Dr. Jonny Bowden

Tag: healthy eating

  • Slowing Down to Eat Reduces Your Diabetes Risk

    Slowing Down to Eat Reduces Your Diabetes Risk

    If you want to reduce your risk for diabetes, slow down.

    That’s what a new study presented at the joint International Congress of Endocrinology and European Congress of Endocrinology concluded.

    People who mindlessly devoured their food in this study were two and a half times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared with those who slowly savored what they ate.

    Researchers here compared 234 people recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes with 468 people without diabetes. Besides taking body measurements, they asked participants to complete a questionnaire about diabetes risk factors. Among those questions included how quickly they ate compared with their dining companions.

    Other than increased diabetes risk, people who ate faster had a higher body mass index (BMI).

    Are you seeing a pattern here?

    I’m willing to wager too the speed eaters weren’t eating wild salmon and broccoli. More likely, they were devouring In-N-Out burgers and milkshakes.

    Diabetes studies come out all the time. This one proves significant because it was the first to show how quickly you eat can determine whether you’ll develop this chronic – and in my opinion, completely reversible – disease.

    Experts often look for oversimplified culprits for diabetes, including higher consumption of high-fructose corn syrup HFCS), lack of exercise, and the ubiquitous fat-salt-sugar combo that makes up most of the processed and fast food people eat.

    And while these things certainly play a role, scientists often overlook that psychological factors also significantly contribute to diabetes.

    We’re a fast-paced, multitasking society that hardly seems aware what we’re shoveling down our mouths as we fight rush-hour traffic while taking a cell phone call from our irate boss.

    That’s why this study proves important. It provides an often-neglected component to prevent diabetes: slow down.

    I get it: saying it is easier than doing it, especially in these tough economic times where you might be struggling to stay afloat and stopping everything else for 30 minutes to savor your food just doesn’t seem possible.

    But it’s worth it, for peace of mind and – as we’re seeing more and more – your health. I want to conclude with seven strategies to help you put the brakes on your eating pace:

    1. Eat with slow people. You know those people who linger over their meal and enjoy every bite? Opt to dine with them rather than your friend who pounds cheeseburgers like a keg party at a fraternity house.
    2. Put your fork down between bites. Remind yourself this isn’t one of those Coney Island hot dog eating contests and shoveling down your food will only give you indigestion.
    3. Stop the dashboard dining. You know that cramming down an Egg McMuffin while sitting in rush hour traffic is hardly the best way to start your day. Whenever possible, eat sitting down (but not behind the wheel!), preferably at your kitchen table. My friend JJ Virgin has more great information about slowing down.
    4. Chew thoroughly. A new study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that people who chew more eat less food and absorb more nutrients. Sounds like a win-win to me.
    5. Be mindful while you’re eating. Put away your iPhone and other distractions. And establish a no-texting rule at the dinner table. Be present and listen to what others say. Or if you’re eating alone, focus on food rather than the TV.
    6. Pause before you eat. If you’re religious, you could say a short prayer before you dive into your food. And if you’re not, simply taking a moment to breathe and offer thanks can calm your mind and digestive system.
    7. Visit a gourmet multi-course restaurant. Ever visited one of those prix fixe restaurants where you linger for hours enjoying course after course? That’s a great way to learn how to slow down and savor food.
  • Fast-Food Ad Familiarity Making Kids Fat?

    Fast-Food Ad Familiarity Making Kids Fat?

    Research recently presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Boston revealed familiarity with fast food commercials can increase the likelihood young adults will be overweight.

    If you ever got one of those annoying jingles stuck in your head, you know exactly how powerful advertising can be. Fast food restaurants spend billions a year, and guess what? Those ads aren’t aimed at you; they’re mostly targeted at children and adolescents.

    “This study links obesity in young people to familiarity with this advertising,” said lead author Dr. Auden C. McClure, “suggesting that youth who are aware of and receptive to televised fast-food marketing may be at risk for health consequences.”

    Researchers here surveyed a national sample of over 3,000 15 – 23 year olds.

