![]() Diets, Week 1: How we did on Whole. Weight Watchers, Buddha’s Diet and more. Five Washington Post staffers have each embarked on a different 3. Last week, we each outlined our diet of choice, explaining the whys and hows — along with our expectations of the challenges to come. ![]() Every week this month, we’re updating you on our progress, including our obstacles, stumbles and victories. We’re sharing daily food diaries and, of course, reports of any weight loss. Dangerously Delicious Pies. Whether you're looking to lose weight or just want a way to get rid of that nasty cold, eHow has all the answers you're looking for. Invariably I get asked the question, “If carbohydrates are so bad, why did Although it’s possible to eat out while doing Whole. I hadn’t yet done my big weekend grocery shopping trip, so I changed our plans, added some steaks to the grocery list and had the friends over to eat at my coffee table. ![]() I tried a Brussels sprouts recipe with pistachios and spices from the new Whole. Cookbook, which made enough for leftovers. My friends were kind enough to bring over a compliant fruit salad, and everybody was happy (and full). This is going to be my secret weapon for fighting cooking fatigue. I made a ton of pulled pork overnight, and it lasted much of the week — lunches, dinners and even a couple breakfasts. Getting rid of my sugar cravings is much more important to me than weight loss, but I still meant to weigh myself before starting (remembered on Day 3). And my lack of preparation just continued on my first big grocery shopping trip. Here are a few mistakes I’ve made, and how I intend to improve over the next few weeks: Not doing my research before shopping: I spent way too long poring over labels at Safeway because I wanted sugar- free sausage. Hint: If you want to know which brands of a particular food are compliant, just Google it. It was a long shopping trip.) If the answer isn’t in the Whole. I ended up going with Hatfield ground chorizo. It was great. Not being careful with “compliant” brands: There’s a whole industry out there full of Paleo and Whole. But not every brand sells only compliant foods. I learned this when a very helpful Tessamae’s rep informed me that the dressing I’d had on my spinach salad had soy in it. Here’s the ridiculous part: It was in the name of the dressing. I just really wasn’t paying attention! Lesson learned. Using Whole. More than once I skipped the gym because I told myself I had to get home and cook. More weekend prep is in the works. ![]() Being afraid to eat out: Sure, pies were never going to happen. But I also skipped a couple of weekday outings because they involved alcohol (not allowed) or bar food (probably not allowed). On Day 6 I didn’t have much of a choice; it was a friend’s 4. I wasn’t going to miss it. ![]() I ate a late lunch maybe two hours before our reservation so I wouldn’t be starving, and then went to the restaurant, hoping for the best. Luckily I found one entree that was completely Whole. I skipped the wine and dessert and just enjoyed the company.— Kendra Nichols. Monday. Breakfast: Eggs, chorizo, peppers. Lunch: Pistachios and carrots while making dinner. Dinner: Steak, sweet potatoes, dukkah- encrusted Brussels sprouts, fruit salad. Tuesday. Breakfast: Eggs, chorizo, peppers. Lunch: Steak, sweet potatoes, spinach salad, dukkah- encrusted Brussels sprouts. Pre- workout snack: Almonds, banana. Aurelia Moser is a developer, teacher, author, and also a bit of a cartographer. She works at the Mozilla Science Lab with researchers to collaborate on open source. AXS.com brings you inside access to tickets, artist news, and exclusive stories on concerts, tours, sports teams, family events, arts, theater, and festivals. Boxers Diet The importance of a good diet. For boxers, as with any sport, a good diet is a crucial part of staying in shape and keeping up with the demands of the. Dinner: Pulled pork, broccoli, carrots, snap peas. Wednesday. Breakfast: Pulled pork, half a baked sweet potato, spinach and peppers. Lunch: Pulled pork, half a baked sweet potato, spinach and peppers. Snack: Banana and almonds. Dinner: Pulled pork, broccoli, carrots, snap peas. Thursday. I forgot to keep track. This is why I’m not doing Weight Watchers. Good luck, Tom! Friday. Breakfast: Eggs and broccoli slaw. Lunch: Grilled chicken salad with lots of veggies and lemon herb dressing. Dinner: Chile Lime Chicken Burger from Trader Joe’s, Tessamae’s barbecue sauce (no bun), some sort of vegetable I don’t remember. Saturday. Breakfast: Eggs and broccoli slaw. Snack: Lara bar. Lunch: Ground beef and dukkah- encrusted Brussels sprouts. Dinner: Lamb, carrots, fennel. Sunday. Breakfast: Eggs, ground beef, peppers. Snacks in lieu of lunch: Pistachios, banana, carrots. Dinner: Chicken breast, green beans, curry butternut squash soup. Weight Watchers. The first week of January loomed like one long obstacle course. For at least a decade, my new year has always started with a breakfast of beans, greens, biscuits and country ham. Would I have to ditch a favorite tradition? The same day, friends invited me over for a casual supper of burgers, crab