Tag Archives: diet

The Passion Diet

Posted on by

Dr Georgianna Donadio, PhD

passion diet- whole nutrition

How much do YOU know about your own weight loss and weight gain patterns?

One of the frustrating aspects of health information that we hear the most from consumers is that just when you think you’ve got a handle on what you are supposed to do to be healthy – the information changes.

For example, not long ago those of us who were over 50 were assured that if we moderately cut back our portions, decreasing our calories and exercised for a half hour 4-5 times a week, we could keep at bay the extra body fat that creeps in after menopause.

How many of us dutifully reduced their calories and did their half hour routine daily only to feel that there was “something wrong with them” because this formula didn’t work for their body; but the “experts” said it was the right way to control weight after 50.

Wisdom, from research, has now shifted for women past the age when our estrogen is dramatically lower than pre-menopause. Estrogen, as every woman knows, is that amazing hormone that is a metabolic calorie burner as well as a reproductive hormone. It keeps us heart healthy; keeps our skin healthy and produces “pheromones” for attraction, among other body functions.

No longer is a half hour of exercise deemed adequate to increase the metabolic furnace that is slowed down by the loss of estrogen. We now have to exercise a minimum of one hour per day and really watch everything we put in our mouths, ESPECIALLY carbohydrates, which we want more than ever for the serotonin surge they give us. This new information comes from the fact that women over 50 generally do not lose the weight they want with just a half hour of exercise.

What IS important regarding losing weight and keeping it off after 50 is what our individual body tells us is right for our metabolism and body type. We need to ask ourselves what DO we know about ourselves and our own weight loss and weight gain pattern that should be more important than the “weight loss expert’s” advice.

The big question is, now that we are past the age of reproduction and our body no longer is protecting us against many of the maladies that come with getting older, what are we willing to make our priority and what do WE KNOW about our own metabolic profile and how food and exercise affects our body weight.

In addition, understanding the function of various hormones in regulating appetite and satiety, hormones such as ghrelin, leptin, cholecystokinin, and other peptides all relay peripheral signals to the hypothalamus, which control appetite and satiety. Passion and creativity increase this hormonal function to decrease appetite and increase satiety. Many of us experience this when we fall in love!

Important Questions to Ask Ourselves

1-  What do I know about how I gain weight?

2-  What do I know about how I lose weight?

3-  Do I eat when I’m stressed?

4-  Do I lose weight when I’m stressed?

5-  Do I use food for emotional soothing?

6-  Does eating play a dominant role in my daily routine?

7-  Is losing weight more important than eating what I like when I like it?

8-  What am I willing to give up to get the body weight I want?

9-  Do I feel my food choices need to improve?

10- What is my personal experience with exercise?

11- What works best for me; what kind of exercise do I enjoy?

12- What do I know about how my body responds to exercise?

13- Am I willing to make the time to take care of myself?

14- What are my health priorities?

15- What are my ego priorities?

16- What keeps me from being the weight I want to be – REALLY?

The issue of weight loss is intimately connected with our relationship with our life force. Rarely do we see an energetic, productive, organized individual (men or women) who struggle with weight issues, even after 50 because they are often focused on their external interests and passions. Often these folks suffer from not taking the time to eat when or as much as they should.

One of the weight loss “secrets” I have learned over the years as a nutritionist from my patients is that when they are excited, creative, interested, and passionate about their work, their relationships, learning, doing or being, the issue of a naturally right body weight solves itself. We are often over-focused on the sensory experience and pleasure of food as a main stay for satisfaction and pleasure. Then, often when something else catches our attention, the issue of fulfillment comes from another source in our lives.

Something to consider – Find Your Passion!

References

Empty-Stomach Intelligence

Physiology, Obesity Neurohormonal Appetite And Satiety Control

Join the conversation. If you enjoyed this article, be sure to follow NIWH on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates filled with accredited health program information for holistic nurses and whole health coaches or advocates.

Have You Ever Wondered Why You’re Always Hungry?

Posted on by
Why Am I Always Hungry? Snacks. National institute of Whole Health Article

Hunger is a natural response by the body when it has used up the caloric intake from our last meal and we need to replenish. When we are in a constant state of hunger, or hungry very shortly after our last meal, this can signal a health problem such as hormonal imbalance or other either genetic or chronic health conditions. The hormones from the thyroid, pancreas, reproductive glands, and pituitary or adrenals glands are all possible contributors to constant hunger.

There are also other factors that can play a large role as well. A diet that is very low in fat can create a constant hunger. Our bodies require a certain amount of fat each day to regulate our metabolism and these healthy fats (such as avocado, nuts or olive oil). These fats trigger a hormone called leptin that curbs or stops the appetite.

