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Greetings!
I hope you are having a great summer. The abundance of vegetables makes summer a great time for healthy eating. Unfortunately, dangerous foods don't have a season. In this newsletter we explore some of the reasons certain foods are really difficult to avoid.
Have a great month!
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 Craveability What the Food Industry Doesn't Want You to Know by Robert A Hart, MD What are your favorite snack foods? Don't tell me...I can probably guess. If you are like most other people, the foods you crave are very similar to foods that many other people crave. While there is quite a bit of individual variation, basic food types always top the list for most people.
For many people, highly craveable foods may wreck their otherwise good diet. Just a few of these foods may derail you off the road to success in your diet. Controlling and eliminating craveable foods is one of the key components to any successful weight loss plan.
Much of the research on highly "craveable" foods is conducted privately and secretly by the food industry. Millions of dollars are spent designing foods that are practically impossible for us to resist.
What does the available research tell us about craveable foods. It appears that highly craveable foods do have some common characteristics. The key component of a craveable food is a rapidly absorbed carbohydrate like refined wheat, potato starch, or just plain sugar. Added fat and salt intensifies the effect. This combination of ingredients stimulates our brain receptors in much the same way as drugs like cocaine or narcotics.
For many people fighting with obesity, these foods are like alcohol to an alcoholic--they are nearly impossible to resist. Perhaps you may resist them on your "strong" days. But when stress and fatigue come your way, you may find yourself eating the very foods that will keep you from losing weight. You may need to get professional help to stop your food addiction. Call us for more information and to get started on a plan to end your food addiction.
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 When Disaster Strikes
Simplify For Success
by Robert A Hart, MD
Meal replacements (generally protein shakes or bars) have been used for many years to help people lose weight effectively. But do they work?
A review of multiple weight loss studies was conducted by a group of weight loss researchers. Their goal was to review the best studies available that evaluated meal replacements.
It seems like a simple strategy. Just don't eat one meal or two meals per day and replace them with a fixed calorie drink or bar. This strategy is employed by many weight loss programs. Very aggressive weight loss programs may replace all meals with supplements, while milder weight loss programs may just use them once daily. Most meal replacements, whether bars or shakes, consist of a high protein supplement with added vitamins and minerals. Usually the carbohydrate and fat content is low. The researchers found that subject who used a PMR (partial meal replacement) diet lost about twice as much weight as those who followed a conventional low calorie diet using only regular foods. It seems from this analysis that adding simplicity and structure to a diet helps persons lose more weight. Sometimes having less choices in a diet makes weight loss more attainable. While there are many meal replacement options available, don't get lured into choosing very expensive options. Usually a basic, good quality meal replacement will be adequate. At NEO Bariatric Medicine, we use quality meal replacement bars and shakes and provide them at reasonable cost. If you are interested in a custom designed diet utilizing meal replacements, let us know.
You can reach our office at (330) 473-4525 or (800) 673-5340. |
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Summer Meal Ideas
by Robert Hart, MD
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Grilled Tuna Salad
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Summer is a great time to renew your efforts at eating a healthier diet. During the summer people have reduced carb cravings and increased physical activity. Unfortunately, while primitive people would often lose weight during periods of high activity, Americans today are deluged with high sugar, high carb addictive foods during all seasons of the year. This "poisonous" food often may prevent the normally expected summer weight loss from occurring.
To get your summer eating back on track, think natural, whole foods. Salads are a great summer food. Start with whatever raw veggies you can find in the fridge: peppers, carrots, lettuce, spinach, etc. Then add a nice lean protein like tuna, salmon, or lean red meat. Eggs can be a good option, too. Sprinkle with a small amount of feta or parmesan cheese to add a little zing. Then top with a small amount of vinaigrette or other light dressing.
Salads are especially good at providing fullness due to the bulk and fiber of the vegetables combined with small amounts of proteins and good fats. I recommend eating some type of salad every day.
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If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future newsletters, please contact me. Have a great summer. Stay active and healthy.
Sincerely,
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Robert Hart, MD
Northeast Ohio Bariatric Medicine |
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