A complete guide to weight loss

(MENAFN- Arab News) There are many kinds of slimming drugs on the market but you cannot take them forever; moreover diet fads often don't work or they only offer temporary benefits. In 'Eat to Live' the author explains first why we gain weight then how to lose weight and finally how to stay thin and healthy for life.
Eating food that is rich in nutrients and fiber and low in calories curbs our appetite and prevents us from overeating. Liquid calories without the fiber present in the whole food will not reduce our caloric intake. In other words if you want to lose weight eat fruit and avoid juices. Fiber and nutrients are removed during juicing; the truth is that there is no substitute for natural whole foods.
For example apple juice contains none of the vitamin C originally present in the whole apple. In citrus fruits most of the anti-cancer compounds are present in the membranes and pulp which are removed in processing juice. A carton of orange juice contains less than 10 percent of the vitamin C present in an orange and not even one-tenth of the nutrients present in fresh fruit.
Processed carbohydrates like bread pasta and cake are devoid of fiber phytonutrients vitamins and minerals which have been lost in the processing. For example unlike whole wheat bread and pasta are missing: zinc magnesium vitamin E folic acid chromium vitamin B6 and 78 percent of the fiber.
In a six-year study of 65000 women those with diets high in refined carbohydrates from white bread white rice and pasta had two and a half times the incidence of Type II diabetes compared with the women who ate high-fiber foods such as whole wheat bread and brown rice.
If you want to lose weight the most important foods to avoid are processed foods such as condiments candy snacks and baked goods. Fat-free food has nothing to do with it whereas pasta according to the author is 'almost as damaging as white sugar'.
The key to Joel Fuhrman's extraordinary diet lies in a simple formula: Health=Nutrients/Calories. Fuhrman calls this concept the nutrient-density of a diet. Food supplies us with both nutrients and calories. All calories come essentially from carbohydrates fats and proteins whereas nutrients consist of vitamins minerals fibers and phytochemicals.
'The main principle of this book is that for both optimal health and weight loss you must consume a diet with a high nutrient-per-calorie ratio'.
As we have entered the era of the global economy people all over the world are eating empty-calorie or junk food that is food which is deficient in nutrients and fiber but rich in calories.
Enriched rice is 'nutritionally bankrupt'. Refining the rice removes essential nutrients such as fiber minerals phytochemicals and vitamin E.
Similarly whole wheat that is processed loses most of its nutritional value.
'Ingesting processed foods can subtract nutrients and actually create nutritional deficiencies as the body utilizes nutrients to digest and assimilate food'.
Fiber according to the author is a major nutrient essential to our health. A deficiency in fiber can lead to many health problems such as hemorrhoids constipation varicose veins and diabetes and is a major cause of cancer. Plant fibers not only slow down glucose absorption but they also have complex physiological effects in the digestive tract that offer a variety of benefits such as lowering cholesterol.
We now understand that it is not merely the amount but the variety of fiber in the diet that protects against cancer. Our digestive tract is teeming with many species of bacteria that convert these fibers into numerous essential fatty acids and other nutritive substances with strong immune-enhancing and anti-cancer properties. These bacterial degradation products are essential for optimal health and protection against various cancers especially colon cancer.
'Thanks to the presence of fiber and because food components haven't been lost through processing natural plant foods fill you up and do not cause abnormal physiological cravings or hormonal imbalances'.
Raw vegetables and fresh fruits have powerful anti-cancer agents which mean that your risk of cancer decreases with an increased intake of fruits and vegetables. Humans are genetically adapted to ingest a high intake of natural and unprocessed plant-derived substances. Cancer is a disease of maladaptation. It is caused by a body's lacking critical substances found in different types of vegetation many of which are still undiscovered that are metabolically necessary for normal protective function.
'Phytochemicals in their natural state are potent cancer inhibitors'.
One essential principle we need to remember is that our muscle cells and brains are designed to run on carbohydrates. Carbohydrate-rich foods when consumed in their natural state are low in calorie and high in fiber compared with fatty foods processed foods or animal products. It is usually the small amount of fat or oil that makes natural carbohydrates so fattening. For example one cup of mashed potatoes is only 130 calories. Put just one tablespoon of butter on top and you have added another 100 calories.
There is nothing wrong with carbohydrates. It is the empty-calorie or refined carbohydrates that are bad for your health. However the minute you include unprocessed foods such as vegetables whole grains bean or nut the diet becomes protein-rich.
Dr. Fuhrman's diet is based on three principles. First it is bad for your health to eat foods with too few nutrients. Second eating a large amount of animal products causes a vast number of diseases and finally unrefined plant foods offer the best protection against disease.
You can eat as much as you can of steamed or cooked green vegetables. As for beans and legumes they are among the world's most perfect foods. Your choices of beans include chickpeas black-eyed peas black beans cowpeas green peas lima beans and pinto beans. 'They (beans or legumes) stabilize blood sugar blunt your desire for sweets and prevent mid-afternoon cravings'.
Nuts and seeds add valuable nutrients and healthy unprocessed fats but they should be eaten raw because the roasting process alters their beneficial fats. The list of raw nuts and seeds that you can eat includes almonds cashews walnuts pecans hickory nuts macadamias pine nuts pistachios sesame seeds sunflower seeds pumpkin seeds and flaxseed.
Dr. Fuhrman's Life Plan Food Pyramid is based principally on vegetables which should provide 30 to 70 percent of the total calories.
Then follow fruits beans and legumes eaten respectively in a proportion of 20-50 percent and 10-30 percent of calories. Whole grains raw nuts and seeds should not provide more than 20 percent of the total calories.
Fish can be eaten twice weekly whereas poultry and eggs should be eaten once a week. And at the top of the pyramid the author advises his patients to eat beef sweets dairy products and processed food rarely.
This is not an easy diet to follow but it really works. Dr. Joel Fuhrman explains the science of eating in an easy language. The more nutrient-dense food you eat and the more satisfied you will be with fewer calories and the less you will crave fat and high-calorie foods. 'Eat to Live' will not only help you lose more weight than you ever thought possible but it will also reduce your need for medication.

[email protected]
/* */