By Paula Hendricks - Nutritionist on February 10, 2010
PRODUCTS & SPECIALS
FROM THE PRACTITIONER - Cheryl Mitchell, PA-C, MPAS
Everyone knows thin people have more willpower than overweight people – right?
Have you struggled to control your weight and overeating all your life (or alternatively – since you had kids, since menopause, since an injury – pick one)? Do you wish you had the self-control and willpower to stay thin like (insert name of your example here)? Do you wonder how you can change so you’re as strong as they are?
Let’s reframe the situation. Your has-always-been-thin person above never overeats. They know when they are full and stop eating. Stresses don’t make them hungry – so they eat only when they really need food. Their “appestat” (appetite thermostat) works like it should. Does their “appestat” drive them to eat when their body doesn’t need the food or nutrients? No! So how much willpower do they need to eat only what they need and not more? NONE! They have no desire to overeat. Control comes naturally; they would have to force themselves to overeat. Your has-always-been-thin person stays thin but says nothing about their willpower or strength – they don’t need any willpower to stay thin.
Now let us look at you and your need for willpower. You struggle every day, often all day to eat only what your body needs, but your brain is not satisfied. Your stomach is full, often uncomfortably so, but your mind still says “keep eating”. Sometimes you fight the desire for food successfully, and other times you just can’t stay away from the unneeded food. The desire to eat is there when you are stressed, when happy, when cold…You fight not to eat all the time. Most of the time you resist the urge, but when the urge overwhelms you – you (and it seems like the rest of the world) call yourself weak, and that you have no willpower! Your thin person needs NO willpower to not overeat. You struggle everyday to control your eating – and win much of the time. I ask you – who is showing strength? The person who is never tested, or the person who, while tested all the time, loses occasionally? Give yourself credit for your strength.
FROM THE NUTRITIONIST – Paula Hendricks, BS, Nutritionist-C
In the distant past, perhaps sixty years ago, a series of nutritional research studies were thought to indicate that saturated fat intake could raise LDL “bad” cholesterol levels which in turn were thought to elevate risk for heart disease and stroke. Although not everyone agreed with this interpretation, the notion that eating fat causes coronary heart disease took hold and has been dogma for many years. However, a new analysis recently released in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which reviewed the combined results of over 21 studies regarding cholesterol intake and heart disease, found no clear evidence that higher intakes of saturated fat led to higher risks of heart disease and stroke. Wow, that’s pretty comforting information for steak lovers, right? Don’t expect all the “experts” to promote eating red meat and high fat dairy products right away.
So what do we think about this new analysis and how does it affect what we teach our patients? Well, it is not new information to us at all, as evidenced by 20 years of clinical observation within our own practice. We have known for a long time that sugar and other processed carbohydrates were the “bad guys” in the American Diet rather than fat. Consumption of sugar, high carbohydrate processed foods, non-nutritive foods and trans-fat are the real culprits.
We believe that to single out specific nutrients such as saturated fat and ignore the entire diet is a mistake. In the 80s, we were told not to eat fat, in the 90’s we were told not to eat protein, and today, we have told all who would listen not to eat “bad carbs.” Of course, if you look at the Food Pyramid recommended by the FDA today, you’ll see they recommend that you get the majority of your food from carbohydrates, including “bad carbs,” the processed ones. It is confusing at best.
We believe consuming a balanced combination of foods containing all the macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats) – animal protein, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and good fats – will reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and chronic illnesses, promote longevity, and reduce your risk of illness as you age. However, the balanced combination of food we recommend deviates significantly from the “balanced diet” recommended by the FDA. We believe the FDA food pyramid is an out of balance, protein-deficient, essential fatty acid-deficient, high carbohydrate eating style which if consumed long enough, will inevitably induce diabetes, obesity and a host of other chronic illnesses. Just remember when you eat, protein is “good,” fat is “good,” and carbs can be either “good” or “bad.” To stay healthy, we all should learn to recognize and eat the good carbohydrates (vegetables and fruits) and avoid the bad carbohydrates (sugars), processed.
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Branden Tezeno said:
I loved reading such a great article. Such insighful writing is rare these days. Informed comment like this has to be lauded. I’ll certainly be looking in on this blog again in the near future!