Thenaturalmd’s Weblog

Does it seem like the less you eat, the fatter you get?  Does everthing you eat immediately convert to fat, even the healthy foods?  Have you ever wondered if something was wrong with your thyroid because your metabolism is so sluggish?  Then you may actually be suffering from a slow metabolism due to under eating.  That’s right - not eating enough!

You see, when your body experiences even short periods of hunger, it senses starvation and decides to conserve energy by shutting down your metabolism and storing fat.  Your body is working from a very primative protective mechanism.  It doesn’t know you can just get up and open the fridge to get your next meal.  It is working from a very old biology of feast or famine framework.  It wants to save energy in the form of fat so you can go out and “hunt and gather” your next meal!

Your metabolism is like the inner furnace of your body - a great roaring fire that uses fuel to produce the energy your body needs to function.  But if you don’t add fuel to the fire on a regular basis (3-4 meals per day) or if the quality of the fuel is poor, the inner fire of metabolism begins to flicker then fade and die away.  When the fire fades, your body can’t burn off calories and so it stores them as fat.

If you have ever built a campfire, you know the process it takes to achieve a roaring blaze.  You may start with twigs and leaves but the fire will be small and flickering.  It flames out easily UNLESS you consistently add bigger and better logs to build the flames and fuel the fire.  Ignoring the fire for long periods of time allows the flame to fade and eventually shut down.

Your body functions in much the same way.  It needs nutritionally dense foods (foods rich in fiber, glucose,minerals and vitamins) to keep the fire of your metabolism roaring.  Nutritionally empty foods such as sweets, packaged or processed foods and fast foods simply spike your blood sugar, making your metabolism briefly flame then shut down when your blood sugar levels quickly crash.   Skipping meals (semi-starvation), eating foods with lots of simple sugars and lacking fiber (processed foods) will not supply the dense amount of nutrients necessary for fueling the fire.  You will experience metabolic shut-down and subsequent fat storage.

Remember, eat at least 3 meals a day and even a snack of high quality nutritionally dense fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and lean meats to stoke your inner fire and keep your metabolism burning bright!

Copywrite 2008 Pamela Avery, MD

Eating out can be a lot of fun and convenient.  Mom especially loves a night out of the kitchen.  But guess what suffers from a night out on the town — your waistline.  With Mount Rushmore-sized portions and dietary disasters larding every menu, restaurants are dangerous places for your health and your weight. It’s important to get your priorities straight when choosing where to dine out and what to eat.

Most mistakes are made within the first and last 10 minutes of any restaurant experience.  You can use these tips for “book-ending” meals the healthy low glycemic impact way:

*  Order before consuming alcohol.  You will make better choices.
*  Skip the free bread and ask for cut-up raw vegetables instead.
*  Order oil and vinegar on the side and dress the salad lightly yourself — relying on    the server or chef to do so gets you about 400 extra calories per salad.
*  Ask to replace the potato or rice with sautèed vegetables.
*  Set a portion aside to take home for a second meal on another day.
*  If you really want dessert, order one for the table and have just a few bites.

When life steers you out of the kitchen, here are your best bets for a few of the more common types of restaurant choices. 

Mexican: Fajitas, black beans, refried beans (no lard), avocados, guacamole, brown rice, jicama, grilled chicken or fish, ceviche, camarones, and arroz con pollo (rice with chicken).

Italian: Sauteed vegetables, salad, seafood salad, fish with olive oil, whole-wheat pasta with marinara sauce.  Skip the al fredo sauce.

Mediterranean: Hummus (chickpeas), tahini (sesame paste), tabbouleh (cracked-wheat salad) bean soup, lentils.

Asian: Seaweed salad, sea vegetables, miso soup, edamame, sashimi, sushi, any vegetables that are not fried, such as bok choy, bamboo shoots, green beans, snow peas and water chestnuts, fresh spring rolls, moo shu chicken or vegetables, and drunken chicken. 

American:  seafood, fish with olive oil, chicken, petite steak, grilled or baked options 

Also, don’t forget to steer clear of anything that has fried in the description.  Sauces and gravies should be avoided or at least asked to be on the side.  Vegetables soups with broth are better options than creamy soups.  Check the whole menu - you may find healthy side options with other entrees to replace your entree’s side dish.  Don’t be afraid to ask your waiter for a healthy substitute.  Remember, the restaurant wants to make you happy so you will become a returning customer.  

Warmly,

Dr. Pam
www.the-natural-md.com

Dr. Pam

HI all!

I wanted to give you a couple of case studies that show the power of The Nutrition Prescription when put into action by motivated individuals. I’ve changed the names for privacy but these are real people, experiencing real results with the low glycemic impact anti-inflammatory approach to health and wellness.

CASE STUDY #1

“Roger” is a middle-aged man who was overweight and suffered with high blood pressure and high lipids. He knew he needed to lose weight but wasn’t sure how to go about it. His wife decided to learn more about the low glycemic impact anti-inflammatory diet for herself and he decided to support her while learning for himself.