    Among the questions researchers asked included how much participants exercised, how many sugary drinks they consumed, how often they ate fast food, how much TV they watched, and whether they snacked while watching TV.

    Then researchers showed these young adults 20 still images from fast-food TV ads. They digitally removed the brands, so participants had no written cues what fast food restaurant these commercials advertised.

    Participants responded whether they liked the ad, if they recall seeing it before, and whether they could name the restaurant brand.

    You probably aren’t shocked to learn young adults most vulnerable to weight gain were more likely to recognize these ads.

    Even after researchers controlled study variables, participants who recognized the most TV ads were over twice as likely to be obese compared with participants who couldn’t recall as many ads.

    Now, here’s the thing. These young adults also viewed alcohol ads, but researchers didn’t find any connection there.

    In other words, whether the young adults were overweight or not didn’t factor into their recognition for alcohol ads, but it sure did for fast-food commercials.

    Additionally, how often participants ate fast food didn’t factor into their chance of being overweight.

    Nope, simply recognizing these commercials proved the key factor whether young adults had a weight problem.

    “After accounting for overall TV time,” Dr. McClure concluded, “TV ad familiarity was still linked with obesity suggesting that this finding is not simply due to increased sedentary time or an effect of TV programming.”

    I realize familiarity with TV fast-food ads is simply one piece of a complicated puzzle to understanding obesity in high school and college aged kids. Numerous factors contribute to this (pardon the pun) ever-growing problem, including peer pressure, stress, and inactivity.

    But this study shows advertising also powerfully impacts the food choices teenagers make. Advertisers know this too. Otherwise, why would they invest such ridiculous amounts of money into silly jingles and TV commercials?

    I know how hard it can be to encourage young adults to eat healthy, particularly when they’re on the go and fast food often provides quick, delicious, peer-approved sustenance.

    You can’t control what your adolescents eat when they’re not at home, but you can set a positive impact with a pantry and fridge stocked with healthy on-the-go foods.

    Hint: don’t make the boxes of Pepperidge Farm cookies available and they won’t grab them.

    Celebrity nutritionist and fitness expert JJ Virgin often talks about lateral shifts. Rather than depriving your kids of their favorite foods, you upgrade to something equally satisfying but more nutrient rich and lower in sugar. I’ll leave you with seven easy-to-incorporate lateral shifts:

    1. Swap peanut butter for almond butter – a more nutrient-rich alternative with no added sugar or trans fat.
    2. Swap sugary sodas for seltzer water – your kids will get that same satisfying fizz without the soda’s sugar. Buy lemon or lime if they need some flavor.
    3. Swap cheeseburgers and fries for grass-fed burgers and sweet potato fries – just as satisfying as a McDonald’s meal but far more nutritious.
    4. Swap candy and chips for nuts – you get the same crunch with more nutrients and less sugar.
    5. Swap breakfast junk food for a protein smoothie – rather than grabbing a pastry or bagel, you can keep protein powder, berries, and coconut milk to fix a fast, filling breakfast.
    6. Swap candy bars for dark chocolate – sure, it’s an acquired taste, but your teens will get less sugar and more antioxidants in the darker stuff.
    7. Swap frozen entrees for leftovers – keep lean protein and green vegetables in containers that your kids can warm up when they’re hungry.
  • Understand Brain Chemistry to Burn Fat & Beat Cravings

    Understand Brain Chemistry to Burn Fat & Beat Cravings

    A new study in the journal Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism shows your brain finds cheap, high-calorie foods especially rewarding.

    Researchers here studied brain activity to better understand how your appetite works and, more importantly, how your brain associates reward with the foods you eat.

    As you might guess, brain chemistry is an incredibly complex science, and every piece of the puzzle can help in scientists’ understanding about obesity.

    “[T]here has been great interest in looking at the brain for the source of vulnerability to overeating in a world of cheap, abundant, high-calorie food,” said researcher Dr. Alain Dagher. “As a result of this research, differences between lean and obese individuals are starting to emerge.”

