Eden Life

							Eden Life
 Weight Loss Clinic                                                                                        July 2005

Hi folks,                                                       Courage is not the towering oak that sees storms
                                                               come and go. It is the fragile blossom that opens in
Here at Eden Life, we are trying to help everyone                                   the snow.
improve their health. And we’re always trying to improve                    - Alice Mackenzie Swain
our own as well. A big part of this is having an intelligent
nutritional program. That makes up for at least half the
transformation from being unhealthy to becoming
                                                               FAT BUSTER #2
healthy.
                                                               Consume more protein
    What was hard to bear is sweet to remember.                Experts seem to agree that one of the most important
              - Portuguese Proverb                             aspects of a healthy fat-loss nutrition plan is making sure
                                                               you’re consuming enough protein. Studies show the
                                                               anabolic effects of a healthy diet increased by a slightly
FAT BUSTERS                                                    higher protein diet.

One of the most confusing parts about weight
management is not being able to read and understand            FAT BUSTER #3
labels on food or supplements. What does “light” mean?
Does “reduced fat” mean it’s really low in fat? And just       Keep your fat intake to 20 percent of your total daily
how lean is “lean”? We see these words on a lot of             calories
packaged foods. But what do they mean? Where are
the answers? People tell me they are trying to watch           This one’s so obvious it hardly needs mentioning. It’s
what they eat, but if they don’t have a clue what any of       almost like advising someone to practice playing the
this terminology means, how do they know if they’re            piano to become a good pianist. But often-times, it’s the
eating the right thing? To this end I have included a          most straightforward advice that is the best. And so, to
number of “fat-buster” tips to help you eat well, stay         minimize the amount of fat your body will store, limit the
healthy and still lose weight.                                 amount of fat you eat.
                                                               Studies indicate that people who are successful at losing
FAT BUSTER #1                                                  fat and maintaining the loss are those who keep their fat
                                                               intake to approximately 20 percent of their total daily
Cut back on “empty” carbs                                      calories. It seems the body is much more efficient at
                                                               converting fat calories into body fat than it is at
Cut back on low-nutrient carbs by eliminating bread,           converting carbohydrate or protein calories into body fat.
pasta, candy, juices, crackers, bagels and such from           Now, be careful, here. Notice that I said you should keep
your diet. It’s a known scientific fact that your body has     to a low-fat eating regimen, not a no-fat one. Certain fats
trouble burning fat when your insulin levels are elevated.     are very important in regulating much of our metabolism.
(Eating an excess of “empty” carbs causes a spike in
insulin.)
During a weight loss program, it’s best to maintain stable      People who eliminate all fats tend to actually put on
insulin levels by limiting your carbohydrate intake.               unwanted kilos because certain fats possess
Focus on eating “low-glycaemic-index” carbs, such as           thermogenic properties, meaning that they help your
pita bread, brown rice, sweet potatoes and oats. (The                   body produce heat by burning fat.
glycaemic index determines how fast a particular food
raises blood sugar.) High-glycaemic carbohydrates like
white potatoes, white rice, pasta, candy, juices and white     So it’s easy while on a low-fat diet to cut the “good” fats
bread cause rapid increases in blood sugar, requiring          too low – and hence, sabotage your fat-burning efforts.
your body to produce large amounts of insulin to               The best way to strike a balance here is to cut back on
metabolize the sugar.                                          saturated fats by eliminating fatty meats, cheeses and
If you would like us to e-mail you some more information       dairy products from your diet. At the same time, make
about Glycaemic-Index send us an e-mail requesting             sure you replace some of those ”bad” fats with foods rich
this.                                                          in the healthy essential fatty acids (EFAs), such as cold-
                                                               water fish like salmon, sardines, mackerel and trout.




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FAT BUSTER #4                                                  place of fat, more and more sugar and naked
                                                               carbohydrates are added to give it taste.
Eat more fibre                                                 Also, don’t fall prey to the word “light.” Light is used to
                                                               describe any food that contains one-third fewer calories,
Besides keeping you “regular”, a diet high in fibre            or one-half the fat, of the regular product. But it doesn’t
instigates fat loss whether you cut calories or not. It        mean the product is low in fat.
seems fibre facilitates fat loss by thwarting the entry of     There are several other ways companies try to trick you
some carbohydrates into the bloodstream, which in turn         into purchasing their lower fat versions while at the same
slows the entry of sugar into the blood. High levels of        time blinding you from spotting the truth about these
sugar in the bloodstream spike insulin levels, which, as       products. The best way to protect yourself from such
we’ve already discussed, slows fat burning. Good               “shell games” is to learn how to decode the marketing
sources of fibre include all green vegetables such as          catch-phrases on food labels. Below are their technical
spinach, broccoli and asparagus. Try to consume fibrous        definitions.
vegetables at least twice a day.
                                                               Extra lean: Less than 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of
                                                               saturated fat and 95 milligrams of cholesterol per
Through perseverance many people win success out               serving.
   of what seemed destined to be certain failure.
               - Benjamin Disraeli                             Fat-free: Less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving.