cakes and barbecued pork. Should I bring no- fat cottage cheese to eat? On the horizon were at least six restaurant meals, a couple of plane trips and a friend’s 4. San Antonio. When I told her I was a food critic with little control over how most of my meals were prepared, and also partial to late- night snacking, Eve could sympathize. I thought it would be. I ate a relatively lean slice of regular ham with less than half of a small homemade biscuit, making a point to fill up on black- eyed peas and collards splashed with hot sauce. I took a long walk instead of eating lunch, which allowed me to eat a plain hamburger patty, half cups of Caesar salad and coleslaw and a couple glasses of wine at the party. Unlike at restaurants I review, I wasn’t required to eat a range of food in someone’s home. Among the things that attracted me to Weight Watchers were its point system, the reality I could eat anything in moderation and the relative ease with which a person can track food intake and activity online. After filling out a questionnaire, I learned I had 3. While no food is forbidden, some favorites became foes once I started doing the math. A bagel at the airport would set me back 1. I opted for a pre- flight breakfast of an apple and coffee. Grape Nuts (6 points per 1/2 cup) are off my list until February. Until then, raw almonds (4 points for 2. I really wanted a margarita with a recent Tex- Mex spread, but at 1. I realized the drink wasn’t worth giving up refried beans, tortilla chips and guacamole (8 points total if I ate in moderation). My restraint has its limits. On the night of my friend’s birthday party, guests sat down to a five- course dinner that started with an open bar and passed hors d’oeuvres (Hello, Manhattan! Hello, meatball and deviled egg!) and continued with gnocchi, free- flowing wine and a fantasy in chocolate and hazelnut. I felt full for the first time all week — full of regret. Already, nightcaps at home have given way to 2. For whatever reason, the ritual keeps me from mindless munching. Today, I’m three pounds lighter than when I started. Or should I follow one of the other important tenets, and eat slowly and mindfully? I chose the latter. I figured Buddha would understand. If I had planned, I would’ve simply gone to the gym earlier, with no rushing or scarfing required. The truth is, I started this program the last week of 2. I could get a head start on our 3. But to make it to that nine- hour window before January’s end, I needed to start early and accelerate the plan. Frankly, I found a 1. I spent just a week there, then skipped to 1. And now, just as nutritionist, writer and TV cooking- show host Ellie Krieger predicted, my trouble has mostly come in relation to exercise and socializing. I work out with a physical trainer once a week, at 9 a. I tend to get lightheaded when I exercise vigorously on an empty stomach, I ate two granola bars (mindfully, of course) 1. My stomach was growling when I got up at 7: 3. I drank some tea, caught up on the news, and the feeling subsided within 4. Evening workouts have been trickier. The day of a 7: 3. I was fine during class, but afterward, I really wanted to eat. I wasn’t exactly hungry, just . Tea to the rescue, once more! As for socializing, I have turned one evening dinner- date request into a lunch, swapped after- work drinks for midafternoon coffee, and saved the rest for Saturday, my “cheat day.” Twice during the week, I ordered dinner at work because I knew I wouldn’t get home in time to meet my deadline. Between that and the brown- bag lunches, I’ve had more desk- bound meals than I’d like. Thank goodness for my weekly cheat day. The first week, it was New Year’s Eve, when I hosted a small dinner party and wanted to eat (and drink) into the wee hours. The second, it was a regular Saturday, when my boyfriend and I went to Centrolina in City. Center. DC. Even though the mice research at the heart of “Buddha’s Diet” showed that it’s more important when you eat than what you eat, I’ve been choosing healthful options and portions. Whatever the reason, I lost 1. I started. I have one more week to get used to this 1. Will I further delay my breakfasts so I’m not eating dinner so often at work? Probably. This week, another hurdle looms: I’m going to Los Angeles. At the risk of stating the obvious, that’s another time zone. Uh- oh.— Joe Yonan. Sunday. Breakfast (9 a. Matcha latte (with almond milk), cereal. Snack (1. 2: 3. 0 p. Matcha maca latte and two quinoa- oat energy bites from Calabash Teahouse & Cafe. Lunch (1: 3. 0 p. Kabocha squash chestnut soup with beans. Snacks (3 p. m. 1 ounce dark chocolate. Tuesday. Breakfast (7: 4. Matcha latte, Kashi nuggets, yogurt, maple syrup. Lunch (1. 2: 4. 5 p. Vegetable stew with almond butter and avocado, cocoa cupcake with yogurt frosting. Snack (4: 4. 5 p. Handful of vadouvan- spiced popcorn. Dinner (5: 4. 5 p. Another serving of vegetable stew from lunch. Wednesday. Breakfast (8: 4. Two granola bars. Snack (1. 1: 4. 