A friend of mine recently forwarded this article to me. I have heard of Donna Gates and the Body Ecology Diet through the years and find it interesting how all of our messages are the same. In this article Donna points out some essential points to obtaining optimal health that I feel are worth sharing. In addition, she discusses the need for internal cleansing, which ties directly into my work and dedication to educating people on its vital importance. Enjoy.
Beyond Dieting: How to Eat for Health & Vitality
by Dr. Darren R. Weissman for www.InfiniteLoveandGratitude.com
In today's article, I'm going to talk about thesecond of the Five Basics for Optimal Health: Food
If you think about the concept of "eating healthy," what comes to mind? For a lot of people, it means going on a diet. But more and more evidence is showing that diets don't work and in fact, they often create a vicious cycle of yo-yo weight loss and weight gain. On top of that, going on a diet is often all about calories, and not about how to truly nourish your body.
To Diet or Not to Diet
The quantity, quality, and frequency of what you eat is critical to your health. So where do you begin, when you want to start a healthy eating program? First, I encourage you to reframe the concept of weight loss to nourishment. Since the standard American diet (SAD) consists largely of high sugar foods and processed foods, we've lost the concept of which foods are truly nourishing for our bodies. In fact, most people today are experiencing symptoms of poor digestive health, like gas, bloating, indigestion, candida, constipation, and abdominal pain. When clients come into my office with these symptoms, I use The LifeLine TechniqueTM to help them release subconscious suppressed emotions that are causing those symptoms. What makes The LifeLine TechniqueTM come alive is when I teach my clients The Five Basics for Optimal Health, one of which is food. No matter what symptoms you may experience -- and even if you are in good health -- focusing on a healthy eating plan is key for feeling your best. Over the years, I have had the privilege of studying many systems of health and healing and the one that I've found the most beneficial is the Body Ecology Diet, created by Donna Gates. What I love about the Body Ecology diet is that it's not really a "diet," but a system of eating that helps your body heal. The list of conditions Body Ecology has been known to help is long: abdominal pain, indigestion, food allergies, candida, MS, autism, Alzheimer's, chronic fatigue, and more.
According to Donna, the inner workings of your digestive tract can be thought of as your "inner ecosystem." When I asked Donna to describe the inner ecosystem, she said, "Just like the Earth has ecosystems full of organisms responsible for harmony and balance, our bodies follow suit. Inside your intestines are colonies of bacteria and yeast, both good and bad. The key is to have enough of the good guys to keep the bad guys from overpowering your intestines and setting you up for illness and disease." Donna and I both teach that good digestive health is key for feeling your best. It is your digestive system that breaks down and extracts the nutrients your body needs to heal, to regenerate and to thrive. Yet we've gone off track with nutrition and it's become largely about convenience.
Body Ecology actually teaches us to reconnect with nature and with traditional, whole foods and ways of eating. Donna often says, "while we may be living longer today, we are not necessarily living better. In fact, our ancestors were often more hardy and energetic than we are today." It's not all about our genes either. To learn more about how your subconscious mind and emotions play a role, read my interview with Dr. Bruce Lipton. So while we know your subconscious mind and emotions play a role in your best health, Donna Gates teaches us how food plays a role as well.
How Body Ecology Contributes to Your Best Health
The Body Ecology program is a system of eating whole foods that can work whether you eat meat, are vegetarian, or follow the raw food diet. This means you have plenty of options in how you follow Body Ecology.
The Key is Body Ecology's 7 Principles for Healthy Eating:
The Principle of Balance - is based on the concept of yin and yang, the opposing energy forces from ancient Chinese and Japanese traditions. Body Ecology uses the terms expansion and contraction to explain the yin and yang energy of the food you eat. Let's use sugar as an example for an expansive food. It absorbs into your blood stream very quickly and produces energy, giving you a temporarily open and relaxed feeling. With sugar, however, it is damaging because it is too expansive and therefore, not balanced. This is why many people have a sugar high and then a crash. Salt is an example of a contractive food. When you eat contractive foods, they may make your body feel tight and constricted. This is why many people don't feel well after eating too much salt. It makes your body hold on to water, for example. When you eat too much sugar, you may crave salt or when you eat too much salt, you may crave sugar. This is your body seeking a balance between expansive and contractive foods in the form of cravings.