    Dr. Dagher discovered obese people have brains more “activated” to sweet foods. So eating a bowl of Chunky Monkey ice cream would be more rewarding than, say, a bowl of Brussels sprouts.

    Studies like these help scientists better understand brain signals that motivate you to overeat and how different things – edible or not – stimulate reward areas in your brain.

    What I want to focus on is how anticipation fuels your brain’s reward mechanism and your tendency to overeat.

    To better understand this, I want you to recall memorable events in your life. Maybe it was a first kiss, or a big vacation, or an exquisite five-course dinner at a Michelin-rated restaurant.

    Whatever pleasurable activity you recalled, I’ll bet the idea of doing those things actually provided your brain more euphoria than doing them.

    Don’t get me wrong. That kiss or vacation or dinner certainly provided pleasure, but anticipation offers its own gratification.

    The same thing happens with food. Anticipating eating certain foods and actually eating these foods involve separate mechanisms in your brain.

    Let’s say you’re at the mall, you’ve just had lunch, and you pass by one of those gourmet cinnamon bun places. Even though you’re hardly hungry, the wafting smell instantly makes you think I want a cinnamon bun…

    Suddenly, everything else – finding a bargain at the Gap, for instance, and trying to figure out what color towels to buy your aunt for her birthday – takes a backseat to that craving.

    Your anticipation to eat a hot cinnamon bun plays a key role in your desire to overeat.

    A brain chemical called dopamine contributes to this process. Dopamine controls pleasure and aids your brain’s “reward circuitry.”

    There’s nothing wrong with dopamine and anticipation. It’s how we evolved as a species, after all. But problems arise when you associate pleasure with the wrong stimuli or when the system breaks.

    At that point your reward circuitry becomes hijacked, your “enough!” switch becomes blunted, and addiction is all too often the end result.

    Ultimately, that hot cinnamon bun fails to satisfy. Even though it doesn’t taste great, you find yourself visiting the mall much more often to get your fix.

    For some people, a hot cinnamon bun is a one-time enjoyable experience. But if every time you visit the mall you immediately think hot cinnamon bun, the reward connects to the substance.

    Two things happen. You strengthen the association between the cue (hot cinnamon bun) and reward (that dopamine blast). And the cue itself (the thought or sight of a hot cinnamon bun) ignites dopamine circuits, where you have little control over your behavior.

    Dopamine is what fuels your drive to get that hot cinnamon bun when it feels like nothing else will satisfy you, and when you certainly know you don’t need (or even want) it.

    Pair that cinnamon bun with a powerful emotional stimuli—say, wonderful memories of your grandmother baking them—and those powerful associations release so much dopamine that your reward circuits become hijacked.

    Next time you notice a powerful craving for something sweet, stop and become aware of what’s going on in your brain. Is the anticipation of eating it more rewarding than actually eating it?

    Then determine if something else would equally satisfy you. Maybe take your dog for a long walk in the sunshine, for instance, or a hot bath.

    Chances are, once you engage in that non-food activity, the craving will dissipate.

    And even if it doesn’t, you’re one step closer to understanding your brain mechanism to curb your overeating.

  • Red Meat for Mental Health?

    Red Meat for Mental Health?

    A just-published study from Australia found that women consuming less than the “recommended” amount of red meat were twice as likely to have a diagnosed depressive or anxiety disorder.

    How is this possible? Read on.

    A couple of weeks ago I reported on the now-famous (or infamous) study out of Harvard which was widely reported in the media as “proving” that red meat causes early death.

    The executive summary of that article was this:

    • It was an observational study, not a clinical one.
    • It showed an association, not a causal relationship.
    • The data was based on notoriously unreliable food questionnaires.
    • And the association- which was kind of weak to begin with—could have been due to countless factors– for example, sodium/nitrates in processed meat, high heat cooking (known to create carcinogenic toxins), or extraneous variables (those in the study who reported eating the most meat also smoked more, weighed more and exercised less).