5 a. Black bean mole tamale. Lunch (1 p. m.): Brown and wild rice, pinto beans, roasted cabbage, romesco sauce. Snacks (3 p. m. Downright emptied. My main goal was to reintroduce a healthy amount of vegetables into my diet, and that’s been met in the first week, 1. Soup’s a successful delivery vehicle for such an effort, because it can be chunky or smooth, and because it’s filling — so filling that I haven’t been able to get through more than three of the four allotted pints per day. Is a Low- Carb Diet Ruining Your Health? Mindstyle. This is a guest post by Laura Schoenfeld, a Registered Dietitian with a Master’s degree in Public Health, and staff nutritionist and content manager for Chris. Kresser. com. You can learn more about Laura by checking out her popular blog or visiting her on Facebook. Carbohydrates, and the role they play in a healthy diet, are one of the most hotly contested nutritional debates in the world, both in conventional and ancestral health circles. One one side, you’ve got folks who say that carbohydrates are nonessential and increase your risk for diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and neurological disorders. On the other side, some say that carbohydrates are crucial for good health and should make up the majority of your calories. It’s no wonder I have so many clients who come to me completely confused about carbs and whether or not they should eat more or less of them. While some people do incredibly well following a low carb Paleo diet, there are many people who crash and burn on this type of dietary plan. So, how can you tell if you’re the type of person who shouldn’t be eating a low carb diet, and how do you figure out how many carbs you should be eating? I plan to teach you just that in this article. Is your low- carb diet doing you more harm than good? Find out how many carbs YOU should be eating. Pregnancy. I recently discussed the role of carbohydrates during pregnancy in an episode of The Ancestral RDs Podcast. The most important reason why women need adequate carbohydrates during pregnancy is to ensure adequate fetal brain development and growth. Another reason is because a high protein diet can be dangerous during pregnancy, and when you cut out carbohydrate as a major macronutrient, you usually can’t help but increase protein as a percentage of calories. Protein intake greater than 2. The Institute of Medicine recommends a minimum of 1. Paul Jaminet advises pregnant mothers to restrict protein to about 1. Chris recommends a moderate carb approach for most pregnant women (except those with any type of diabetes) in his book, Your Personal Paleo Code (published in paperback as The Paleo Cure in December 2. Like these other experts, I generally recommend 3. Unless you have diabetes or a serious neurological condition that requires carbohydrate restriction, it’s not worth the risk playing around with a low carb diet when you’re pregnant, and these diets aren’t conducive to fertility for many women either. Each athlete is completely unique in their ability to perform well on a low carb diet, and there’s nothing wrong with testing out the diet to see how it affects your athletic ability. But if you’ve been trying a low carb diet for months now and your workouts are suffering, your weight isn’t budging (or maybe you’ve even gained weight!), and your recovery time is increasing, you’re probably not the type of person who can handle a low carb diet combined with regular intense physical activity. I’ve had many clients come to me on a low carb diet who, after switching to a more moderate carb approach, found that their energy and endurance significantly increased, and they were able to make quicker strength gains than before. Many also were able to shed some of the stubborn body fat that they’d been retaining despite eating a low carb diet and training hard, which was a result they didn’t expect! For my athletic clients, I usually recommend a minimum of 2. I may actually recommend more like 4. Again, each athlete is an individual and what works for one person, or even a thousand people, may not work for you. So don’t be afraid to experiment and pay attention to how your diet makes you look, feel, and perform! And don’t hesitate to get help if you need it! Hypothyroidism and HPA Axis Dysregulation (Adrenal Fatigue)Hypothyroidism is one of the most commonly cited medical reasons for needing to eat a moderate carb diet. The main reason why carbs affect thyroid function so directly is because insulin is needed for the conversion of the inactive T4 hormone into the active T3 hormone, and insulin is generally quite low on very low carbohydrate diets. So if you’ve suddenly started developing hypothyroid symptoms on your low carb diet, it’s a pretty good sign that you’d be better off upping the carbs (and getting your thyroid tested if you haven’t already!) For more about how low carb dieting affects your thyroid, listen to this great interview with Chris by Jimmy Moore. HPA axis dysregulation, also known as adrenal fatigue, is another condition where a moderate carb intake is important for general health. Kelsey and I talked about adrenal fatigue on our first Ask the RD podcast, so listen to it if you’re unfamiliar with this condition. The main hormone that gets dysregulated in adrenal fatigue is cortisol, and cortisol