Fad diets... or not so fad...

As a Clinical Nutritionist, a lot of my time is spent reading about different fad diets.  It is amazing how much of my time goes on reading about diets such as:

The Cabbage Soup Diet
The Peach Diet
The Air Diet (yes, this really does exist and consists of not eating anything but air... I won't go into that one).
The Paleo Diet
Vegan
Vegetarian
5:2 or Fast Diet
Low Carb
High Carb
The Dukan Diet
The Atkins Diet
Gluten Free

And so the list goes on... and on...

The science behind some of them is actually good, for example the 5:2 or Fast Diet that I have written about before, is a great anti-aging diet that reduces the production of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), by reducing the production of this hormone your body is able to concentrate on repairing itself instead of concentrating on multiplying cells continuously.  You can read more about it here.

The thing is that a lot of the problem with fad diets (and where they get their bad name from) is that people don't understand what they are doing.  How many times have you noticed a colleague at work has lost weight and you ask them how.  The answer you get tends to be a very abbreviated account of the diet they are on...

"I'm on the Dukan Diet where you only eat meat on one day and vegetables with meat the next and you alternate days like this."

So off you go and start eating meat and meat and vegetables on alternate days and end up with a whole host of health problems.  Mainly because your colleague didn't go into detail about the need for fibre or when you can and should introduce fruit, or the need for exercise and drinking lots of water... I'm not endorsing the Dukan Diet here, but if people actually took the time to understand what they are embarking on and how to do it correctly then there might not be so many problems.

Even the Paleo Diet, which is getting back to basics and only eating natural unprocessed foods and avoiding modern foods such as bread, pasta, cereal and dairy produce, gets a bashing from the British Dietetic Association (BDA).  This Association warns that by avoiding all dairy produce could leave people with dangerously low levels of calcium and weaken their bones.  I beg to differ... but only if those on the Paleo Diet do it properly.  It is a known fact that milk produce does not provide calcium for bones because of one simple bodily mechanism.  When you consume milk produce it produces a acid state in the body... something the body hates, it much prefers to be alkaline, so the body leeches calcium from the bones to lower the level of acidity in the body.  So, if you want to make sure you have enough calcium while on the Paleo Diet then you need to make sure you are getting enough leafy green vegetables, broccoli, fruit, and raw almonds.  Mother nature provides us with everything we need and she certainly didn't expect us to be guzzling milk by the gallon after weaning.

I have never been a fan of restrictive dieting, where entire food groups are eliminated (except milk produce).  Going gluten free is not a good thing unless you have Celiac Disease.  Whole grain cereals proved lots of vitamins (especially from the B group), minerals and fibre.  So keep bread as whole grain as possible and eat in moderation, you really don't need carbs with every meal.  Any type of processed flour such as pasta, white bread, doughnuts, white rice, white flour has been stripped of any "good things" it may have had to start with.  Most of the vitamins are found in the husks, when wheat is refined the husks are eliminated and bang goes the goodness.  So if and when you have carbs make sure they are whole grain - and that means brown rice, brown pasta, etc...

There is also an extremely wide range of gluten free produce, which means Celiacs have a much easier time of things nowadays, but take a look at the ingredients on some of those gluten free products.  Gluten free CAKE is still CAKE with all the sugar and fat a normal cake would have!!!

Atkins has taken a beating over the years because it is high in saturated fat... but then recent studies have proved that saturated fat isn't a problem and the rise in heart disease is due to vegetable fats such as margarines high in trans fats.

Vegans and vegetarians are just as much at risk as those on the Paleo Diet...

"I don't eat animal produce... none at all."

Ok, I can understand and respect that, but are you getting all the proteins your body needs to repair itself?  Are your children vegans because that's what you believe is healthy?  Ok, no problem, but are
they getting all the protein they need to grow and develop?  There is BIG science behind different diets.  Removing animal products as a source of proteins means you have to replace them with something else.  Plant proteins exist and very good ones too; legumes (chick peas, peas, lentils), quinoa, nuts, Tempeh and Tofu, leafy greens, hemp, chia seeds, sesame, sunflower and poppy seeds.... and so the list goes on.  Being vegetarian or vegan means making sure you are getting everything your body needs.... Hey!  Oreo cookies are vegan but they sure as hell aren't healthy!!!

Restricting certain foods to certain times of day also promotes bingeing.  According to the BDA, Beyoncé is on the "vegan before 6" diet which means only vegan food before 6pm and then you can eat what you like after that... um... well... that would probably make me binge too.

So, think rationally.  As humans we are omnivores.  Our bodies were built to eat fruit, vegetables, nuts and meat (all kinds).  Now, I do respect those who choose a meat free existence as long as they get everything their bodies need, but if you eat sensibly, lots of vegetables, fruit and moderate amount of meat/ fish, etc.., keeping refined foods to a minimum, you really can't go wrong.

