in low-fat foods, they serve as part of your “variety” of foods that contribute to a “balanced” diet.

2. As you consume fat soluble nutrients (through eating “fat” foods), they are readily absorbed and your body gets the broad spectrum of nutrition it needs to be healthy and function.

3. The third reason is the response to carbohydrate overload (100% of carbohydrates turns to sugar), hormones (insulin/cortisol…) and organs (liver/pancreas…) work overtime chasing high and low blood sugar levels and trying to maintain balance. This affects health and contributes to:

Overweight and obesity: Cravings and hunger are communication signals from your body telling you to feed it the nutrients you are lacking, not necessarily more empty (low/non-fat foods providing calories and little nutrients) calories but the lacking nutrients from the lack of healthy fats. Also, the more carbs you consume, the more insulin your body produces making it more difficult to lose weight, no matter how many calories you do or DO NOT eat. When blood sugar is lowered by insulin, you get hungry.

Blood sugar issues:

Diabetes (high blood sugar): As fat is vilified, you eat more carbs/sugar, your blood sugar spikes

Low blood sugar and mood changes: then like all things that go up blood sugar falls or maybe it even crashes leaving you hungry, irritable and mean. The real focus should not be on calories but the removal of the cause of the roller coaster ride your blood and organs are on trying to bring the body back into balance.

Irritability is not the only emotionally related issue linked to a “fat-free, higher
carb” diet. I’ll keep you hangin’ ’til next week on this one. As I have too many health issues to mention in this weeks blog.

Related articles

• Low Carb Pancakes…..OMGoooodness!!! (lifesweightyissues.wordpress.com)
• DAY EIGHTEEN: low carb pancakes are possible?! (lowsugarlowcarbslongruns.wordpress.com)

 

Five Reasons To Eat Foods With Fat (2)

English: Healthy Food For Life logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last week I listed the nutrients (arachiodonic acid, MCT and choline) found in high fat foods, and that are void in low-fat diets and explained why they are important for helping the body look its best and to run efficiently, http://valerieberkowitz.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/the-low-fat-nutrient-less-diet-cannot-fully-nourish-the-body/,  That is the first reason to eat foods with fat.

The second reason to eat foods with fat is because lower consumption of naturally occurring fat from natural food makes it difficult to absorb fat soluble vitamins (vitamins A,D,E,K) and minerals (iron, calcium, magnesium).

For example, Dr. Frank Lipman discusses vitamin D deficiency in-depth, http://www.drfranklipman.com/symptoms-diseases-associated-with-vitamin-d-deficiency/ and believes that it is more than just lack of sunlight that is contributing to this problem. I second that idea and believe that it has to do with the Food Guide Pyramid and the push towards lowering fat and eating more grains.

And, let’s not forget that there are more fat soluble nutrients that play important roles in the delicate balance of good health that are often forgotten when the focus is on fat reduction by lowering or omitting meat:

Zinc, it is found in plant foods but compounds in plants compete for its absorption so you may be eating foods that contain zinc while trying to lower fat but the zinc my not be absorbed so it’s like you never consumed it in the first place. It is important for the immune system, bones and skin.

B vitamins: Water-soluble but found in and best absorbed from red meat.

Coenzyme Q 10: Important in heart health, energy production and acts as an antioxidant.

Acetyl-L-carnitine: metabolism of fat, anti-aging for the liver and brain.

And essential amino acids: carnitine (assists in fatty acid metabolism), taurine (supports a healthy heart and helps lower blood pressure)  and carnosine (a neurotransmitter involved in the anti-aging process associated with advanced glycation end products, AGEs).

If you want to read the details, Chris Masterjohn describes it well in “ Vegetarianism and Nutrient Deficiencies”, http://www.westonaprice.org/vegetarianism-and-plant-foods/vegetarianism-and-nutrient-deficiencies. This is enlightening to say the least and mind-blowing to give it the credit he deserves.

The third reason is just as important so stay tuned.

.

 

Have We Created Our Own Health Crises? High Fat “Must Have” Foods For Good Health

Butter and a butter knife (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As you educate yourself on the health value of the foods you eat, you may come to realize that the Nations health crises has a lot to do with the focus on cutting  fat. Or maybe I should say avoiding natural fat containing foods from the U.S. dietary recommendations and replacing them with low-fat foods has stripped away nutrients that helped keep us healthy.

We know that fat is involved in brain, eye and nerve health. Fat has been linked to improvements in

• Triglycerides
• Cardiovascular health
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Depression
• Prenatal health
• Asthma
• ADHD
• Alzheimer’s disease and dementia

And the list goes on and on… Here are a list of high fat foods that provide more nutrition than you thought:

• Butter: vitamin A &D,lecithin,and vitamin E and  selenium, iodine

• Coconut: minerals: potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and manganese, iron, zinc and copper, selenium as well as vitamins: B1 and 6, C E, K and riboflavin, pantothenic acid, folate
  
• Avocado: (20 essential nutrients) monounsaturated fat, fiber, potassium, magnesium Vitamin E,K, B & C vitamins and folic acid
• Chocolate:(72% or higher cocoa) flavonols, antioxidants and helps stimulate serotonin, theobromine (a mild stimulant and diuretic action), caffeine, phenylethylamine, minerals, including magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, potassium and manganese and vitamins such as vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C, E and pantothenic acid.
• Nuts & seeds, vitamins: B1, 2, 6, C, E, niacin, pantothenic acid, folate and minerals:potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron, selenium, zinc, manganese, copper
  

So eat for your health and strip those negative thoughts about fat. You will get to your health and weight goals much easier while supplying your body with the nutrients it needs.

More interesting “reads”:

http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/saturated_fat/

http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/why-butter-is-better

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/coconut-oil-benefits_b_821453.html

 

Trans Fats Are On The Out, What’s In?

Now that food manufacturers are removing trans fats, otherwise known as hydrogenated oil from their products you might think the replacement would be a natural fat instead of going through an extra processing step and messing with mother nature.  But NOOOO, fractionated oils (http://nutrition.about.com/od/askyournutritionist/f/fractionatedoil.htm) are replacing hydrogenated oils.

Hydrogenation of an unsaturated fat, such as vegetable oil, converts it into a spreadable tub or stick of margarine.  Hydrogenated fats were  supposed to create a “healthier” alternative to butter but in actuality it is converted into saturated fat . This hydrogenation process was popular replacing the natural “unhealthy” butter for health reasons. I do not believe butter is as evil as many believe; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfsM_6zA95g, and also to extend the shelf life of processed foods.

Bottom line is processed foods are not healthy even when they are “fat-free or low-fat”. We now know after all these years of guinea pigs that this hydrogenated oil added as a “health promoting” ingredient in our food supply is associated with clogging arteries and whole host of other poor health outcomes.

Now instead of supporting real food and natural healthy fat snacks like nuts and seeds. The food companies continue to protect their bottom line by introducing another processed fat called fractionated oil into the food supply. Maybe it is healthier but how do you know without making everyone into guinea pigs again.

Why can’t we learn from our past mistakes, let’s not repeat this history, I’d prefer not to be a guinea pig so I’m gonna protect my bottom line (my health) and use my purchasing dollar for real foods that are not processed. 

Dean Ornish and I do not have much in common but, if you read this, http://www.cyberparent.com/nutrition/hydrogenated.htm, you’ll see that we do agree that, “Unfortunately, a longer life for the product may mean a shorter life for you.”  

Stay away from the new fat (fractionated oil) that is “IN”! Use real natural butter and healthy fats from olives, coconut and other natural sources while avoiding fake fats that support the next fad.