The Principle of Acid and Alkaline - to maintain health, your blood must be slightly alkaline. The foods we eat and the lifestyle choices we make impact our body's ability to maintain that alkaline state. Stress, prescription and over-the-counter drugs, coffee, sugar, and processed foods make your blood more acidic. Body Ecology teaches you the foods and lifestyle habits that help keep your blood more alkaline.
The Principle of Cleansing - your body cleanses everyday through sweat, tears, elimination, and urine. These are ways you rid your body of toxins. Even illness can be a symptom of detoxification. And anyone who has experienced The LifeLine TechniqueTM understands that we detoxify emotionally as well. Cleansing and detoxification are critical for feeling your best and Body Ecology teaches how to cleanse with nutrition and lifestyle habits. In fact, you can really support your LifeLine TechniqueTM session with Body Ecology to help your body detoxify. Emotional detoxification often brings physical detoxification, so they work hand in hand.
The Principle of Food Combining - your digestive system has many different enzymes that digest different types of foods. If you eat protein with grains or starchy foods (think of the standard meat and potatoes meal), for example, you create a burden on your digestive system. This can lead to slowed or impaired digestion, causing the food to ferment in your stomach or toxins to be released in your intestines. It is these types of conditions that make your body more attractive to pathogens and can lead to imbalance in the body that fosters illness or weight gain.
The Principle of 80/20 - this principle says to eat until you are 80% full and leave 20% capacity for digestion. This principle also says that in every meal, 80% of your plate should be vegetables and 20% should be either animal protein or grains.
The Principle of Step-by-Step - we often overdo things and want to master a new habit in too short a time. Instead of taking on too much and feeling overwhelmed, take one thing at a time and go at your own pace. For example, a great place to start is by reducing or eliminating sugar. Get used to that and then add something else!
The Principle of Uniqueness - you are like no one else and your body responds to emotions and food like no one else. It's important to listen to your body and follow your own inner guidance.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Control Those Cravings
I saw this article today and wanted to pass it along... I have added some comments under some paragraphs in italic... Happy New Year...
Control Your Cravings
The key to weight loss that lasts past the Chinese New Year is kicking those stubborn little urges to the curb.
By Adam Campbell, Women's Health More on this in Health & Fitness
Nobody likes a nag. But try telling that to the bag of snack-size Snickers bars that won't stop calling your name, or the oh-so-salty French fries that keep pummeling your willpower. A craving is like a little devil, constantly encouraging you to indulge. And dieting only turns up the pressure: A study published in the International Journal of Obesity found that 91 percent of women reported experiencing food cravings when they weren't on a diet; once they started restricting calories, that figure went up to 94 percent. And we all know that giving in to urges is a ticket to nothing-in-my-closet-fits hell.
Not only that, but it discourages us and leads to a lot of negative self talk.
The good news is that, unlike, say, your mom's constant probing about grandkids, these unhealthy tormentors can be fended off. The reason: Cravings are all about blood sugar. If your levels stay consistent throughout the day, your eating patterns will too. It's when you starve yourself for hours that cravings call. "Your blood sugar can fall too low after just four hours of not eating," says Valerie Berkowitz, M.S., R.D., director of nutrition at the Center for Balanced Health in New York City. So you search the fridge, the food court, even the seat cushions for simple carbohydrates that will give you a quick boost. Trouble is, the resulting blood sugar spike triggers your pancreas to release insulin, a hormone that not only lowers blood sugar but also signals your body to run through the craving cycle over and over. In about half of us, insulin tends to overshoot—that's what sends blood sugar crashing. "This reinforces the binge because it makes you crave sugar and starch again," Berkowitz says. In other words, giving in to a carb craving only leaves you wanting more.
