Sunday, May 25, 2014

'Fed Up": Is Exercise Part of the Weight Loss Equation?



"Fed Up," the latest documentary about nutrition, dietary theories, and food politics makes a case for the risks of a diet high in sugar and processed foods. If you've been reading my blog posts, you'll know I support staying clear of sugars and artificial sweeteners found in all processed foods.

But, it's a second idea put forth in this documentary that troubles me.

The idea that the calorie deficit equation or calories in vs. calories out does not work. 

Weight loss is not a simple task.  If it were, we could figure out our resting metabolic rate or energy it takes for our particular body to just survive.  We could subtract 3500 calories per week or balance with calories burned on the treadmill or in spin class and lose about a pound a week.

Does this work? Yes... and no.

And, more importantly, if we cannot burn calories to lose weight or body fat, does this mean we get a free pass to avoid the gym or physical activity?

Let's start by addressing the first part of the equation, calories in.  As much as the food processors and marketers would like you to believe, all calories are not equal.  The human body is designed to maintain a state of homeostatis or balance in order to survive. This means we need a particular balance of macro- and micronutrients, enzymes, water to function.  If we do not feed our bodies what we need, we will experience cravings, eating an indefinite amount of excess calories. 

In other words, man cannot live on bread, or In & Out, or Lean Cuisines or fro yo, or power bars alone. 

Think of your body like a very expensive, fine-tuned engine.  More Maserati or Ferrari than Hyundai.  Car enthusiasts use premium gas to ensure their wheels run smoothly.  You'd never dump a bowl of sugar under the hood and pray for the  best.

Feed your  body whole foods, lean proteins (primarily plant-based), fruits and vegetables, actual whole grains like brown rice rather than some Franken-fiberized "whole grain" fluffy hamburger bun or chips.  Include healthy fats like Omega-3s and even some saturated fats found in coconut oil. Eat when you are hungry. Stop when you're full.  Listen to your body, even if that means you must get reaquainted with the feeling of hunger and fullness.  Be present when you eat. 

So, if you do switch to a "clean" diet, should you eschew exercise for watching "The Bachelorette" on the couch or pressing the snooze bar a few more times? 

If we look at exercise as only part of the calories burned paradigm, we'd need to log sixty minutes on the treadmill just to cover that bowl of cereal with milk.  The focus on calories burned is a pretty ineffective tool for weight control. 

I spent most of my adult years as a compulsive dieter and calorie torcher.  But even during my calorie counting mania, I enjoyed exercise classes for the feeling I'd experience during and after a sweaty class, perhaps even more than the promise of a few pounds burned each month.

Exercise is so much more than a tool to burn extra calories or lose a few pounds.  Our bodies are designed for movement.  Since our daily lives don't involve chasing after our food or being chased by a dinosaur or other threat, we live rather sedentary lifestyles.

We need a combination of cardio (exercise that raises our heart rate), resistance training to build and maintain muscle and bone mass.  And stretching for flexibility.  I haven't even mentioned the psychological and stress-releasing benefits.

As we age, we lose muscle mass.  When we don't feed our bodies the right balance of protein, fats, carbs, we pull from muscle mass to feed our bodies, just like if our diets don't include enough calcium, our bodies pull from our bone mass.  Dieting alone without exercise will accelerate loss of muscle.  And when we lose muscle mass, our resting metabolic rate decreases. 

Resistance training, with weights, machines, or our own body resistance, helps preserve muscle mass so for hours after your barre or yoga class or hour at the gym, your metabolic rate is still increased.

When we practice mind/body exercise like yoga or barre or Pilates, we become more in tune with our bodies and needs. Since I switched up most of my workouts to yoga and barre, I have found I am much more aware of actual hunger and what I want to eat.  If you've spent a few hours exercising, you are likely not running out to grab a double double or the rest of that box of cookies in your cabinet.

Most of us live hectic, hurried, stressful lives in with little downtime.  We aren't present because we are tethered to our i Phones or smart phones, panicked without WiFi access. The seductive temptation of a cupcake or some other fat/sugar double whammy is alluring when we are exhausted, facing work deadlines, have to bring the kids to soccer, and hoping to have a healthy dinner on the table. 

Lots of women have shared with me they are unable to resist the call of a midafternoon dessert, frozen yogurt with toppings, or an iced blended mocha.  Sugar lights up the same receptors in our brain that cocaine and other drugs light up.  And sweets bring us back to our childhood.

Switch out the afternoon treat with a walk with a friend. Throw in an exercise tape. Take a class. The endorphin rush you'll get from a workout relieves stress and makes you feel better about yourself.















Thursday, May 8, 2014

Deconstructing the Cereal Bowl



He likes it! Hey, Mikey!