    I also pointed out that there has never been a study- ever– that compared health outcomes of those eating grass-fed meat (a whole different animal, if you’ll pardon the pun) with those eating pink-slime-filled meat of the kind you get at fast food restaurants, or sodium and nitrate-drenched processed meat like you get at deli counters.

    And I maintained that if such a study were ever to be done, it would probably show health benefits for meat eating as opposed to health risks. (Those benefits would probably be even more dramatic for those who make grass-fed meat a part of a wholesome diet that includes plenty of vegetables and fruits, and excluded  sugar, grains, trans fats and processed foods.)

    The new study seems to back up my hypothesis.

    Not surprisingly, you haven’t heard a thing about it in the mainstream media.

    Researchers from Deakin University in Australia studied 1000 Australian women and uncovered the statistically significant link between low consumption of red meat and lamb and higher levels of depression and anxiety.

    “Even when we took into account the overall healthiness of the women’s diets, as well as other factors such as their socioeconomic status, physical activity levels, smoking, weight and age, the relationship between low red meat intake and mental health remained”, said lead researcher Professor Felice Jacka in an interview with England’s The Telegraph.

    Wait—did Dr. Jonny just say “recommended amount of meat”?

    Yes. He did. The Australian government recommends eating 65-100 grams (roughly 2 ½ to 4 ounces) three to four times a week.

    Surprised by the results? Don’t be. In Australia, nearly all beef and lamb is pasture raised (grass-fed). That means the meat is high in omega-3’s, relatively low in inflammatory omega-6’s, and virtually absent of the hormones, antibiotics and steroids routinely given to factory farmed meat in America.

    Meat in Australia is a health food. Meat in America? Not so much.

    “We had originally thought that red meat might not be good for mental health but it turns out that it actually may be quite important”, said Professor Jacka.

    Interestingly, the benefit wasn’t just from eating protein, since there was exactly zero relationship between mental health benefits and chicken, pork, plant-based proteins or even, surprisingly, fish.

    “We know that red meat in Australia is a healthy product as it contains high levels of nutrients, including the Omega-3 fatty acids that are important to mental and physical health”, commented Jacka.

    The “meat-scare” article I wrote about a couple of issues ago is a perfect example of “confirmation bias”—that is, seeing what you expect to see. The general belief in this country- even among researchers—is that meat is “bad”. So when an association like the one found in the Harvard study shows up, no one questions it too closely.

    But that’s exactly what we should be doing.

    In my article on “The Red Meat Scare”, I wrote that until someone shows me a causal relationship between grass-fed meat and any negative health outcome, I’m going to continue the diet that’s kept me strong, healthy and prescription-medicine free for sixty-some years: Wild salmon, grass-fed meat, tons of berries, nuts, coconut, vegetables, fruits and omega-3’s.

    The Australian study confirms my own belief that a diet rich in grass-fed meat is anything but a health risk. And such a diet may well turn out to have substantial health benefits beyond even those unearthed by the Australian study.

    I’m betting my health on it.

    And it’s a bet I plan to win.

  • Ditching Dairy & Gluten Found Effective for Autism

    Ditching Dairy & Gluten Found Effective for Autism

    A new study in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience found a diet without gluten and casein could improve behavior and physiological symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

    The Penn State researchers asked 387 parents and caregivers of kids with ASD to fill out an online survey about GI symptoms, food allergy diagnoses, food sensitivities, and how well the kids adhered to their gluten-free, casein-free diet.

    If you’re not aware, much debate exists within the ASD community about how effective – and realistic – a gluten-free, casein-free diet can be for ASD. The Autism Research Institute, for instance, recommends completely ditching casein and gluten to treat autism.

    Studies, however, show mixed results. The most recent systematic review, which appears in the journal Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, argues “limited and weak” evidence that casein and gluten exacerbate problems with ALD, despite that seven of the 14 studies they reviewed concluded eliminating gluten and casein could be incredibly beneficial.

    So what’s the big deal about casein and gluten anyway?

    Casein is the primary protein in cow’s milk and cheese. Casein breaks downs to casomorphin, an opioid that has a morphine-like effect in your brain. A study in the journal Autism found that casomorphin exacerbates some symptoms of autism. Gluten, the protein in wheat and certain other grains, triggers similar morphine-like effects.