I have also found that adding good quality flax oil to my foods or smoothies helps keep my blood sugars nice and steady... 2 tbsp a day is what I currently use. I often will put ground flax seeds into my salads, on top of fruit or in oatmeals or cereals as well.
So how do you stop yourself from reaching for that Snickers? By following these seven steps designed to stop 99 percent of cravings before they start—and help you muzzle the 1 percent that never seem to shut up.
1. Ramp up your resolve One reason most diets fail is that long-term goals can be deceptively difficult: When the plan is to watch what you eat for the next six months, chugging one caramel latte with whipped cream seems like a minor slip. To avoid that kind of thinking, commit to eating well for a fixed amount of time that you're 100 percent confident you can manage, even if it's just a few days. "Once you make it to your goal date, start over," says Mary Vernon, M.D., chair of the board of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians. "This establishes the notion that you can be successful and gives you a chance to notice that eating better makes you feel better, reinforcing your desire to continue."
I personally follow an 80/20 plan. All week I eat clean foods and pick a Saturday, Sunday or sometimes both days to indulge in something I want. But on Monday, I am back at it with my smoothies. I am a huge fan of smoothies and juices.
2. Find meaningful motivation If the main purpose of your diet is cosmetic—i.e., to look amazing in boy shorts—you're unlikely to stick with it for the long haul. The solution: "Arm yourself with additional motivators," says Jeff Volek, Ph.D., R.D., of the University of Connecticut. He suggests keeping a daily journal in which you monitor migraines, heartburn, acne, canker sores, and sleep quality in addition to body measurements and the number on the scale. "Discovering that your new diet improves the quality of your life and health is powerful motivation," Volek says.
Amen on this one. Focus on how good you will feel because you will if you stick to this...
3. Move on after a mistake Okay, you overindulged. What's the next step? "Forget about it," says James Newman, a nutritionist at Tahlequah City Hospital, in Tahlequah, Okla., who followed his own advice to shed 300 pounds. (That's right, three hundred.) "One meal doesn't define your diet, so don't assume that you've failed or fallen off the wagon," he says. Institute a simple rule: Follow any "cheat" meal with at least five healthy meals and snacks. That ensures that you'll be eating right more than 80 percent of the time.
Kiss it, bless it and move on. Your diet should not consume you- you are human- just try and be aware of what situations or events trigger you to want to eat poorly. Avoid those situations if possible or replace your old habits with new ones...
4. Roll out of bed and into the kitchen Sure, you've heard this advice before. But consider that if you sleep for six to eight hours and then skip breakfast, your body is essentially running on fumes by the time you get to work. And that sends you desperately seeking sugar, which is usually pretty easy to find. The most convenient foods are typically packed with sugar (doughnuts, lattes) or other quickly digested carbohydrates (McMuffins, cinnamon buns). Which brings us to our next strategy.
5. Restock your shelves How many times have you driven to the store in the middle of the night to satisfy a craving? Probably not nearly as often as you've raided the fridge. You're more likely to give in to a craving when the object you desire is close at hand. So make sure it's not: Toss the junk food and restock your cupboard and fridge with almonds and other nuts, cheese, fruit and vegetables, and canned tuna, chicken and salmon. And do the same at work. "By eliminating snacks that don't match your diet and providing plenty that do, you're far less likely to find yourself at the doughnut-shop drive-thru or the vending machine," says Christopher Mohr, Ph.D., R.D., president of Mohr Results, a fitness and nutrition consulting firm in Louisville, Ky.
Part of my work is to help others find better options for the foods we all love or once loved. If you are struggling with finding better choices at the grocery store or confused about what is good and what is not, let me know. I am happy to come out and go through the store with you or help restock those shelves of yours...
6. Think like a biochemist Cookies made with organic cane juice might sound like something your yoga teacher would eat, but they won't help her fit into her Lycra pants. Junk food by any other name is still junk. Ditto for lots of "health foods" in the granola aisle. "Natural" sweeteners like honey raise blood sugar just like the white stuff. "If you're going to eat cookies, accept that you're deviating from your plan, and then revert to your diet afterward," Berkowitz says. Kidding yourself will only get you into trouble.