Stays crunchy, even in milk!
Snap, Crackle, Pop!

It's Gr-r-reat!

Breakfast of Champions.

About one in two Americans shake flakes or Krispies from a box and top with nonfat, 2%, almond, or some other variation as their a.m. meal.

Cereal and milk is a healthier choice than a bacon and eggs, right?

Not so fast.

What is lurking in that bowl of vitamin-fortified, nonfat, maybe high fiber breakfast?

(Whole) Grains and Fiber: The Real Story

Fiber. The form of carbohydrates that is not digested or absorbed by the body.

 Soluble fiber, found in oats, beans, apples, citrus fruits, peas, and psyllium, is dissolvable in water and may control blood cholesterol and glucose levels. Soluble fiber has a sort of starchy, gummy texture. Think the long-cooked oatmeal in your college cafeteria.

Insoluble fiber is the stuff your grandma called "roughage." Found in foods like broccoli, whole wheat bread, prunes aka dried plums.  It's what keeps you "regular."

The typical western diet doesn't include nearly enough fiber, which studies have shown to effect everything from risk of cancer and diabetes to post-coronary survival rates.

So, food processors and manufacturers have found a way to add "functional" fiber to those fluffy foods we are supposed to avoid.

Can we get the same nutritional bang from a bowl of sugary breakfast cereal, dayglo mac & cheese, and a PB&J  or a Fluffernutter on white bread as we do from rolled oats and steamed broccoli? (I know some of you are on your knees in prayer!)

Functional or isolated fiber is extracted from plant sources or chemically synthesized by nice people in white labcoats.  If the ingredient list is headed by inulin (extracted from chicory root), pectin, polydextrose, methylcellulose, or maltodextrin, the cereal (English muffin, cookies, or fluffy white bread of your childhood) contains functional fiber.

Studies on the benefits of functional fiber are tenuous at best and are funded primarily by, yes, food manufacturers.

Are there any cereals on the shelves with natural fiber?

Cereals with wheat bran, corn bran, or oats are a safer bet. Conventional cereals like Fiber One, Cheerios, Grape Nuts, and Shredded Wheat (Original) feature wheat bran or oats. A bowl of steamy oatmeal is a good option. Just avoid instant and presweetened varieties. Or select from an organic brand to avoid genetically modified ingredients.

The Sugar Bowl

The typical American diet contains over 150 pounds of sugar per year. Much of that sugar is from processed foods like breakfast cereal. Excess sugar intake may contribute to a host of medical problems including chronic inflammation, heart disease, cancer, obesity, and metabolic syndromes.

In North America, if a non-organic ingredient list includes "sugar," it's likely a blend of genetically modified beet sugar and cane sugar.

The World Health Organization recommends adults consume five percent of their daily calories from sugar or a more likely target of ten percent or the equivalent of six teaspoons.  Children should consume approximately three teaspoons per day.

To paraphrase The Bard, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."  Sugar has lots of aliases.  Look for molasses, honey, fructose, sucrose, malt syrup, honey, and dextrose on ingredient lists.

BHT

BHTand BHT are commonly found preservatives in cereals and other processed foods. Some laboratory studies have shown BHA to have carcinogenic properties in rats and other animals. The NIH's National Toxicology Program concludes that BHA is "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen."

BHT is indicated by some studies to be a weak endocrine disruptor. Consumption may impact one or more hormones and also may effect lungs, liver, kidney, and thyroid.

The GMO Factor

GMOs, or “genetically modified organisms,” are plants or animals that have been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses or other plants and animals. These experimental combinations of genes from different species cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.

Virtually all commercial GMOs are engineered to withstand direct application of herbicide and/or to produce an insecticide. Despite biotech industry promises, none of the GMO traits currently on the market offer increased yield, drought tolerance, enhanced nutrition, or any other consumer benefit.

(Non-GMO Project)

The production and sales of GMOs have been banned or restricted in over sixty countries worldwide, including the countries of the EEU, Japan, and Australia.  GMOs are legal in the US.  Foods labeled organic may not by law contain genetically modified ingredients. Most states in the US do not require labeling of genetically modified ingredients.

Over 90-98% of non-organic corn, soy, canola, alfalfa sprouts, sugar beets, yellow and green squash, and Hawaiian papaya are genetically modified.

Many non-organic cereals contain soy, corn, corn and soy derivatives, sugar (from sugar beets), and canola oil.

So, can the cereal bowl still hold a spot at the healthy breakfast table?

Choose from varieties that are less processed, such as rolled oats or organic brands. Avoid presweetened commercial cereals that are loaded with sugar and GMOs. And avoid those cereals you used to see advertised on Saturday morning cartoons!