By Rodi Alexander Friedman C.H.C.
It is absolutely shocking to me, how many people let themselves go and
continue to live a lifestyle in poor health. Even after learning how detrimental
certain foods and drinks are on the body. I associate it to the smoker who
knows that cigarettes can cause cancer and heart disease, but continues to
smoke anyway. In case you didn’t know, 64% of American adults are obese,
as are 1 in every 4 children. We are headed for disaster!
Dr. David Katz, Director of Medical Studies in Public Health at the Yale
University School of Medicine, has stated, that our children have a shorter
life expectancy than our generation. Not only is that horrifying, but totally
preventable. We have lost sight of quality of life, purely from bad habits and
wrong choices. Eat to Live, don’t Live to Eat!
If you want to lose weight, keep it off and maintain a good healthy state of
being, there are 5 important steps you must take; The first step is the most
important. #1- A strong, positive mind set. This applies to anything and
everything you ever want to accomplish in your life. It is the foundation for
discipline. If you set your mind to it, you can do it! For those of you who find
it difficult to stick to a certain regiment, you must change your way of
thinking. There are plenty of self help books and groups out there to help you
get motivated and keep you motivated. There is nothing wrong with that. Do
whatever it takes to help gain control of your life. When you come to the
realization that you are fed up with the way you look and feel about your
body and you want to get in shape, your mind set is your success.
The second step is, Make water your #1 choice of drink. Forget the diet
drinks, juices, sports drinks and alcohol. Drink half your body weight in
ounces every day. This is further substantiated in one of my previous articles,
http://envmagazine.org/?p=1180, Soda is a No No, Water is a Go Go! By
drinking water you will help rid the body of excess toxins, clean the intestines
and improve absorption of nutrients. Water is used by the liver to metabolize
fat into useable energy. Stay Hydrated! This is an excellent start to successful
weight loss.
Step # 3 is Exercise. You’ve got to keep your metabolism active. I have
found exercise to be instrumental in losing weight successfully, and the more
you keep a consistent exercise schedule, the easier it will be to maintain your
weight. Stop making excuses and do it! Choose a workout that works best for
you. Running, jogging, walking, swimming, biking, yoga, palates, tennis
etc…Whatever you do, MOVE! For more in depth information, read my
previous article, Exercise – The True Fountain of youth. Click on
http://envmagazine.org/?p=1687
Step #4, Incorporate more Fruits and Vegetables into your diet. There are
thousands of vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants in fruits and vegetables.
They are a pure, unprocessed food source with a 90% content of water, and
have enough nutrition to sustain life. They are so good for you, and contain
benefits that can literally save your life! Fruits are best digested when eaten
on an empty stomach. Eating fruits first thing in the morning works well when
trying to lose weight or maintain your weight. Try a bowl of melon or berries,
½ a grapefruit, or fruit shake. Whatever you do, Don’t skip breakfast! An
apple, pear, mixed berries etc…works well as an in between snack. Be sure
not to skip meals, and try your best to eat dinner before 7:00 pm. Salads are
the best way to incorporate an array of vegetables. Eat a rainbow of colors.
There are all sorts of different benefits from eating a variety, but, watch your
dressings! Creamy, fatty, cheesy dressings may taste good, but will prevent
you from losing weight because of the high calories and fat content. Stick to a
pure virgin olive oil and or vinegar, (balsamic, red wine, or apple cider).
Eating a larger quantity of vegetables and a smaller portion of meat, (fish,
turkey, chicken), will fill you up and aid in the weight loss process. You can
eat red meat 1 or 2 times a week, but make sure that it is lean, grass fed or
organic. All sorts of beans are a great source of protein and nutrition. Slightly
cooked vegetables or steamed are acceptable. Remember, you want to lose
weight, but you also want the nutritional value. Fruits and vegetables are also
naturally high in fiber. The consumption of high fiber foods contributes
greatly to an individuals ability to achieve and maintain optimal weight. Fiber
is also found in grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. There is NO fiber in animal
foods. A high fiber diet keeps bowel movements regular and soft. An
appropriate amount of fiber in the diet can:
* Reduce the risk of Heart Disease
* Lower Blood Cholesterol
* Satisfy hunger longer
* Keep blood sugar levels balanced by slowing down
carbohydrate absorption
The average American consumes approximately 17 grams of fiber per day.
The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) is 25 grams. Most Nutritionists
recommend a daily consumption of 35 grams. But, in countries where cancer
and heart disease rates are very low, fiber exceeds 45 grams per day.
Many people eat only 1 or 2 meals a day. It is far better to eat several smaller
meals throughout the day. Not feeding your body consistently throughout the
day, can cause your blood sugar to drop and your energy to decrease. Eating
several meals can keep you from over eating.
If you can successfully implement steps 1 – 4, you can definitely accomplish
step #5. You may find this step to be the most challenging, I did, but once you
master it, not only will you see the pounds come off, you will feel lighter, less
bloated, have better digestion and be healthier overall.
Step #5, Cut out ALL white foods; Sugar, Flour, Dairy, Potatoes, Rice.
Once you’ve reached you’re ideal weight, you can add them back, but in
moderation. Sugar has been proven to be addictive, and consuming large
amounts, promotes weight gain and depresses the immune system. According
to one study, 100 grams of sugar (the equivalent of a 5 oz chocolate bar and
soft drink) can suppress the immune system for up to 6 hours. DO NOT
substitute artificial sweeteners for sugar. They are detrimental to one’s health.
Honey, molasses and fructose in their natural state are good ingredients.
Flour, bleached and enriched flour is not a whole grain. It has been processed
and chemically treated with virtually all of the nutritive value removed.
Products containing bleached and enriched flour (most breads, cookies,
crackers, cereals, pasta, desserts, etc..) act like simple sugars in the body, in
that they cause blood glucose levels to rise quickly, triggering production of
insulin. Look for whole grains as ingredients, such as, oats, oat flour, millet,
whole spelt flour, barley, quinoa or whole rye.
Dairy is an entire article within itself. I will be discussing dairy in depth next
month, but for now, just know that if you want to lose weight and be
healthier, you are better off cutting dairy out of your diet. It is gas forming,
creates mucus and bloating, as well as being a major contributor to
degenerative disease, as proven in many studies and research. We are the only
mammals that drink milk into adulthood. Cows milk is to nurture a baby calf
into a full grown cow. Today you can substitute cows milk with unsweetened
Almond Milk or Rice Milk. White Potatoes and White Rice are not good
choices when you are in the process of losing weight. They convert to sugar
quickly and get stored as fat because they are starches which does not
disseminate quickly through the body’s system. Better choices are sweet
potatoes and brown rice. Do not deprive yourself of the good carbohydrates.
They help fill you up and satisfy your hunger.
Let’s recap The 5 Steps to Successful Weight Loss and Good Health;
1) A Strong, Positive Mind Set
2) Make Water Your #1 Drink
3) Exercise
4) More Fruits and Vegetables
5) No White Foods; Sugar, Flour, Dairy, Potatoes and Rice
The bottom line is that these steps depend on you and you alone. No one can
do them for you. Get your mind set for success. The results are totally worth
it! You will feel better about yourself, be more energetic, significantly reduce
your incidents of illness and disease, and have a healthier existence.
Stop putting it off and start taking it off!!!