    But according to study researcher Laura Cousino Klein, autism may not just be a neurological disease. It may also involve the GI tract and the immune system.

    “There are strong connections between the immune system and the brain, which are mediated through multiple physiological symptoms,” Klein said. “A majority of the pain receptors in the body are located in the gut, so by adhering to a gluten-free, casein-free diet, you’re reducing inflammation and discomfort that may alter brain processing, making the body more receptive to ASD therapies.”

    The study found when kids went entirely gluten- and casein-free, things dramatically improved. These kids weren’t suffering as many GI problems, for instance, and exhibited better social behavior and attention span.

    But here’s the deal. Parents who completely removed casein and gluten from their kids’ diets got the best results, as opposed to parents who only eliminated one or the other, or parents who didn’t completely remove them.

    In other words, you can’t halfway ditch these foods and call it a day. You’ve got to remove every last morsel of Kraft singles and wheat crackers from your kids’ diet.

    If you’ve got a child with ASD, it’s definitely worth removing all casein- and gluten-containing foods to see if things improve. But you’ve got to give it time (at least six months) and do it right. There are no shortcuts, and you can’t let an occasional glass of milk or wheat bread slip in and get optimal results.

    And heads up: gluten can slip in the strangest places. Sandwich meats often contain gluten, as do mustard and pickles. Same deal with casein. You’ve got to read labels and monitor everything your kid eats.

    You can see what a challenge this can become, since so many school lunchroom options, for instance, contain gluten and dairy. The point is, you can do it, and the results often prove worth the effort.

    I also don’t think it’s a bad idea to remove gluten and casein from any child’s diet, particularly if they have trouble concentrating or gut-related problems.

    You might be asking at this point, Then what the heck do I feed my child?

    I’ve seen lots of kids go Paleo with amazing results. Lean protein, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds… There are unlimited varieties of satisfying gluten- and dairy-free foods your child will learn to love.

    I’ll get the ball rolling with these five delicious, kid-friendly Paleo snacks:

    • Organic apples with almond butter
    • Sliced turkey and avocado in a corn or rice wrap
    • Deviled eggs with gluten-free mustard
    • Trail mix with mixed nuts and berries
    • Coconut milk yogurt with frozen grapes and cherries

    References:

  • Are You Eating Candy Disguised as Breakfast?

    Are You Eating Candy Disguised as Breakfast?

    A British study looked at popular breakfast cereals and concluded most of them were so loaded with sugar, they belong in the candy aisle.

    Of the 50 cereals the study examined, 32 were high in sugar. That included 12 of the 14 cereals aimed at kids.

    Before you dismiss this as an irrelevant study because it occurred on the other side of the pond, I want to point out American breakfast cereals are just as bad and probably worse.

    Don’t believe me? Take a stroll down the cereal aisle at your local supermarket and check out a few labels.

    The study winner for added sugar was Kellogg’s Frosties, which packed an astounding 37% sugar. Store-brand chocolate rice cereals pulled a close second with 36% sugar. And several store-brand honey nut cornflakes had nearly 34% sugar.

    Even so-called healthy cereals in this study, such as Kellogg’s All-Bran Flakes and Special K, had 17 – 22% sugar.

    This study also found inconsistent nutrition labeling and serving size among cereals.

    What particularly drives me nuts (other than the high sugar) is that researchers neatly concluded since these cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals, they could play a part in a “healthy balanced diet.”

    I want you to define the term “healthy balanced diet” for me. And while you’re at it, explain to me the “everything in moderation” theory.

    Chances are, I’ll get as many definitions as I have readers.

    Dieticians and other professionals like to throw these terms around like they actually mean something. Sorry, but they’re useless phrases that sound good on paper.

    But back to breakfast cereals.

    Despite whatever nutrients and even protein manufacturers add, cereal is predominantly a carbohydrate. Whether that cereal is chocolate nutty fruity pellets or Special K, it converts to mostly glucose in your body.