has been shown to increase on a low carb diet. This means that a low carb diet is a potential adrenal stressor in susceptible individuals. Combine that with a stressful job, inadequate sleep, and overexercise, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for adrenal burnout. So if you have adrenal fatigue, or if your current lifestyle is already high stress in a few different areas, you may want to increase your carb intake until you can get those additional stressors under control, as you may drive yourself into adrenal fatigue by having a chronically elevated cortisol output. Lara Briden has written a great article on the benefits of whole food carbohydrates in lowering cortisol and raising GABA, a calming hormone that is often low in adrenal fatigue patients. If you’re experiencing symptoms of hypothyroidism or adrenal fatigue, you may be worsening them with a well- intentioned low carb Paleo diet. I recommend working with someone to help you figure out if your diet is indeed making these symptoms worse, and how to change what you eat to better support your thyroid and adrenal health. Gut Health. One of the less discussed downsides of a very low carbohydrate diet over the long run is the potential for alteration of the gut flora. Chris recently covered this issue in a podcast with Jeff Leach, where they discussed evidence that a very low carb diet can lead to gut dysbiosis and a reduction in the diversity of the gut flora. A lot of the information on this topic is new and not fully understood, but it’s reasonable to believe that when you avoid carbs, you’re also avoiding important prebiotics (i. Without them, your beneficial flora can’t produce as much gut- healing substances like butyrate and other short chain fatty acids, and your microbiome composition may even shift in an undesirable direction. And as Chris would say, you’re only as healthy as your gut is: an unhealthy gut contributes to everything from obesity and diabetes, to digestive illness, to autoimmune disease, to skin disorders. Those who are doing very low carbohydrate diets, and who simply can’t increase their starch intake for whatever reason, should use prebiotic supplements such as resistant starch- rich unmodified potato starch or FOS powder. However, these products must be incorporated slowly into your supplement regimen, as you can experience severe gas and bloating if too many prebiotics are taken all at once, or if there is existing gut dysbiosis or bacterial overgrowth. In this case, it would be wise to work with someone who can help you get the prebiotics you need while on a very low carbohydrate or ketogenic diet to protect the health of your gut microbiota. How Many Carbs Do I Need? To determine how many carbs my clients need to eat in a day to reach their health goals, first I decide what percentage of calories from carbs they’d possibly do best with. As an example from above, a woman struggling with fertility issues may benefit from a carb intake around 3. I then determine her caloric needs using a calculator like this one. If we determine that her daily needs are roughly 2. As there are 4 calories in a gram of carbohydrate, this works out to be 1. Usually I give my clients a target range to hit depending on their activity levels, and we use these targets to re- evaluate their food diaries and see if they’re hitting their goals. Most of my clients are surprised to learn how much carb- rich Paleo foods they have to eat to get up to 1. But once they start making a real effort to hit those targets, the health benefits are immediate. These benefits include weight loss, elevated mood, skin improvements, increased energy, normal menstrual function, more satisfying sleep, and more. It’s so exciting to see what a couple of starchy tubers and pieces of fruit can do for a person’s health when they simply need to eat more carbs! Wondering what foods have carbs in them, and what portion sizes you need to eat of each type to get the carbs you need? Click here for a handy list you can print out! Final Thoughts. The purpose of this article was not to bash low carb diets. I truly believe that there are many people out there who get amazing health results from a low carb plan, and there are dozens of health conditions that benefit from a very low carb or ketogenic diet, especially severe neurological conditions. Paul Jaminet has written some great posts explaining when a ketogenic diet may be useful and necessary, so I strongly suggest reading those posts if you’re still on the fence about where you stand with carbohydrates and your health needs. My hope is that by reading this article, you’ll be able to understand the many factors that play into how a person handles a low carbohydrate diet, and whether or not their health will improve on such a plan. Everyone is different in their ability to thrive on a low carbohydrate diet. If you’ve found yourself identifying with any of the issues I’ve written about in this post, you may be in need of a macronutrient adjustment in your diet. Helping people optimize their carb intake is a challenge I truly enjoy.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2017
Categories |