Secondly, keep watch on the sodium content of foods.  Organic sodium, found in natural salts, fruits, and vegetables, is the best type of sodium to consume.  Sodium is one of the electrolyte minerals in the body and is crucial to the water balance in the body.  Since our bodies are 70% water, you can see how an imbalance in this mineral could wreak havoc on us.  Constantly having to rid our bodies of the extra sodium puts a strain on both the adrenals (they control levels of sodium in the body) and the kidneys, through which extra sodium is excreted.  High sodium can affect many areas of health, most notably blood pressure.  Removing processed foods is the answer to this problem.  Many people remove salt from the diet, but I don't agree with this for two reasons: 1)  Our diets are typically deficient in iodine, which is added to many salts 2) Higher quality salts are easily assimilated by the body and contain beneficial minerals.  I like iodized sea salt, as well as many of the specialty salts carried by our neighbors The Spice House.

Another area that people seem confused about is fat.  Fat is an important nutrient, but it is the quality of the fat that matters. Healthy fats are integral to the functioning of every cell in our body (they make up the cell membrane, the integrity of which determines what nutrients get into and out of the cell), are crucial to the functioning of neurotransmitters, and are the building blocks of hormones, the chemical messengers of the body.  Cholesterol, in fact, is the basis of many of these hormones.  Cholesterol is naturally made by the liver and is a precursor to your hormones.  Many of us think of cholesterol as something we get from eggs and red meat.  Cholesterol is vital to the body's overall functionality and its negative effect on health has perhaps been overblown.  The real culprits are trans-fats and hydrogenated oils, neither of which are recognized and properly digested by the body because they are synthetic fats.  Animal products that are from sources which are fed antibiotics and steroids to produce the food more cheaply are also detrimental. 

Having the right ratio of nutrients is more important than depriving yourself of one or another.  Carbohydrates, fats and protein are all important to a healthy diet.  The calories you consume should be roughly 20% from fat, 20%-30% from protein and 50%-60% from carbohydrates.  Higher protein diets are appropriate for athletes, young people in a growth stage and those recovering from any disease where there has been a wasting of the body.  The proteins that we consume are broken down by the body and made into the proteins that our bodies need to function.  We get protein not only from meats, but also nuts and grains.  Vegetarians must be careful to consume "complete proteins", or those that contain all of the essential amino acids, the building blocks of the proteins made by our bodies.  If one or more of these amino acids are not available, the body must wait to make the proteins it needs.  Certain herbs, most notably spirulina, are also complete proteins.

Carbohydrates vary greatly in quality.  The "white" carbohydrates (refined sugar, white bread, white rice, pasta, etc.) cause a spike in blood sugar and contain neither the minerals to help you process the sugar nor many nutrients.  Gluten sensitivity is also very common and you should pay attention to whether cutting gluten out of the diet produces a reduction in bloating and other symptoms.  The good news is that eating gluten free is much easier than it used to be.  I even had a gluten free beer at Summerfest in Milwaukee the other night!  Carbohydrates are present in fruits and vegetables, so remember that many of your healthy carbs come from this source.  Fruits and vegetables also have the fiber and other nutrients in them that help the body properly use their natural sugars.

High quality foods cost more but will save you health care costs in the long run.  Think of it as cheap medicine rather than expensive food.  You may think you will miss processed foods, but you will notice a difference in the way you feel eating foods that are better for you.  Over time, those "old foods" won't even taste good to you any more.  An occasional indulgence won't hurt either.  It's not about deprivation, it's just about feeling better.

Move it to Lose It!

Exercise bestows so many benefits on the body that it would be hard to name them all.  It gets the blood pumping, releases feel-good chemicals in the body, and increases our rate of metabolism. Exercising naturally produces oxidation in the body, so to get the maximum benefit from it we need to have ample antioxidants available to process these metabolic wastes.  Many fruits are high in antioxidants, or you can take an antioxidant supplement such as resveratrol, pycnogenol, or acai.  Eating a high protein meal right before vigorous exercise can be very dangerous due to the the oxidation that is produced.  High protein meals should be eaten after exercise as they are important for re-building muscle and continuing to burn calories after exercise.

