NUTRITION CURE NEWS
New Year 2008 Edition
By Amy Hall, CN Board Certified Nutritionist
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In this issue:
Diets Don't Work! Learn the Secret to Making Your New Year's Resolutions Work for You
How Knowing Your Basal Metabolic Rate (calories burned daily) Can Help You Achieve Your Goals Faster and in a Healthier, Lasting Way
Boost Your Mood & Metabolism Naturally by Eating Foods Right for Your Body Type
On-Site Nutrition Seminars & Classes
Diets Don't Work! Learn the Secret to Making Your New Year's Resolutions Work for You:
Many people start out the New Year with an exercise plan and diligently stick with it for a few months, only to find that not much has changed. Or, they begin a healthy eating plan or diet, which only shows results in the first two weeks. There can be several reasons for this, but what seems to be the most common is that people just made some random healthy changes in their eating habits and activity levels, but overall just “guessed” on what they needed as far as calories, fat, protein and carbohydrate servings per day. Others will read a fad-dieting book for guidance, which works for a select few, given almost everyone is on the same plan. Some people are simply getting too many or too few calories, or too many calories from one food group and not enough from another based on their body composition and activity level. Either way, when the body is not getting its caloric needs met for optimal health, it makes it difficult to let go of stored body fat after those first few weeks as well as causes cravings for not-so-healthy food. In addition, when the person is "running on empty," the body is resistant to burning excess fat, and instead will burn lean muscle for energy when exercise and dieting are combined. This leads the body into famine mode, which results in the body storing whatever energy (calories) it gets. By following an eating plan that meets your specific caloric requirements (which can be determined through metabolic testing explained in the article below), most people can achieve their overall goals and make healthy changes that will last a lifetime. Along with regular exercise, a balanced diet is the key, which includes whole-grain and high fiber foods, fruits and vegetables, lean protein, non-fat dairy and small amounts of healthy fat. Remember, healthy eating and exercise go hand-in-hand: approximately 70% of weight loss is from your daily food intake, 20% is from exercise/activity, and 10% is genetics.
How Knowing Your Basal Metabolic Rate (calories burned daily) Can Help You Achieve Your Goals Faster
& in a Healthier, Lasting Way:
Knowing how many calories you burn is important to making any weight loss program effective. Metabolic testing is the most comprehensive way to get your body composition broken down into pounds and percentages of your lean muscle mass, body fat, water content, BMI and more. With this information, you will then know how much protein, fat and carbohydrates your body needs for optimal metabolic functioning and health, which will allow you to reach your fitness goals. At Nutrition Cure, all patients have this done at every visit, which helps us to monitor their water weight and muscle mass, as well as to be sure they are losing fat mass vs. fat free mass. If a person loses fat free mass while dieting or exercising, this will lower the body's overall metabolic rate, causing the person to gain weight easily and making it difficult to lose weight or continue to lose weight over a long period of time. Nearly half the people who come in that are on diets of their own but can't figure out why they are not losing, are actually not eating enough. Keep reading the article below to learn more about how the body metabolizes energy, and how to make yours work better. While metabolic testing is done at all initial and follow-up appointments for personalized meal planning, the metabolic testing can be done without nutrition counseling in as little as 15 minutes. If you would like your metabolism checked, just call Nutrition Cure at: 480-247-6921 and let us know if you would like a full one-hour appointment or just the 15-minute metabolic testing and we will get in as soon as possible.
Boost Your Metabolism & Your Moods Naturally by Eating Foods for your Body Type:
Some people know they feel better when they eat more protein, sluggish when they eat too much fat, or feel cranky or depressed with too little carbohydrates (or with the elimination of any one of the food groups being targeted as bad by the latest fad diet). The truth is, there are reasons people feel good or bad eating too much or little of certain foods depending on the way their bodies metabolize specific nutrients. For example, people who carry most of their fat in their belly area or have a family history of diabetes, often have more trouble converting carbohydrates into energy that will be used. Instead, many of those carbohydrates go into fat storage, making them crave even more starchy foods because the body thinks it isn't getting any. This doesn’t mean they should eliminate carbohydrates, but eating them along with lean protein, not eating too many per meal and choosing foods lower on the glycemic index will help the body metabolize the sugars from the carbohydrates rather than store them. Once the body recognizes it is getting carbohydrates again, it won’t crave them and won’t try to store fat thinking it is in a famine and missing a food group. Also, people will notice an improvement in their mood and energy levels because the body will be getting what it needs to make other body systems function better, including sleep cycles and hormone function ( hormone function includes "feel good" hormones like seretonin and norephinephrine, reproductive hormones and thyroid hormones).
For those that carry their fat in their lower body, saturated fat is more likely to be the culprit. Switching out fried foods, margarine, mayonnaise, bacon sausage, creamy sauces and dressings and replacing them with healthy fats will result in better metabolism of dietary fat. Healthy fats are raw, natural fats that have not been processed such as avocados, olive oil, natural peanut butter, nuts and seeds and non-hydrogenated versions of butter spreads like Smart Balance or Earth Balance. Fats are still very concentrated in calories and need to be consumed in small amounts as you would any condiments. Of course, each person needs a different amount of fat, carbohydrate and protein each day depending on their body composition and resting metabolic rate, which is always tested at the beginning of all nutrition consultations. If you have had this test done already, you can divide your daily caloric needs with about 25% coming from healthy fat. Having a meal plan designed for you with the right amount of each food group can be the key to helping you reach your health goals or simply maintain your current weight without having to watch every single calorie you eat for fear of gaining.
If your diet and exercise efforts are still not working, there are also certain pharmaceutical grade supplements now available that can help with sugar metabolism such as Metaglycemex or Insinase, or Ultra CLA or L-Carnitine with chromium for fat metabolism. For mood and over-all well-being, essential fatty acids such as EPA-DHA can help, as well as many other food-derived nutrients, which you can learn more about at: http://nutritioncure.meta-ehealth.com, or just ask at your next nutrition appointment to find out if any supplementation is needed for your particular situation. Always check with your doctor before taking any supplements and be careful when buying over the counter fad-type diet aids or cleanses. Not only do they not work, they can be harmful.
Nutrition Seminars and Classes:
On-site nutrition classes and seminars are now available for corporations and special interest groups. If you are in need of a speaker to cover health topics such as diabetes, heart health, eating disorders, children's nutrition, family meal planning, food allergies, sport's nutrition, women's health or any other nutrition-related topic, please call Nutrition Cure at:
480-247-6921 for rates and availability.
NUTRITION CURE OFFICE:
2133 E. Warner Road, Suite 102
Tempe, AZ 85284
Phone/Appointment Line: 480-247-6921
Fax: 480-820-6696
Website: www.nutritioncure.com
DIRECTIONS: Take the 101 Freeway to the Warner Road exit, Go west and turn into the Warner Century Plaza on the south side of Warner Road. Nutrition Cure is located inside Palmer Wellness Center.
PAYMENTS & INSURANCE:
Payment is due at time of service by check, cash or any major credit card. We do not accept insurance but let us know if you need a receipt to submit on your own, along with with a diagnosis code from your own doctor. Many insurance companies will reimburse your initial visit if you are being seen for a medical reason. Our rates are much lower than most dietician/hospital rates that insurance pay out ,so an increasing number of companies have been reimbursing our clients with medical conditions that submit claims. You may want to call your insurance company ahead of time to find out. WE DO NOT PROCESS ANY INSURANCE CLAIMS OR GIVE DIAGNOSIS CODES FOR REIMBURSEMENT.
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