Natural Weight Loss Coach

There is strong evidence that strawberries are a heart-protective fruit, an anti-cancer fruit, and an anti-inflammatory fruit all rolled into one.

Cancer Prevention

There have been many published reports on the anticancer effects of strawberries. Strawberries are one of the few sources, along with raspberries and grapes, of ellagic acid, a compound which has been shown to prevent carcinogens from turning healthy cells into cancerous ones. Strawberries also contain a multitude of cancer-fighting compounds, including vitamin C, folate, anthocyanins, quercetin and kaempferol.

Cardiovascular Disease Protection

New research has found that strawberries may offer cardiovascular disease protection. The study found that those who reported eating the most strawberries experienced lower blood levels of C-reactive protein, a blood biomarker that signals the presence of inflammation in the body.

Anti-clotting Effect

Strawberry consumption may protect against blood clot formation. An animal study found strawberries had a powerful anti-clotting effect.

Prevention of Atherosclerosis

Ellagic acid has anti-inflammatory properties and may play an important role in the prevention of arterial plaques (atherosclerosis).

Prevents Neuronal and Behavioral Aging

Strawberries may protect against the decline of the central nervous system in age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Research suggests that the polyphenolic compounds found in berry fruits, such as blueberries and strawberries, may exert their beneficial effects either through their ability to lower oxidative stress and inflammation, or directly by altering the signaling involved in neuronal communication.

Reduce Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis

One of the benefits of strawberries may be protection against rheumatoid arthritis. A large population based study of more than 20,000 people found that consumption of foods high in vitamin C seem to protect against inflammatory polyarthritis, a form of rheumatoid arthritis involving two or more joints.

Prevent Ultraviolet Skin Damage

Ellagic acid may help prevent wrinkles and repair skin damage caused by the sun. Researchers applied ellagic acid to human skin cells in the lab. Ellagic acid reduced the destruction of collagen and inflammatory response, both major causes of wrinkles.

While I was working on my computer today, cleaning up my Twitter account, my stomach started to nudge me.

It was beckoning … asking me for some food. It wasn’t quite hungry yet, but just beginning to get there.

I looked at my clock…10:15am. It’s only midmorning, and still have a few hours before lunch.

Now if I wanted to lose weight – this would be an agonizing couple of hours before lunch, wouldn’t it?

But before I grabbed something to snack on, I decided to take my blood sugar.

Alas, it was at 74 mg/dl. That explains the grumblings from my stomach. It’s not too bad, but it’s certainly an indication that’s it going south.

That number tells me that I’m in the hunger zone – my body has a legitimate need for food.

Doughnut? Bagel? Coffee w/ sugar? Nah…that would just overshoot my blood sugar into the fat zone.

Instead, I grab some mixed nuts and a stick of pepperjack cheese. And of course, water as always.

It’s easy to fight hunger by eating smart with nuts.

It has lots of fiber, proteins and healthy fats. I buy the unsalted variety in bulk from my local grocery, and mix it with tamari cashews to add some ZING in the flavor.

In less than 15 minutes, my hunger magically went away.

Do I count the calories? Nope. I don’t really care.

Fiber calories don’t count – they don’t get metabolized.  The fats actually send a signal to my brain that I’m full – that will stop the cravings. And of course, proteins help repair my muscles – which in turn revs up my metabolism.

Two hours later, I took my blood sugar again –> 84 mg/dl. I’m way, way below the fat zone.

Probably too low, but guess what? I’m not hungry anymore, and if my body needs sugar energy – it will retrieve it from my body fat!

“But coach, I can’t have nuts!?”, you tell me. “I want some sugar. I want some chocolate.”

Here’s what I did –> M&Ms,  the peanut variety (almonds are better),  NOT the regular ones.

However, I do have to tell you that these M&Ms are only temporary. You should try to limit your consumption to a serving or two, at the most.

I’ve used this M&Ms technique personally to wean myself off from my mild sugar addiction. Here’s the key -> if you eat your sugars in combination with a healthy protein or fat, it stabilizes your metabolism.

Slowly over time, I switched to carob energee chunks. Also purchased from the bulk foods section of the local grocery.

At first, it may taste weird – you have to allow your tongue to get used to it – that’s why you’ll need the M&M nuts.

If you just try this simple technique, you will see yourself not suffering from hunger pains, and yet losing all that body fat.

WHAT SAY YOU?

Have a wonderful day,

Health Coach Harry

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This a followup post to 2 previous discussions I’ve had regarding counting calories as a MISLEADING technique for weight loss.

If you haven’t read those, I suggest that’s where you start –> Danger of counting calories.

For many, many, many years I thought that I was eating healthy since I would have oatmeal for breakfast every day. I love oatmeal.

However, there were days when I would eat something else – like eggs, or bacon or perhaps some boxed cereals.

