Provided by Pathways to Family Wellness magazine, published by ICPA, Inc., Issue#23 – Kelly Hayford, C.N.C.
If you strive for thin, you’ll never win. Strive for health and thin will follow. – Elson Haas, M.D
Maria was 280 pounds when she began an Eating-for-Health Lifestyle class. When I spoke with her five months later, she had lost 50 pounds at an average rate of ten pounds per month. She did so just by implementing the first two Eating-for-Health Guidelines, switching from fake-food brands to natural food brands, and eating nothing sweeter than fruit except on special occasions.
She was enjoying the new foods she discovered and no longer craved sweets. In fact, when her birthday came around, she was pleasantly surprised to find that she didn’t even want the cake and ice cream she used to die for. “I have done a gazillion diets over the years, only to gain it all back every time,” Maria reported. “For the first time in my life I’m developing a lifestyle of healthy eating, that I feel I can actually live with for the rest of my life.”
People often get obsessed with dieting. Instead, get obsessed with a healthier lifestyle and your weight will take care of itself. In addition to following the Eating-for-Health Guidelines outlined in a previous article, keep the following in mind to help.
Eat More, Weigh Less!
Eating clean, quality food at regular times throughout the day is one of the best strategies for boosting your metabolism, reducing cravings, balancing blood sugar—and yes, even losing weight. I see it all the time with my clients!
Other Factors to Consider in Finding Your Natural Weight:
- Stop eating foods that contain MSG (monosodium glutamate). Unfortunately, it’s estimated to be in 60-90% of processed foods and disguised under numerous names. In addition to a host of other problems, MSG causes food cravings. That’s one of the reasons manufacturers add it to their products—it’s a neurotransmitter that affects the hunger and weight control centers of the brain that keeps you coming back for more! MSG is actually fed to laboratory animals to fatten them up for research without increasing their food intake.
- Drinking just one soda or sweetened beverage per day can increase the risk for obesity in children by 60%, according to a study cited in the Lancet. Needless to say, reducing or eliminating your sweetened beverage consumption can be tremendously helpful in finding and maintaining your natural weight. But don’t look to diet drinks that contain artificial sweeteners.
- Contrary to popular belief, there is nothing diet about foods and beverages that contain aspartame. Similar to MSG, aspartame is a neuro-toxic chemical that is addictive and causes people to crave junk foods and more artificially-sweetened beverages. There are many other harmful effects associated with aspartame as well. For more on this topic, read: Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills, by Dr. Russell Blaylock. Sucralose or Splenda, also has a host of problematic side effects and should consequently be avoided as well.
- The best no-calorie, non-toxic sweetener is stevia, a natural herb that actually helps you lose weight by reducing cravings for sweet and fatty foods. It also helps digestion which is important in reducing excess weight.
- Food allergies and sensitivities can also interfere with your ability to lose weight. Many people have lost significant amounts of weight just by eliminating wheat, dairy or soy from their diets, for example.
- There’s also a lot of hoopla about low- or no-fat diets these days. These diets can actually be harmful because our bodies need fat to function. The ‘good’ fats that is. The real problem is that people are eating mostly ‘bad’ fats and not getting any ‘good’ fats. Not getting the essential fats your body needs compromises every function in the body, including digestion and elimination, hormonal balance, brain function, the immune system, even metabolism. Eat more ‘good’ fats and less ‘bad’ fats and watch your health and energy go up and your weight go down.
- High-protein diets can also be harmful. Sure you can lose weight, but often only temporarily, and at the risk of your overall health. If you’re going to eat anything in excess, make it fresh vegetables!
- Cleansing and clearing your internal environment is an important part of any healthcare regime. Detoxifying the organs and systems of the body will help improve digestion and elimination, reduce food cravings, and increase metabolism—all of which add up to a trimmer, healthier, more energetic body. A Basic Elimination Diet is an easy, moderate form of a cleanse that can also help you identify food sensitivities. It’s a great place to start in establishing and maintaining your natural weight and an overall Eating-for-Health Lifestyle.
http://icpa4kids.com/fwf/Updated11-4-15%20Nutrition/fwf-dec2014-new.pdf