Very true. Just because it is in a natural foods grocery store like Whole Foods doesn't mean it is good for you. HOWEVER, I would rather you start buying these more natural food items since most of them do not have artificial colors or flavorings or trans fats. I would much rather have Anne's Naturals Cheddar Bunnies for my kids then the Cheezy Puffs you get at the gas station or regular grocery store.
7. Spot hunger impostors Have a craving for sweets even though you ate just an hour ago? Imagine sitting down to a large, sizzling steak instead. "If you're truly hungry, the steak will sound good, and you should eat," says Richard Feinman, Ph.D., a professor of biochemistry at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. "If it doesn't sound good, your brain is playing tricks on you." His advice: Change your environment, which can be as easy as stretching at your desk or turning your attention to a different task.
That is the first time I heard that one. In addition, I have also read that if you crave sugar shortly after a meal, it may have not contained enough protein and too much carbohydrate. See if you can balance out those meals. And by the way, protein does not always have to come from an animal source!!
Control Your Cravings
The key to weight loss that lasts past the Chinese New Year is kicking those stubborn little urges to the curb.
By Adam Campbell, Women's Health More on this in Health & Fitness
Nobody likes a nag. But try telling that to the bag of snack-size Snickers bars that won't stop calling your name, or the oh-so-salty French fries that keep pummeling your willpower. A craving is like a little devil, constantly encouraging you to indulge. And dieting only turns up the pressure: A study published in the International Journal of Obesity found that 91 percent of women reported experiencing food cravings when they weren't on a diet; once they started restricting calories, that figure went up to 94 percent. And we all know that giving in to urges is a ticket to nothing-in-my-closet-fits hell.
Not only that, but it discourages us and leads to a lot of negative self talk.
The good news is that, unlike, say, your mom's constant probing about grandkids, these unhealthy tormentors can be fended off. The reason: Cravings are all about blood sugar. If your levels stay consistent throughout the day, your eating patterns will too. It's when you starve yourself for hours that cravings call. "Your blood sugar can fall too low after just four hours of not eating," says Valerie Berkowitz, M.S., R.D., director of nutrition at the Center for Balanced Health in New York City. So you search the fridge, the food court, even the seat cushions for simple carbohydrates that will give you a quick boost. Trouble is, the resulting blood sugar spike triggers your pancreas to release insulin, a hormone that not only lowers blood sugar but also signals your body to run through the craving cycle over and over. In about half of us, insulin tends to overshoot—that's what sends blood sugar crashing. "This reinforces the binge because it makes you crave sugar and starch again," Berkowitz says. In other words, giving in to a carb craving only leaves you wanting more.
I have also found that adding good quality flax oil to my foods or smoothies helps keep my blood sugars nice and steady... 2 tbsp a day is what I currently use. I often will put ground flax seeds into my salads, on top of fruit or in oatmeals or cereals as well.
So how do you stop yourself from reaching for that Snickers? By following these seven steps designed to stop 99 percent of cravings before they start—and help you muzzle the 1 percent that never seem to shut up.
1. Ramp up your resolve One reason most diets fail is that long-term goals can be deceptively difficult: When the plan is to watch what you eat for the next six months, chugging one caramel latte with whipped cream seems like a minor slip. To avoid that kind of thinking, commit to eating well for a fixed amount of time that you're 100 percent confident you can manage, even if it's just a few days. "Once you make it to your goal date, start over," says Mary Vernon, M.D., chair of the board of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians. "This establishes the notion that you can be successful and gives you a chance to notice that eating better makes you feel better, reinforcing your desire to continue."
I personally follow an 80/20 plan. All week I eat clean foods and pick a Saturday, Sunday or sometimes both days to indulge in something I want. But on Monday, I am back at it with my smoothies. I am a huge fan of smoothies and juices.
