A wealth of new scientific evidence shines a critical light on the importance of natural foods and nutritional compounds in the fight against overweight, obesity and weight maintenance. Virtually all alternative health experts agree, the current epidemic of weight control issues plaguing western society are the result of excess consumption of highly processed convenience foods that have replaced vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds in the diet. Three independent studies conclude that blueberries, resveratrol from red grapes and cocoa flavanols exert a potent effect on fat cell formation that can aid in weight loss and management goals when included as part of your daily diet.

I was talking with someone today who told me that when she thinks of losing weight all she can think of is lots of celery and lots of sweat. I laughed so hard that I knew I needed to use it for our first blog. Many patients have this misconception about starting a weight loss program. They think that they need to buy special workout clothes, exercise balls, free weights, join a gym and purchase foods that they have never before put in their cart. They associate it with dread and exasperation.

A new patient - let’s call her Beth, came to the Hickory office last week and said to me, “I am hoping you can help me. I don’t know why I can’t lose weight on my own – I have cut way back on what I eat. It must be because my metabolism has slowed down from not eating enough.” I said to her, “Let’s take a look at what you are eating.” Sure enough, she was eating right around the amount she should be in order to be losing at least one to two pounds a week.

Childhood obesity is now the Number One health concern among parents in the United States, topping drug abuse and smoking. And for good reason – 1 out of every 3 kids is now overweight or obese – that is 30%! And although many parents are afraid to talk to their kids about weight issues for fear that their child will develop an eating disorder, the prevalence of eating disorders is only 0.3%. 

The former Surgeon General Richard Carmona said, “Because of the increasing rates of obesity, unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity, we may see the first generation that will be less healthy and have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.”

Do you know how much sugar you should consume each day? Do you know how to tell if sugar is natural or added? What happens in your body when you eat sugar? Where do sugar alcohols fit in? What about sugar versus honey? I have patients ask me these questions all the time. Sugar can be tricky to navigate. It’s time to get smart about sugar.

Sugar can occur naturally in foods such as fruit (fructose) and milk (lactose). Trouble comes mainly from sugars and syrups added into foods during preparation or processing. The Nutrition Facts Label combines natural and added sugars so you will need to look at the list of ingredients to determine the source of the sugar. To make it even more confusing, sugar has many different names. Be on the lookout for sugars ending in “ose,” such as maltose or sucrose as well as high fructose corn syrup, molasses, cane sugar, corn sweetener, raw sugar, syrup, honey or fruit juice concentrates. So how much sugar can you have? The recommendations for added sugar are 25g or 100 calories for women and 38g or 150 calories for men. The first step is to become aware of sugars in your food choices. Once you know where sugar is sneaking in, you can make a better choice based on the overall nutritional value.

Well, it's official. Every year around this time Sports Illustrated marks the opening of bikini season with the release of their annual Swimsuit Edition. It is around this time that women all across America brave pasty and lumpy reflections as they stand in front of a full length mirror to try on last year’s suit or consider buying a new suit for the summer. For some of us, we are hoping to hide indefinitely under layers of long pants and baggie sweaters. But alas, capitalism is there to give us a shot of reality and force us to admit that the time to dig out our summer wardrobe in right around the corner. The torture of it all can give new meaning to the phrase ‘March Madness”.  But, in fact, March is the perfect time to prepare so that you can melt away the extra pounds and strut your stuff on the beach before the temperature reaches 85 degrees. Here are some tips to get you ready:

#1: Allow up to 6-8 weeks for delivery

Yes, it may still be frosty outside in the morning, but you need plenty of time to allow yourself to get results. Don't rely on that master cleanse to do your dirty work the week before. Start today! Give yourself plenty of time to get in shape. If you’ve been sitting around all winter your body is not going to just snap back into shape in a couple of weeks. Give yourself about 6-8 weeks of eating well and stepping up your exercise before you expect to see any significant results. Your body will need that time to adapt to the changes in your metabolism and start working harder for you.