So, what ever diet you decide you want to tackle after Christmas... please, make sure you read up on it, that you investigate it fully and that you completely understand what you are doing and that you are covering all your bases.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Shock yourself slim

There are many many activity trackers on the market; the Up Band, Withings, FitBit, etc.. But now there is one that will literally shock you into new habits!

The Pavlok wrist band uses a form of electric shock therapy to motivate you into the development of good habits.  It is branded as a "personal coach on your wrist" and can even be used to help stop mindless eating.

The band can be activated manually or automatically and the idea behind it is that the two milliampere shock will condition users to develop and stick to good habits by associating the bad habits with the uncomfortable yet effective shock.

Pavlok has been created by Maneesh Sethi who got his inspiration for the band from Pavlov's famous classical conditioning experiment where dogs were trained to expect food each time a bell rang.

"By adding a shock while you eat, you train your lizard brain to associate the act of eating (or the type of food) with the shock - and it can effectively limit the drive for mindless eating that you normally have," Sethi told The Dot.

EJ Dickinson, journalist for The Dot, tried out the wristband on Thanksgiving:

"It felt like someone was plucking out my arm hair with a pair of pincers," Dickinson wrote.

The device is meant to be painless, the shock just to give you a gentle reminder but Dickinson didn't agree.  However, he did say that, "It makes you ask yourself, wait, why am I hungry again?"  But he also admitted that the wristband was at least somewhat effective because "I was more than able to button each button on my pants."

According to the Pavlok website, the band helps to transform wearers and promotes change.  You can use it to change old habits or acquire new ones, it isn't just a way of stopping you eating.

"Choose your daily action, and Pavlok will hold you accountable, ensuring lasting success." the web states.

"It's not about the shock as much as it is about training your brain to do the things you say you're going to do," Sethi said, stating that negative reinforcement "really does make people pay attention."

On the web, information isn't very clear, but it says that the band also creates community and if you don't reach your goals you may even get shocked by a fellow user.  However, there is also a reward scheme for those who do reach their goals.

"Through our proprietary negative and positive reinforcement technique, Pavlok doesn't simply nudge someone to change their behavior - it pushes them to transform themselves and form the habit to maintain their transformation."

Maybe it is the key for people who are lacking enough willpower to reach their goals, it may seem a bit extreme but if it works... then why not?

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

The Coca-Cola Experiment

By now, you should all know the perils of drinking too many soft drinks... if any at all.  The amount of sugar contained in drinks such as Coca-Cola is astronomical, and the diet versions aren't much healthier because of the sweeteners in them.

To prove this point, George Prior, a 50 year old entrepreneur from Los Angeles decided to see what would happen if he drank 10 cans of Coke a day for a month.  Before starting on this experiment, George was fit and healthy and weighed 12 stone (76 kg).

After the 30 day trial his stats were way different:  His normally healthy physique turned into a protruding pot belly and his weight went from 12 stone (76 kg) to 14 stone (88.9 kg), that's a 2 stone gain in just 30 days!  But that wasn't all; his blood pressure soared from 129/77 to 145/96 - the ideal level for blood pressure is 120/80 above this level the risk of heart disease or stroke is greatly increased.

Yet again is wasn't just the physical transformation that worried him, he feared he was becoming addicted to Coke after he experienced intense cravings.  Mr. Prior tried to maintain his normal Paleo diet which is a low carbohydrate diet which promotes eating lean meats, vegetables and nuts and berries, but he experienced severe sugar cravings that he found difficult to ignore.

"The most dramatic change was in weight: 23lb (10.4 kg) of gain over 30 days," he said, "I also seemed to develop a craving for Cokes, or other sugars, during the time I was drinking Cokes.  I'm urging people to examine the amount of sugar in their diets.  People need to be aware of the real and powerful damaging effects of sugar on their health."

Before (Left) and After (Right)

He also found that he felt full all the time and had to force himself to drink all 10 Cokes every day, he said he did the experiment in order to stir up debate and to get people talking about how much sugar they are actually consuming and how unhealthy it is.

"I would prefer not to do it again," he commented, "I don't like being this heavy."

After finishing his experiment Mr. Prior lost 5 lb (2.2 kg) in just four days.

A regular can of Coke contains 35g of sugar, the equivalent of 7 cubes of sugar.  In March, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for the recommended daily allowance of sugar to be reduced from 50g to 25 g, or from 10 to five cubes a day.  So just ONE can of Coke is more than the recommended daily allowance.