                                                               Lean: Less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated
                                                               fat and 95 milligrams of cholesterol per serving of meat
FAT BUSTER #5                                                  or seafood.
Keep alcohol to minimum                                        Light (or Lite): Half the fat of the regular version, which
                                                               doesn’t mean it’s low in fat. Many “light” salad dressings
I had a patient tell me once that “beer drinking” wasn’t all   have upward of 10 grams of fat per serving.
that bad for the figure because it was fat free. Had he
had six-pack of abs on top of the six-pack of Amstel he’d      Low calorie: Fewer than 40 calories per serving.
just thrown back, his argument may have been more
convincing.                                                    Low cholesterol: 20 milligrams or less per serving and
                                                               2 grams or less of saturated fat per serving.
True… alcohol doesn’t contain any fat. But that isn’t
 any more of an excuse to indulge than is trying to            Low fat: 3 grams or less per serving.
   rational-lies the health benefits of eating pizza
    because of its numerous vegetable toppings.                25 percent less fat than the regular version. Again, this
                                                               doesn’t mean it’s “healthy”.
The fact is, alcohol is loaded with carbohydrates and
empty calories. Just 1 gram of alcohol contains 7              So there you have it – a list of fat-busters for quickly
calories – nearly as much as a gram of fat. And                doing away with that adipose tissue. I know they are all
consuming just a couple of beers equates to about a            quite simple, but try them and you will see the difference.
fourth of the calories you should be taking in for an entire
day if your goal is to lose body fat. Most of these excess
calories just aren’t needed by your body for energy and         Energy follows thought. We move toward, but not
are thus promptly deposited into your body’s first national               beyond, what we can imagine.
bank of blubber.                                                                 - Dan Millman
In fact, a number of recent studies have shown drinking
alcohol, even in a social context, to be associated with       RECIPE OF THE MONTH
increased abdominal fat accumulation. For instance, one
Swedish study that compared recreational drinkers with         “Saucy” Teriyaki Tuna
non drinkers found that the recreational drinkers had two
to three times the amount of abdominal fat.                    Tuna comes out moist and flavourful with this teriyaki
                                                               sauce. You can also try it on chicken or turkey.
FAT BUSTER #6
                                                                               4 servings
Learn how to “decode” food labels
                                                               ½ cup canned crushed pineapple
Remember food manufacturers know you want “healthy”            2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
products. And in an effort to give you what you want,          2 tablespoons water
many of them resort to, shall we say, unsavoury                1 large garlic clove, minced
marketing tactics. For instance, beware of claims like         1 teaspoon mustard
“98% fat free, reduced fat” and similar statements.            1 tablespoon honey
They’re usually used to entice you, not educate you.           ½ teaspoon ground ginger
Sure, such products may be low (or lower) in fat, but in       4 filets of tuna
                                                                                                              Page 2
To make the marinade, combine all the ingredients
except the tuna. Place tuna in a non-metal pan or bowl
along with marinade. Cover and refrigerate for four to 12
hours. For rare tuna, grill for three to five minutes on
each side. For medium, grill five to eight minutes per
side. For well done, grill eight to 10 minutes per side.
Cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of
the filets and the heat of the grill. If you like your fish well
done, baste more than once on each side with the
leftover marinade.


Finally as I am sure you have discovered , defining
healthy weight management is not easy at all. It is
probably why even dictionary is so vague. I would say to
you that since you are an avid reader of our newsletter,
you, too, aspire to achieve healthy weight management
in your life. We are here to help you reach your weight
management goals – both on the inside and on the
outside.
Congratulations for making the choice to be of “right size
and shape” – for being an inspiration to those around
you, for helping to define healthy weight management.

I would like to leave you with these words:

  It never occurred to me that there are things that I
                       can’t do.
                  - Woopy Goldberg

By the way, give my love to Woopy!!


Yours in weight management,

Paula




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