There was one thing that I noticed. On those days I had oatmeal, my stomach would grumble in 2 hours or less. Otherwise, I would last for 3-4 hours easily.

That was strange and intriguing to me.

So after several years, dozens of books, hundreds of hours of reading, dozens of doctor consultations, and innumerous blood testing, I learned the difference between fast-burning vs. slow-burning carbs.

Fact Or Fiction?
Food Companies Protect Our Health

Last week, while I was cleaning our pantry, I found some leftover famous brand oatmeal (classic variety.) It was labeled as:

• “100% whole grain”,
• “100% natural”,
• “helps manage blood pressure”,
• “helps lowers cholesterol”
• “helps promote healthy arteries”
• 150 calories per 1/2 cup serving

I now know that this was no good. I have long switched to steel cut oats, which has made a HUGE difference in managing my weight.

Instead of throwing it away, I decided to do a measureable experiment.

You see, instead of calories (a guesstimate at best), I measure blood sugar levels – something more accurate with today’s technology.

Why? Read on.

Myth: Fat Makes You Fat

Fat DOES NOT make you fat. There are other health problems associated with fat intake, but it is NOT the primary reason why we are embarassed with wearing our summer swimsuit.

Excessive blood sugar gets converted into BODY FAT. Yes, the kind that would bulge your belly, and prevent you from wearing your sexy jeans.

Excessive blood sugar also leads to other diseases, like diabetes – which is what prompted me to learn about all these things to begin with.

Anyway, my experiment involves my breakfast as follows:

• 1/4 cup of quinoa
• 1/4 cup of  the “famous brand oatmeal”
• cooked on a stove top, not microwaved
• sweetened with kefir and 10 whole dried blueberries

I took my blood sugar reading before breakfast = 94 mg/dl. Normal.

Then I took my blood sugar reading after 2 hours = 151 mg/dl. Normal. The threshold for diabetics is 160 mg/dl according to WHO guidelines.

Note: Imagine if I prepared a 1/2 cup oatmeal, no quinoa, using the microwaved instant variety and sweetened with sugar. I’m sure it would take me over the threshhold.  That’s what I was doing before I knew any better! As I look back, this was probably a significant contributing factor to my pre-diabetic condition today.

The following day, I prepared exactly the same breakfast, with the exception of the oatmal.

I substituted the “famous brand” with steel cut oats (non-branded from the bulk food section of the grocery).  Everything else was the same.

By coincidence, my blood sugar was also 94 mg/dl before breakfast.

After 2 hours, here’s the magic number = 121 mg/dl.

Wow! Famous brand oats is 151,  while organic non-branded is 121.

30 mg/dl is a SIGNIFICANT difference between the 2 varieties of oatmeal.

Fact: Not All Calories Are Equal

75 calories of the “famous brand oatmeal” DOES NOT equal the 75 calories of quality organic oats.

As my personal experiment indicated, the branded variety had a higher glycemic index than the other. High index means “fast burning”, while low glycemic index means “slow burning”.

The lower the index, the better for weight management.

My other conclusion is this: I tend to avoid processed foods from BIG name corporate giants, and instead I go for organic varieties, whenever I can.

Processing strips the food of micronutrients. Chemical preservatives are added to increase grocery shelf life.

In other words, good calories have been deleted, and replaced by toxic calories. (This is a good subject for another post in the future.)

As you can tell, this is by no means a “scientific” experiment; but this is science GOOD ENOUGH for me!

While the threshhold guidelines are 110mg/dl for fasting and 160 mg/dl after eating, I believe that every person has their own individual threshhold.

So is 151 good for me? I don’t know. Maybe my personal threshhold is 150? or 135?

The point is, anything in excess of that threshold will get converted to fat for some people. In my case, it equates to a higher level of triglycerides.

Even though I’m not overweight, these excessive triglycerides could be contributing to my high blood pressure challenges (again, that’s another story for a whole series of posts).

Do Yourself A Favor: Prove It To SELF

If you are still frustrated and struggling with your weight, I encourage you to invest in a glucometer. You can probably get one between $10-$50 at Walmart.

Here’s a tip: if you’re going to shop by price, compare the costs of the testing strips, not the meter itself. I fell into the trap of a zero cost meter that required expensive strips.

Ask your doctor how to use it. (Although the instruction manual is easier than your VCR or TIVO.)

DO NOT necessarily rely on the “normal” results from your last blood test. You need to understand the cause and effect of your daily eating habits. Like I said, your threshold could be different from the accepted norm.

Years ago, I assumed that the “famous brand”, inexpensive oatmeal was good for me. Today I pay the price – with my health, as well as my wallet.

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Every week, my wife and I go to the grocery store, crossing out the list of items that we need for the coming week.

We can’t help it but notice the number of overweight people at the grocery shelves. They look at the food labels, and focus intently on “no fat or low fat” or “reduced or zero calories”.

Read the rest of this entry →

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