    So here’s a particular scenario. (When I say “you,” I mean hypothetically, since I know you’re smarter than to fall into this trap.)

    You see an ad that Special K can help you lose a certain amount of weight in two weeks. So your mornings start with a big bowl of this cereal in skim milk with a banana and a tall glass of orange juice.

    All in all, about 300 calories with almost zero fat. And probably some nonsense about whole grains too. What’s not to love about this breakfast?

    Plenty.

    For one, you’ve raised your blood sugar levels. That triggers your pancreas to release insulin, which among its other duties, stores fat.

    Around mid-morning, your blood sugar levels will crash, leaving you cranky and hungry.

    Chances are, you’ll visit the snack machine for low-fat chips or whatever. Maybe you’ll head to Starbucks for a 600-calorie low-fat muffin with a skim-milk latte. Or you’ll pull out a 100-Calorie pack, which again spikes and crashes your blood sugar and releases insulin. You might be so ravenous that you cave to those jelly donuts your receptionist brought in.

    Can you see the vicious cycle that’s playing out?

    There’s more. Your body can’t store protein. Let’s say you got sufficient protein for dinner the night before. You’re looking at about 12 hours your body has gone without fuel.  Guess where your body’s going to get that protein? From the precious muscle you worked so hard to build at the gym.

    To put things succinctly: when you eat cereal for breakfast, you’re setting yourself up for metabolic disaster all day. Fat burning is the last thing happening in your body.

    I think most people habitually eat cereal because it’s a fast, easy breakfast. So I want to propose some healthy, fat-burning alternatives that take about the same amount of time as breakfast cereal:

    1. PaleoMeal – this fantastic meal-replacement powder from Designs for Health comes loaded with 17 grams of high-quality whey protein plus fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to keep you full and focused for hours.
    2. Eggs – keep some hard-boiled eggs in the fridge and you have instant breakfast.
    3. Nuts and seeds
    4. Leftovers – warm up last night’s salmon and spinach (or whatever you had) for a filling, delicious breakfast.
    5. Cottage cheese with walnuts
    6. Unsweetened Greek yogurt with frozen blueberries – particularly wonderful for summer mornings when it’s too humid to cook or do much else.
    7. Organic apple slices with almond butter
  • It’s Not Sexy… But It Works for Weight Loss!

    It’s Not Sexy… But It Works for Weight Loss!

    Mention fiber, and you might immediately recall those gigantic tubs of Metamucil your grandma stocked up on at warehouse stores. In other words: not sexy.

    I don’t need to remind you of fiber’s many benefits, which include reducing inflammation, triglycerides, and cholesterol. But I really get people’s attention when I say fiber is the number-one supplement for weight loss.

    Fiber helps you burn fat in several way:

    • delays stomach emptying
    • curbs ghrelin (your hunger hormone that tells your brain to eat)
    • buffers carbs so your blood sugar doesn’t spike so dramatically

    In short: nobody likes to talk about fiber, but it works.

    A decades-long study just published in the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health concludes that our paltry-fiber modern diet contributes to diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.

    No kidding.

    “Consuming adequate quantities of dietary fiber can lead to improvements in gastrointestinal health, and reduction in susceptibility to diseases such as diverticular disease, heart disease, colon cancer, and diabetes,” researchers concluded. “Increased consumption has also been associated with increased satiety and weight loss.”

    The study also argued that supplements are an easy way to get more fiber in your diet.

    Here’s a super-quick fiber lesson. There are two forms of dietary fiber: soluble and insoluble.

    • Soluble fiber forms a gel-like substance that, among its many duties, binds cholesterol and balances your blood sugar.
    • Insoluble fiber, on the other hand, absorbs water and keeps things moving along.

    In other words, you benefit from both types.

    The average American gets a sad 5 – 14 grams of fiber a day. Our lean, athletic Paleo ancestors put us to shame by getting a whopping 60 grams or more!

    I want you to eat as many fiber-rich foods you can every day. Nuts and seeds, leafy green vegetables, legumes, berries and other fruits like avocados are loaded with fiber.