He learned about the low glycemic impact diet and gradually began to change his eating habits with the help of his wife who encouraged him and began to cook more healthy meals. He added a bit more exercise to his weekly routine and lost over 20 pounds of body fat over approximately 8 months.

His physician was impressed with his weight loss and noticed that his blood pressure had improved as well. He was able to drop one of his blood pressure medications under the direction of his physician with excellent results. He continues to easily maintain his weight loss and new eating habits and has more energy than ever.

CASE STUDY #2

“Carmen” is a middle-aged female who spent a lifetime yo-yo dieting, gaining and losing the same pounds over and over again. Despite her efforts, she continued to gain weight, developed early diabetes and was placed on medication. Her joints began to hurt for no specific reason. She had no energy and couldn’t exercise. She committed to learning the low glycemic approach to anti-inflammatory eating in hopes she could improve her diabetes.

She attended classes to learn a new lifestyle and eating routine. She implemented the low glycemic impact anti-inflammatory diet over the course of several months. She wasn’t able to attend all the meetings but stayed connected through my newsletters and blogs.

“Carmen” was able to shed over 20 pounds and significant body fat over the first 3 months by changing her eating habits. But most impressive, her pain has evaporated and she is able to exercise as well as do yard work now. And her doctor has told her that if she continues to do this well and loses another 10 pounds, she may be able to come off her diabetes medications!

The Nutrition Prescription is a powerful prescription. Keep checking in for more details so you can join me in The Nutrition Prescription Virtual Workshop soon!

Warmly,

Dr. Pam

I received this email from a reader and thought I would pass it along. It really highlights the “typical American diet” versus some many other parts of the world. Notice the difference in fresh whole food versus the American processed foods.

Warmly,
Dr. Pam

pictures from “Hungry Planet: What the World Eats” by Peter Menzel

What is eaten in one week?

1 - Germany : The Melander family of Bargteheide

Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07

2 - United States : The Revis family of North Carolina

Food expenditure for one week $341.98

3 - Italy : The Manzo family of Sicily

Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11

4 - Mexico : The Casales family of Cuernavaca

Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09

5 - Poland : The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna

Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27

6 - Egypt : The Ahmed family of Cairo

Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53




7 - Ecuador : The Ayme family of Tingo

Food expenditure for one week: $31.55

8 - Bhutan : The Namgay family of Shingkh ey Village

Foo d expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03

9 - Chad : The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp

Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23

Food for thought, huh?

Hi, all! 

Ok, I’ve been reading all the responses from the readers and have decided to get things rolling now for the launch of The Nutrition Prescription.   I’m changing the format just a bit.  I realized that summer is rapidly approaching and people are getting really busy.  Finding a day and time for a series of teleseminars will be difficult for many of you.  However, most of my readers expressed interest in learning via email and access to internet based information 24/7.  So here is what I’ve decided to do in an effort to accommodate as many people as possible.

The Nutrition Prescription is going to be a virtual workshop composed of 6 modules delivered via email to you on a weekly basis.  You will receive an email with a brief description of that module’s topic and resources with a link and password to the website where the lesson is contained.  There you will find audios, videos and PDF files to download or read online anytime that is convenient for you.  The modules will be up and available for several weeks so that if you are not able to get to the material right away, it will still be available when you have the time!  Then at various times through the 6 weeks, I will either host an on-line live chat forum or a teleseminar so you, the participants, can ask questions of me and get answers.  Those calls or forums will be transcribed or recorded so if you miss them, you can still access them later.

Now you are probably wondering how much this is going to cost?  While I haven’t put the final price tag together, I want to assure you that I plan to make it very affordable.  Some of you may have taken online training courses that cost as much as $2000 - $3000.  I have!  I can assure you it is not going to be in that range.  Others of you may have spent as much as $500 an hour for physician consultations and nutritional programs.  I can assure it is not going to cost that.  And I myself have charged $400 per hour for a consultation and treatment plan and it’s not going to cost that amount.  

But you will get easily 20 hours or more of my personlized coaching around the very issues you have expressed the most interest in learning more about - nutrition and supplements for optimal health, inflammation and weight management for life.

Now you could spend hundreds of dollars monthly on medications and co-pays, you could spend thousands of dollars for heart surgery or gastric bypass surgery or you could lose your life with a heart attack, stroke or the onset of diabetes.  So the price of a 6 week workshop learning the basic principles of a lifetime of health and wellness is really priceless in comparison.  However, the class is going to be small so I can give you the time and energy you deserve and will fill up fast.  The first 5 people to sign up will get a great bonus (can’t tell you just yet!) and the first 10 also get a free goodie!  And when the class is full, the workshop will be closed.

I should have the date and price set in the next few days.  I’m eager to get started and hope you are too!

Warmly,

Dr. Pam

We’ve all seen it on tv - pills, potions and devices promising fantastic results when it comes to weight loss. Yet, how do you know what’s hope and what’s hype? I’m going to help you sort out the hype to regain hope that weight loss is really possible for life.