Experts warn that soft drinks contain sugar but have no nutritional value whatsoever, and Mr. Prior said that he found it hard to eat as much food because the Coke left him feeling full at lunch and dinner.  Experts also warn that soft drinks are fueling the obesity epidemic and, consequently, other serious diseases including cancer, heart disease and stroke.

New York assemblyman, Karim Camara has called for sugar-laden beverages to carry warning labels similar to those found on cigarette packets, he said that soft drinks "are the new smoking".

The general public often doesn't realize just how much sugar they consume as most of it is in a liquid form.  Soft drinks and fruit juices are basically just liquid sugar and should be consumed in moderation.  Children should not be allowed these types of drinks even though most parents deem juices to be "healthy", when really they are just flavored sugar.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Mindless Eaters

The truth is we eat too much.  Not only do we generally eat the wrong types of food as in too many carbs, too many refined and processed foods, and too much junk food... But we also eat too much quantity. 

I have spoken before about eating mindfully, but this actually goes beyond that. Brian Wansink, PhD And author of "Mindless Eating and why we eat more than we think", has spent years studying human behavior in relation to food.

It turns out we generally eat more than we need just because it is there.  Certain situations mean there is no end to what we can eat and most of us could not quantify what we have just eaten if asked.  A lot has to do with our surroundings, where we were at the time of eating, what we were doing whilst eating, and what our brains perceived about what we were eating. 

Here are several examples:

Cinema goers were given stale popcorn, some in medium sized containers and others in large sized containers. The popcorn was free for all those who went to a certain showing of a certain movie on a certain day and ate certain time, every attendee had their own popcorn, no-one had to share.  At the end of the movie the leftovers were collected and weighed.  Even though the popcorn was stale, the attendees still ate it, with those with the large containers eating the most... If it's there it will be eaten.

A restaurant was divided into two.  Diners  on the right hand side of the restaurant were given a complimentary bottle of California wine from a "new" winery. Those on the left were given the same wine but with a different label on the bottle stating it was from a new winery in North Dakota.  No one has ever heard of wine coming from North Dakota (no-one produces wine in North Dakota).  At the end of the meal more wine from the fictitious North Dakota winery was left over and when questioned diners said that they didn't like the wine that much.  Those on the right hand side of the restaurant, tool longer to finish their meal and lingered over their wine from California, enjoying their after dinner conversation.

Another trial was done to assess how much we eat if we can gauge the amount.  I'll explain; when we sit in a restaurant or at any table for that matter we cannot gauge how much we have eaten if we cannot see any left overs. For example, if you eat all your burger and fries there is nothing visibly left to prove you've eaten, however, if you eat chicken wings or something similar with bones that leave a trace... Then it is easier to gauge how much you have eaten.  Several college students were invited to watch a Super Bowl game at a bar and were offered free chicken wings and soft drinks while the game lasted.  The waitresses were told to only clear half the tables during the game.  On every table there was a bowl in the middle for the students to pile up their chicken bones.  The waitresses regularly cleared the bone bowl on half of the tables, but didn't change the bowls at all on the remaining half of the tables.  By the end of the game the students who didn't have clean tables had eaten 28% less chicken wings as than those with the clean tables.

You see, most days we aren't even aware of how much we have eaten.  But that isn't the only problem, because of this lack of awareness we also eat too much food.   This mindless eating, at the movies, at our desks, in front of the TV, means we just keep eating until our stomachs are full.  Is being full necessary or could we stop sooner?  The Japanese have a saying for this:  hara hachi bu—eating until you’re just 80 percent full. 

It takes 20 minutes for our brains to register we are full, so if you stop when you've had enough instead of when you can't eat anymore then you will be doing yourself a favor. It would be very easy for people to manage their weight if they thought about their food before actually eating it.  Am I hungry?  Do I really need to eat this?  Have I eaten enough?

Quite often I hear of people  who have lost weight by reducing the size of the plate they eat from.  A smaller plate filled with food is more satisfying than a large plate with a small amount of food on it.  The person believes he or she has eaten a large portion of food because the plate was full.  If you eat the same amount from a large plate you'll tell yourself you can't have had enough to eat because the amount was so small.

Other people are capable of losing weight without even realizing how they did it just because we don't contemplate a lot of our choices.  One woman lost weight after giving up caffeine and switching to herbal teas and lost 20lbs in 2 years... All she had seemingly done was to give up caffeine, so why the weight loss? When questioned about this she didn't know why either until she realized that in giving up caffeine she had also given up drinking sodas... Less sugar, less weight.

There is so much we can do for ourselves and our weight management just by being more mindful of what we are eating and drinking and the way we feel.  When you serve your food, try putting a little less on the plate or use a smaller plate.  Ask yourself if you are no longer hungry during a meal instead of waiting for the full feeling, or mindlessly finishing everything on your plate.  Be more considerate to yourself, your body will thank you for it.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com