    Now, granted, you can get enough fiber from food, but it takes a lot of planning and math. And even when you do load up on high-fiber foods, it’s not always easy to get 50 – 60 grams a day. Let’s face it: few of us are getting anywhere near that amount in our diet.

    There are lots of really great fiber supplements on the market. But PaleoFiber from Designs for Health is the Rolls Royce of them all.

    Each serving of PaleoFiber contains 8 grams of fiber from 12 sources including fruits, vegetables, roots, seeds, and tree extracts like apple pectin and prune fiber. The formulation mimics the diet our Paleo ancestors thrived on and the one you’re most likely to thrive on too.

    What’s more, PaleoFiber packs prebiotics from inulin, probiotics, and a powerful antioxidant punch. You’re not going to find those benefits in your drugstore run-of-the-mill fiber powder.

    I love to toss a scoop of PaleoFiber mixes in my morning protein smoothie to get a powerful fiber wallop. Unlike other fiber powders, PaleoFiber comes in a pleasant-tasting original or delicious berry that makes meeting your fiber quota quick and pleasant.

    So eat as many varieties of fibrous vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds as you can. And then ratchet it up a few notches with PaleoFiber to get therapeutic amounts of this nutrient that can benefit your health in numerous ways and help you get the lean, sexy body you want.

  • Green Tea Extract and Weight Loss

    Green Tea Extract and Weight Loss

    A fascinating new study adds to the growing body of literature showing that green tea can impact weight gain and be an important tool in the fight against obesity.

    In the current study, published in Obesity, obese mice that were fed a weight-gaining diet put on significantly less weight when they were supplemented with green tea extract.

    The mice were allowed to eat as much as they wanted anytime they wanted. Their diet consisted of unlimited amounts of the mice equivalent of McDonald’s, with everything on the menu supersized.

    In addition to this Vegas buffet of mice chow, one group of mice were fed EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), the polyphenol in green tea that has been found to have the most profound effect on metabolism and weight. The other group was not.

    The group getting the EGCG supplement gained weight at about 45% the rate of the non-supplemented mice.

    “There’s no difference in the amount of food the mice are eating”, Lambert told Science Daily. “The mice are essentially eating a milkshake, except one group is eating a milkshake with green tea”.

    Lambert estimates that a person would need to drink ten cups of green tea each day to match the amount of EGCG used in the study. But remember, most estimates of how much EGCG are in one cup of brewed tea range from 5-40 mg, so at that rate, sure, ten cups would give you anywhere from 50 to 400 mg of EGCG.

    One single capsule of EGCG (green tea extract (EGCG) provides 250 mg, the amount you’d get from 10 cups providing 25 mg each, or approximately 6 cups providing 40 each.

    The researchers in this study also noted that fecal fat excretion was 30% higher in the EGCG mice. The belief is that EGCG somehow reduces production in the pancreas of the fat-digesting enzyme lipase so that some of the fat you eat isn’t actually digested. (This is exactly how the weight loss pill ALLI works).

    “There seems to be two prongs to this”, said Lambert. “First, EGCG reduces the ability to absorb fat and, second, it enhances the ability to use fat”.

    The excellent thing about drinking green tea and taking green tea supplements is that even if they don’t help you lose weight—and there’s no reason they shouldn’t!—they do a million other good things for you.

    Green tea (and green tea extract, EGCG) have been shown to have preventive effects in obesity, insulin resistance, and hypertension. Green tea polyphenols like EGCG have been shown to have a role in cancer prevention. And green tea itself contains a nice relaxing compound called Theanine which is actually used as a drug in Japan for anxiety and which is available as a supplement.

    There aren’t too many supplements you can take that can positively impact your weight and have as “side effects” anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-insulin resistance, anti-hypertension and anti-cancer activity!

  • Featured Recipe: Savory Slow Cooker Tender Turkey Drumsticks

    Featured Recipe: Savory Slow Cooker Tender Turkey Drumsticks

    The following recipe is from “The Healthiest Slow-Cooker Recipes on Earth”, by myself and Jeannette Bessinger, available on Amazon.com – order here.