First, a supplement is not a substitute for a healthy diet and exercise. However, it can support your body’s metabolism and make it easier to get off the roller coaster of blood sugar spikes and insulin surges leading to urges, cravings, binges and ultimately fat storage. A supplement for weight loss should not claim to melt fat away or turn off your appetite. Instead, it should support your body’s natural physical processes to utilize fats, carbohydrates and proteins efficiently.

The best supplements to enhance weight loss and restore proper metabolism supply your body with certain nutrients it may be missing in a typical Western diet. Nutrients such as chromium and conjugated linoleic acid are present in foods and serve to help metabolize carbohydrates and utilize fat appropriately. However, with modern food processing, we lose much of the chromium and conjugated linoleic acid that nature intended to help us manage our weight for a lifetime.

Other supplements such as wheat amylase inhibitor can blunt your body’s rapid digestion of starches or complex carbohydrates, slowing the release of glucose and the rapid absorption that cause blood glucose swings. This sustained release of glucose allows your body to gradually sense hunger and respond before a blood sugar crash occurs.

There are many more natural supplements - minerals, herbs and vitamins - that act in concert to modulate your body’s response to stress, processed foods and genetic challenges around carbohydrate metabolism. These are just a few. In The Nutrition Prescription teleseminars, I’ll be going into detail so that you can supplement successfully for a lifetime of weight loss.

Warmly,

Dr. Pam

Interested in seeing just how I eat every day to maintain weight loss, fight pain and create optimal health? Then take a peek at these pictures. Notice the fridge - most things are fresh and whole foods. Check out the pantry - very few boxed items. The cereal in the lower right corner has a great story but you have to be in on the Nutrition Prescription teleseminar to hear about it! Enjoy!

Essential Whole Foods Pantry Items

Once you have made the commitment to lose weight and change your eating habits, the next step is to create a healthy kitchen. Having a well stocked pantry makes cooking a quicker, easier and more pleasurable experience.

First, go through your cupboards and clear out any boxed items with less than 3-5 grams of fiber per serving. Toss anything with more than about 5-8 grams of added sugar. Eliminate anything with trans-fats (look for the words hydrogenated, fractionated, partially hydrogenated or partially fractionated). Items with more than 1-2 grams of saturated fats or more than 6-8 grams of total fat should go out as well. Chuck the instant oatmeal and rice. Obviously ditch the cookies, cakes, candies and snacks full of refined sugars. Toss out the white flour and polished rice. Then fill your pantry with the following list of healthy items that will help you easily shed pounds and lose weight.

This list primarily includes non‐perishables items that are used frequently when making anything from breakfast foods to stews. Once you get in the swing of cooking new recipes that you enjoy you will see which items you use most. You can add more as you experiment.

Farmer’s markets, bulk sections of health food stores, and ethnic markets are great places to shop at a cheaper price than your local grocery store (though do keep an eye out for sales). You might have to make a special trip once a month but it will be worth it to have a well‐stocked pantry.

Herbs & Spices (fresh /dried)
Basil
Bay leaf
Black pepper
Cinnamon
Garlic powder
Ginger powder
Italian seasoning
Mint
Mustard
Nutmeg
Rosemary
Sea salt
Vanilla extract

Nuts & Seeds
Almonds
Cashews
Pecans
Walnuts
Pumpkin seeds
Sunflower seeds
Sesame seeds

Dried Fruits
Raisins
Dried cranberries
Dried apricots

Grains & Legumes
Oats – Steel cut, rolled
Brown rice
Wild rice
Popcorn
Lentils – brown & pink
Dried beans

Grain Products
Whole wheat flour
Whole Wheat noodles
Whole wheat tortilla
Couscous

Oils & Condiments
Your favorite vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Honey or agave nectar
Maple Syrup
Raw sugar (Turbinado)
Safflower or Sunflower oil
Soy sauce or Tamari (wheat free soy sauce)

Fresh Produce
Garlic
Hot peppers
Limes / lemons
Onions, Salad greens
Seasonal fruits & vegetables

Canned & Bottled Goods
Tomato sauce
Stewed tomatoes
Tomato paste
Canned beans – chick peas, black beans, white beans
Fresh or canned Salmon, tuna
Nut butters– peanut butter, almond butter
Vegetable broth – organic (re-closable aesceptic boxes are nice)
Milks – Almond, Hemp, Oat, Rice, Soy (boxes can be on shelf until opened)

Refrigerator Staples

Butter NOT margarine (preferably from grass fed cows)
Low fat milk and yogart with no added sugars (preferably from grass fed cows)
Frozen Foods (fruits and vegetables)
Your favorite vegetables
Mixed vegetables
Whole grain breads
Fruits – berries, bananas, peaches, pineapple, etc.

It’s really pretty easy to create tasty and healthy meals with the above items immediately on hand!

Warmly

Dr. Pam
The Natural MD