If your current activity level is low, make sure you have the energy to exercise and don't overwhelm yourself with initial goals that are too lofty.  We will address the energy issue below.  Start with taking a walk after dinner and work your way up to other activities.  Try lots of different activities to see what most agrees with your body and what you enjoy.   Personally I like to do all different forms of exercise so I don't get bored.  Low impact practices like tai chi or qi gong can be great for someone who doesn't like vigorous exercise, or is unable to do it right now.  These practices can improve the flow of energy in the body, waking up the cells and giving us more energy.

What Supplements Can Help Me?

There has been much in the news lately about diet products, their altering, and the inclusion of drugs not listed on product ingredients.  The good news is that the FDA has cracked down on this abuse, removing many of the offenders from the market.  If you are looking for the silver bullet approach, I very much doubt that you will find it.  If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  Supplements that support healthy weight loss center around one or more of the following:

1)       detoxing the body in preparation for weight loss

2)       increasing energy

3)       improving blood sugar levels

4)       using fiber to increase satiety

5)       increasing fat breakdown

6)       eliminating excess water from the body

7)       identifying emotional triggers for eating

If you know where your downfall is relative to weight loss then focus only on the supplements that help with that issue.  If you feel you could benefit from one or more of these, then let us help you choose a combination product.

Detoxing the Body in Preparation for Weight Loss

Did you know that many of the toxins in our body are stored in our fat tissues?  Did you also know that our body has a built-in mechanism for preventing the release of those toxins via weight loss if it knows it is not equipped to handle them? Toxins can be stored in the body for years.  Therefore, the first step in weight loss is to clear the body of toxins concentrated in our other tissues so that it can adequately handle any toxins released through weight loss.  Cleansing typically focuses on improving all of our detoxifying systems, including the lungs, the skin, the liver, the kidneys, the blood, the lymphatic system and the bowel.  There are herbal as well as homeopathic formulas you can take, or you can focus on a single herb.  The best cleansing herb of all is milk thistle, primarily for the liver.

There are also antioxidants that will help tremendously with cleaning up the environment in the body, if you prefer to go that route.  I don't like the juice fasts or lemonade diets because these mainly detox water-soluble toxins, leaving the fat-soluble ones behind.  Fat soluble toxins (which include some of the most dangerous toxins of all) need fiber to attach to so they can be carried out of the system.  The liquid diets do not contain this necessary fiber.

Increasing Energy

It's going to be tough to get ourselves moving if we constantly feel sluggish.  Many of us are stressed out, causing low energy and lack of motivation.  There is a class of herbs called adaptogens that help the body adapt to stress.  These include such herbs as rhodiola, ashwaganda, schizandra, ginseng, and maca.  These herbs are not stimulants, but produce more even energy by nourishing the adrenal glands and helping us respond better to stress.  Eating more often, in smaller amounts, can also produce a more even amount of energy.

B vitamins and magnesium are very important cofactors to energy production in the body, so these nutrients can be important to maintaining energy.  Vitamin B1 and magnesium are both depleted by alcohol, which some of us turn to in order to de-stress.  Caffeine produces energy highs and lows and reduces hydration, which is all-important to maintaining energy.  Green tea, on the other hand, increases metabolic rate and has a positive effect on blood sugar and blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides.

Ginger aids digestion, increases metabolism, improves circulation and helps with fat metabolism.  Add fresh ginger to your meals, take a ginger syrup, or it is also available in pill form.

A multivitamin is essential to everyone, whether they are a healthy weight or not.  A multi can assure that you have a base level of nutrients available to perform all of the body's functions.  It is a must for weight loss as individuals with weight issues typically are deficient in certain nutrients.

Improving Blood Sugar Levels

Blood sugar levels that are either too high or too low can have a significant impact on the cravings we experience, so keeping blood sugar levels in a normal range is very important to weight loss.  Chromium is a mineral that is an integral part of glucose tolerance factor, which helps us properly use insulin and maintain healthy blood sugar  levels.  Interestingly, chromium is present in natural sugars like raw cane sugar, date sugar and palm sugar, but is processed out of white sugar.  A great example of how a food in its natural form gives us what we need to properly assimilate it!

Gymnema is an herb that has been tested in both animal and clinical trials to reduce blood sugar levels.  It does this by reducing the intestinal absorption of glucose and appears to have a direct positive effect on the cells in the pancreas that release insulin.  