    Savory Slow Cooker Tender Turkey Drumsticks

    Turkey is a great, healthy source of protein (over 20 grams per serving) and turkey drumsticks are always a favorite. And you don’t have to wait till the holidays to enjoy them. This recipe is super easy, super fast, and when you use the slow cooker it cooks to a delicious tenderness in its own juices –no added fat calories. Yum. Seriously.

    Perfectly healthy fat replaces the conventional gravy or commercial cream of mushroom soup that generally smothers a dish like this. (Note: a can of commercial cream of mushroom soup has an astonishing 1995 mg of sodium. Need I say more?)

    Onions are a rich source of sulfur, so good for the skin, not to mention that they are one of the richest sources of a flavonoid called quercetin which is one of the most anti-inflammatory plant compounds on the planet. (Quercetin has also been shown to have significant anti-cancer properties.) Something to remember: Turkeys are frequently raised under horrific factory farmed conditions, so if possible, get the free-range variety. They’re almost always better for you anyway.

    Ingredients

    •  1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 3 turkey drumsticks
    • Sprinkles salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
    • 1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
    • 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into thin coins
    • 2 large cloves garlic, minced
    • ½ teaspoon dried sage, crumbled
    • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
    • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped (or use 1 teaspoon dried)
    • 1 lemon, halved

    Directions

    1. Oil the bottom of the slow cooker and the drumsticks with olive oil.
    2. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper, to taste.
    3. Place onions and carrots in the bottom of the cooker and top with prepared drumsticks.
    4. In a small bowl, mix garlic, sage, parsley and thyme together and sprinkle evenly over the drumsticks.
    5. Gently squeeze the lemon halves to release their juices into the vegetables and nestle them in at the bottom of the pot.
    6. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or high for 4-5 hours or until meat is cooked through and meat and veggies are very tender.

    Yield: 4 servings

     

  • Three Great Ways to Make a Protein Shake

    Three Great Ways to Make a Protein Shake

    From time to time I hear from people who absolutely love the whey protein powders we sell on our website like Dream Protein, Whey Cool Protein and Paleomeal, but are stuck for ideas on how to use them.

    Sure, you can just add water, or some frozen berries, but after a while that can get kind of boring.  So I asked my cookbook writing partner, chef Jeannette Bessinger, to come up with a few original whey protein shake recipes that taste terrific. Here are three she specifically designed for the book of meal plans and recipes that are included in our sensational new program: Unleash Your Thin.

    As a bonus, one of them is dairy-free, while the other two are gluten-free:

    1. Oatmeal Smoothie

    Yield: 1 serving (Dairy-Free)

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup chilled unsweetened vanilla almond milk
    • 1/4 cup whole rolled oats (uncooked)
    • 1 tablespoon almond butter
    • 1 small ripe banana
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, optional
    • 1 scoop protein powder
    • Few drops NuNaturals vanilla stevia, or Xylitol.

    Instructions

    Combine all ingredients in a powerful blender and blend until very smooth.

     

    2. Coconut Lemon Smoothie

    Yield: 1 serving (Gluten-Free)

    Ingredients

    • 8 ounces chilled coconut water
    • ½ lemon, peeled and seeded
    • 3 tablespoons dried coconut
    • 1/2 cup plain yogurt
    • 1 scoop protein powder
    • Few drops NuNaturals vanilla stevia, or Xylitol.

    Instructions

    Add all ingredients to blender and blend until very smooth.

    3. Spiced Peach Smoothie

    Yield: 1 serving (Gluten-Free + Dairy-Free)

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
    • 1 fresh, ripe peach, unpeeled, pitted and halved  (or 2/3 cup frozen peach slices)
    • 1 scoop protein powder
    • 1 heaping tablespoon soaked chia seeds
    • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
    • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
    • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • Few drops NuNaturals vanilla stevia, or Xylitol.

    Instructions

    Combine all ingredients in a powerful blender and blend until very smooth.