Why Am I Always Hungry? Snacks. National institute of Whole Health Article

When any one of many things that can create imbalances or that can override the body’s normal metabolic function occurs, we can short circuit the body’s ability to sustain normal appetite and food consumption. Most commonly these are hormone or neurotransmitter imbalances that create hunger due to the interruption of the normal hunger/hormone chemical.

Stress can play a large role in this condition, as well as excessive or chronic long term carbohydrate intake. Excess carbohydrates can result in both a decrease and an increase in insulin secretion which can then trigger several metabolic problems and syndromes.

If you are experiencing, chronic persistent hunger it is important to consult with your physician. There are many situations that can also contribute to your hunger such as hyperthyroidism, menstrual irregularities, Von Gierke disease, bulimia, Prader-Willi syndrome, diabetes, medications or hypoglycemia.

For more whole health discussions, listen to my weekly radio show Living Above The Drama. Also available on iHeartRadio.

Is Bisphenol A (BPA) Still Hiding in Your Food?

Posted on by

Most of us engaged in health professions are already aware that there are lots of dangerous materials like additives, dyes, pesticides and carcinogens in our foods. What many of us are not aware of is that in the containers that our foods come in, especially take out, there are chemicals in the materials that may be even more harmful than the additives, dyes and pesticides.

By now you have probably heard of the dangers of the toxic chemical Bisphenol A (BPA). This chemical can be found in polycarbonate plastic food containers, bottles and takeout food containers. Numerous articles have been written on breast cancer and prostate cancer that result from exposure to the BPA contained in packaging and containers that carry food stuffs.

Recent, important environmental health study findings pertinent to health coach certification were published in March in the online journal Environmental Health Perspectives. A study was conducted by two organizations concerned with the environmental causes of breast cancer, the Breast Cancer Fund and Silent Spring Institute. The study was on the dangers of BPA.

The organizations identified and followed five (5) families who frequently used packaged food and drinks which were made for microwave preparation. The BPA levels of these families, which both consisted of a mother, father and two children, were measured and recorded.

Then, these same families ate fresh, organic food cooked only in glass or stainless steel containers. The immediate results on the level of BPA in their bodies with  the packaged food and fresh food was measured via urine collection, at varied intervals of the testing.

The outcomes were significant with all participants having lowered BPA levels in 72 hour period after the BPA rich packaging was exchanged with glass and stainless steel containers. The average decrease in the BPA was approximately 60%.

The study demonstrated that as quickly as six (6) hours after exposure, half the BPA is eliminated through the urine. However, if the prior use of the BPA rich packaging is resumed, the BPA levels demonstrate a return to the pre-intervention level on urine analysis. When the families resumed their normal diets, their BPA levels returned to pre-intervention levels by the next urine sample.

What is important about this study is that it demonstrates that we can easily reduce the levels of BPA our bodies are exposed to by eliminating the use of the packaging it is found in and by cooking and preparing our foods more naturally. It is important not to use these BPA rich containers to microwave in as this increases the amount of BPA exposure.

Using glass or ceramic containers in the microwave is healthier and most importantly, they contain no BPA.  By also avoiding canned foods (unless the cans are BPA free) you will cut down on this dangerous exposure for both you and your family.

For more whole health discussions like this, listen to my radio show Living Above The Drama.

 

A Healthier Relationship With Food

Posted on by

 

Our mood and our food are intimately connected. It's interesting that the emphasis is usually on how things from outside our bodies affect our insides when in reality so much of what is going on inside affects our outsides. This is really evident in terms of weight loss and weight gain. The way we feel about ourselves, our work, or our life, whether we are fulfilled or dissatisfied, has more to do with what or how much we choose to eat than eating a certain food affects how we feel.

One of the reasons diets don't work is because the "work" is being done on the outside of the problem instead of the inside. I have been a nutritionist for over 30 years and have seen thousands of patients who want to change the way they look or the way they eat.

When we start to "work" on the goal, within a relatively short period of time, they become aware of underlying feelings and emotions associated with not eating foods that "medicate" or mask their feelings. They often become discouraged because the feelings are uncomfortable and sometimes painful. It is our human nature to avoid pain and move towards pleasure. It takes courage to truly tackle and confront the underlying issues of "food and mood." Rather than focusing on the outside of the problem, we need to focus on the inside instead.

Here is an exercise you may find to be of value. If you are dealing with mood or food issues, keep a journal for 10 days. Write down everything you eat. Also write about how you feel when you don't eat what you want and how you feel when you do eat what you want.

Just becoming more aware of what you are putting in your mouth, and how it translates to how you feel after you eat a particular food, can be the start of a healthier and happier relationship with food and your mood.

 

FREE Whole Health Consultations available.
888-354-4325 Take charge of your health!