Many other herbs can lower blood sugar including cinnamon, pycnogenol, maitake mushrooms, fenugreek and bitter melon.

Using Fiber to Increase Satiety

Fiber has three important functions as it relates to weight loss.  We have mentioned above that fiber is very important for binding toxins in order to carry them out of the system.  As toxins are released with weight loss, fiber grabs onto them so they can be released through the bowel.  A second function of fiber is to increase the feeling of fullness.  Fiber absorbs water, adding bulk and creating a feeling of being satisfied.  It requires more chewing, causing us to slow down our eating and get a feeling that we have eaten more.  Third, fiber stabilizes blood sugar and reduces blood cholesterol.

A fiber complex called PGX has clinical studies behind it that show that it helps reduce appetite, promote weight loss, reduce the glycemic load of a meal by 35%-70%, lower the level of compounds that fuel over-eating, decreases blood insulin, and lowers cholesterol.  Wow!  I know people personally who have used it and had weight loss without even changing their diet (although it is obviously recommended to improve your diet).

A fiber supplement can also be helpful.  The herbs psyllium, oat bran, acacia fiber, apple fiber, rice bran, flaxseed and chia seeds all provide great sources of fiber.  Fiber supplements come as powders or pills.  Flaxseed and chia seeds provide great fiber and can be added to yogurt, salads, or smoothies.  One caution with fiber: if you are on prescription drugs you should take the fiber supplement at a different time of day than the drug as there is the potential for it to carry the drug out of the system too quickly.

Increasing Fat Breakdown

Certain nutrients encourage the breakdown of fat in the body, helping us to use them to produce energy.  The amino acid l-carnitine helps shuttle fats to the cell to be burned for energy.  CLA, or conjugated linoleic acid, is a fatty acid that improves body composition and may increase cell death of fat cells.  It has been found in studies to help reduce adipose tissue in the abdomen.  Fucoxanthin, a brown seaweed extract, targets a protein that burns abdominal fat and boosts metabolism without stimulating the nervous system according to its maker, Garden of Life.  The herb guggul supports normal fat metabolism as well as normal cholesterol.  Bitter orange contains synephrine, a compound that affects body weight and fat mass, and breaks down fat in the body.

Eliminating Excess Water From the Body

As mentioned above, excess sodium intake can cause edema.  An herb that is a great mild diuretic is dandelion.  It has the added benefit of being high in potassium, so that urinary loss of this important electrolyte will be prevented (unlike prescription diuretics).  Cascara sagrada can also be effective in this way.  Asparagus is an excellent diuretic as well.  Drinking enough water can also keep the body from trying to hold on to too much water.

Identifying Emotional Triggers for Over-Eating

Julie Walker, a medical intuitive that I know, says that weight is "such an easy issue" and it is always about protection.  If you have a weight issue, are you protecting yourself from something or someone?  Identifying these issues can help you finally get over the hump to lose weight.  Flower essences can be a wonderful, subtle way to deal with the emotional issues that are obstacles to weight loss.  Here are a few that may be helpful:

Cayenne-catalyzing the will with a fiery stimulus to overcome inertia and resistance; breaking free of habitual behavior

Crab Apple-obsession with bodily impurities & imperfections; to enhance cleansing or detoxing program

Hounds Tongue-overweight accompanied by an overly materialistic attitude toward life

Milkweed-blotting out pain with food or other substances

Sagebrush-breaking free of old identities & habits which are no longer appropriate; finding what is essential or true for oneself

The list of possibilities with flower essences is almost limitless, so this is by no means a comprehensive list.

Get it Started!

Summer is a good time to lose weight; our appetites are lower in the heat and we are not naturally holding on to body fat during this season.  I hope you have found some helpful tools to get started on a weight loss program.  Slow and steady is the best way to go for permanent weight loss.  Improving the nutrient quality of the foods we eat will give us more energy.  As we feel better we may be more apt to work out.  It's a snowball effect, each step providing the impetus for the next.  The fact that we feel better from each step provides the motivation to do more.  Conquering the emotional issues that are tied to excess weight can go a long way toward helping us reach the goal for a healthier weight.  So why not get started?