Skip Bread! Avoid Fat! Lose Weight with High Protein!

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Skip Bread! " " Avoid Fat! " " Lose Weight with High Protein! "

 

Dr. Weil and leading nutrition scientists say look beyond scare

headlines to find an optimum eating plan for life.

 

By Kathy Kukula,

DrWeil.com News.

 

http://www.drweil.com/u/Page/General469/

 

Despite what newspaper headlines and magazine covers tell you,

nutrition researchers who met in New York City recently clearly do

agree on the proper amounts - and best forms - of the three major

food groups.

 

On May 2, as part of the Third Annual Health and

Nutrition Conference sponsored by Columbia University College of

Physicians and Surgeons and the University of Arizona's College of

Medicine, Dr. Weil gave an audience of some 250 healthcare

professionals a summary of the emerging consensus view on

carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

 

Known as " macronutrients, " because they must be eaten in abundance

for energy and body repair, these have become a source of confusion

for the general public. " It is wrong information about

macronutrients that is at the root of many of the fad and extreme

diets that remain popular, " Dr. Weil said. " People attempt to lose

weight by some drastic rearrangement of macronutrients. "

 

He emphasized that he was presenting a widely shared viewpoint on

the types and quantities of these nutrients that belong in a healthy

diet. Indeed, over three days of presentations by dozens of the

world's leading nutritionists at the conference, the same themes,

summarized below, were sounded again and again.

 

Here are the guidelines as presented by Dr. Weil:

 

Choose carbohydrates that digest slowly. " Aim to get 40 to 50

percent of your daily calories from carbohydrates, such as whole

grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits, " said Dr. Weil. Select those

that convert slowly to glucose during digestion. " The single

greatest change that we have wrought in the last 50 years is turning

the slow-digesting food that nature produces into rapidly digesting

carbohydrate foods that produce spikes in blood sugar, " Dr. Weil

said. How quickly a food raises blood sugar is measured with the

glycemic index, or GI. High GI foods create quick response; low GI

foods convert to blood sugar slowly. Grains in their natural form

have a low GI. Processed carbohydrates, including those made of

flour or puffed grains, have a high GI-they send blood sugar soaring

quickly; and our bodies reply with a surge of insulin to normalize

blood sugar levels.

 

This assault from high GI foods is an underlying cause of obesity,

insulin resistance, and diabetes and a contributing factor in heart

disease and other chronic diseases, particularly in America, said

Dr. Weil. " We have been resistant to this new view of

carbohydrates, " he said. " The glycemic index has been widely

accepted in other parts of the world. "

 

While whole foods are the best source of low GI carbs, there are

many misconceptions about whole grains, said Dr. Weil. " Examples of

true whole grains are wild rice, barley, quinoa, millet, wheat

berries—either in their natural form or cracked into a few pieces, "

he said. Products in supermarkets today that carry a " whole grain "

label often contain flour made from whole grains, creating a high GI

food. " When you pulverize grains into flour you are producing a

starch with a large surface area that digestive enzymes can work on

and quickly convert to sugar, " said Dr. Weil, adding that that's why

finely textured whole wheat bread has the same GI as white bread.

 

To be certain you're eating low GI carbohydrates, cook natural

grains or check the texture of the packaged foods you buy. " The

requirement to chew is what distinguishes true whole grain

products, " said Dr. Weil; expect to do some " real jaw work. " Natural

forms of fruits and vegetables, especially roots and tubers, package

moderate amounts of carbohydrate with fiber, resulting in a lower

glycemic load on the body.

 

Enjoy the right balance of fats. Fats carry flavor and make foods

satisfying, said Dr. Weil - and they're necessary for health. As

much as 30 percent of daily calories can come from fat, if it's the

right kind, he said.

 

Americans get far too much of the wrong kind of fat: Polyunsaturated

vegetable oils. " These are not healthy for a number of reasons, "

said Dr. Weil. These oils contain the omega-6 linoleic acid, which

promotes inflammation in the body. While a small amount is

necessary, too much linoleic acid may contribute to inflammation-

based diseases in our society, such as heart disease and

Alzheimer's. Linoleic acid also counteracts the effects of the anti-

inflammatory omega-3 fats, found in fish, walnuts, and freshly

ground flaxseeds. " The more linoleic acid you consume, the more you

blunt the beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acids which are

already extremely deficient in the North American diet. This is the

most serious nutritional deficiency we have in this country, " said

Dr. Weil. " The benefits from low-fat diets might primarily be from

lowering the linoleic acid intake, not from lowering total fat

intake. "

 

Your best bet: Increase your intake of omega-3's from fish, walnuts,

freshly ground flaxseeds and other sources, while reducing the

amount of omega-6 fats in your diet, mostly by limiting corn,

sunflower, safflower, and other nut and seed oils. These often lurk

in processed foods, so read labels. Replace omega-6 oils with

monounsaturated fats such as extra virgin olive oil. " Saturated fat

is fine in small amounts, " said Dr. Weil. Of course, artificial

trans-fats have no place in food and are being eliminated from many

packaged food products.

 

Make protein easy. You need only 10 to 20 percent of calories from

protein each day—a modest amount. Even though protein such as meat

has high status in our society, said Dr. Weil, there's no advantage

to eating more of it. " Protein puts a great workload on the body,

which the burning of fat and carbohydrate do not, " he said.

 

When protein makes up too much of the diet, the body will burn it

for fuel, a very inefficient process that results in toxic waste

products that the liver and kidneys must process. Excess protein

also has a diuretic effect. " It's well known that very high protein

diets accelerate calcium loss from the body and increase the risk of

osteoporosis, " said Dr. Weil. Protein foods such as meat and fish

also concentrate environmental toxins.

 

" The less-concentrated protein in plants, such as beans, whole

grains, vegetables, and fruits such as avocadoes, is the healthier

choice for most of your protein needs, " said Dr. Weil. Plus, plant

proteins come packaged with fiber, carbohydrates, healthful fats and

phytochemicals that protect against disease.