2. Find meaningful motivation If the main purpose of your diet is cosmetic—i.e., to look amazing in boy shorts—you're unlikely to stick with it for the long haul. The solution: "Arm yourself with additional motivators," says Jeff Volek, Ph.D., R.D., of the University of Connecticut. He suggests keeping a daily journal in which you monitor migraines, heartburn, acne, canker sores, and sleep quality in addition to body measurements and the number on the scale. "Discovering that your new diet improves the quality of your life and health is powerful motivation," Volek says.
Amen on this one. Focus on how good you will feel because you will if you stick to this...
3. Move on after a mistake Okay, you overindulged. What's the next step? "Forget about it," says James Newman, a nutritionist at Tahlequah City Hospital, in Tahlequah, Okla., who followed his own advice to shed 300 pounds. (That's right, three hundred.) "One meal doesn't define your diet, so don't assume that you've failed or fallen off the wagon," he says. Institute a simple rule: Follow any "cheat" meal with at least five healthy meals and snacks. That ensures that you'll be eating right more than 80 percent of the time.
Kiss it, bless it and move on. Your diet should not consume you- you are human- just try and be aware of what situations or events trigger you to want to eat poorly. Avoid those situations if possible or replace your old habits with new ones...
4. Roll out of bed and into the kitchen Sure, you've heard this advice before. But consider that if you sleep for six to eight hours and then skip breakfast, your body is essentially running on fumes by the time you get to work. And that sends you desperately seeking sugar, which is usually pretty easy to find. The most convenient foods are typically packed with sugar (doughnuts, lattes) or other quickly digested carbohydrates (McMuffins, cinnamon buns). Which brings us to our next strategy.
5. Restock your shelves How many times have you driven to the store in the middle of the night to satisfy a craving? Probably not nearly as often as you've raided the fridge. You're more likely to give in to a craving when the object you desire is close at hand. So make sure it's not: Toss the junk food and restock your cupboard and fridge with almonds and other nuts, cheese, fruit and vegetables, and canned tuna, chicken and salmon. And do the same at work. "By eliminating snacks that don't match your diet and providing plenty that do, you're far less likely to find yourself at the doughnut-shop drive-thru or the vending machine," says Christopher Mohr, Ph.D., R.D., president of Mohr Results, a fitness and nutrition consulting firm in Louisville, Ky.
Part of my work is to help others find better options for the foods we all love or once loved. If you are struggling with finding better choices at the grocery store or confused about what is good and what is not, let me know. I am happy to come out and go through the store with you or help restock those shelves of yours...
6. Think like a biochemist Cookies made with organic cane juice might sound like something your yoga teacher would eat, but they won't help her fit into her Lycra pants. Junk food by any other name is still junk. Ditto for lots of "health foods" in the granola aisle. "Natural" sweeteners like honey raise blood sugar just like the white stuff. "If you're going to eat cookies, accept that you're deviating from your plan, and then revert to your diet afterward," Berkowitz says. Kidding yourself will only get you into trouble.
Very true. Just because it is in a natural foods grocery store like Whole Foods doesn't mean it is good for you. HOWEVER, I would rather you start buying these more natural food items since most of them do not have artificial colors or flavorings or trans fats. I would much rather have Anne's Naturals Cheddar Bunnies for my kids then the Cheezy Puffs you get at the gas station or regular grocery store.
7. Spot hunger impostors Have a craving for sweets even though you ate just an hour ago? Imagine sitting down to a large, sizzling steak instead. "If you're truly hungry, the steak will sound good, and you should eat," says Richard Feinman, Ph.D., a professor of biochemistry at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. "If it doesn't sound good, your brain is playing tricks on you." His advice: Change your environment, which can be as easy as stretching at your desk or turning your attention to a different task.
That is the first time I heard that one. In addition, I have also read that if you crave sugar shortly after a meal, it may have not contained enough protein and too much carbohydrate. See if you can balance out those meals. And by the way, protein does not always have to come from an animal source!!
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