Nothing can be done about your age, so don’t worry about it. You simply are the age you are, and yes, your metabolism slows down accordingly. But all is not lost. You can rev up your metabolism in spite of your age, no matter what age you are. Here’s what to do beyond eating the low-dieting way.

Avoid Overeating

Low-dieting weight loss only works to the extent that you don’t overeat. When you overeat, your body’s insulin levels become elevated and your body starts storing fat. Read the rest of this entry »

Mood Management

Eating high-dieting food creates mood disorders. Your body reacts to these foods by increasing insulin levels, which then increases the level of stress hormones.

With elevated levels of adrenaline and cortisol, a person easily experiences anxiety, panic attacks, and depression. If stress hormones stay high over a long period of time, a person can end up medically diagnosed with a mood disorder. Read the rest of this entry »

Think of insulin as a highly beneficial hormone. It literally keeps you alive. But again, too much of a good thing—in this case, insulin—is damaging. You want to have enough insulin in your body to keep you thin and healthy and not so much that you fall prey to its dire health consequences. Read the rest of this entry »

Into this category falls the flesh of any living animal — meat, chicken, fish and shellfish. Or, as the late Linda McCartney, an ardent vegetarian, once put it, ‘anything with a face’.

I have not complicated matters by including eggsand legumesin this food group, although these certainly do contain protein. Once again, bear in mind that these classifications are specifically tailored to the diet.

Proteins are the building blocks of muscles. There should always be small amounts of proteins in your bloodstream, because your muscles may need them in order to build themselves up if the need so arises. I number among my patients a variety of very active sports people, all of whom wish to build up their bodies and increase their muscle mass. They worry that this diet doesn’t provide enough protein for body building and bulking. Read the rest of this entry »

Your pancreas releases insulin

Let’s go back to your blood. Your blood-sugar level has doubled since you ate the wholewheat toast, and your brain is buzzing happily. Not only that, but the ‘flood’ of glucose in your blood has stimulated your pancreas to produce insulin. Think of insulin as an army of soldiers embarking on a mopping-up operation. If there is a large flood of glucose into the bloodstream (caused by eating high-GI foods), the pancreas releases many insulin soldiers into the blood. Read the rest of this entry »

Consider your average working person: let us call her Samantha. She is in a rush to get to an early meeting, so she doesn’t have breakfast. She drives through the smog of the early rush-hour traffic, fretting about being late. When she’s finished the meeting, she rushes out to lunch. She orders a toasted sandwich with smoked salmon, and finishes off with filter coffee that has been brewing on the stove for many hours. She eats her meal sitting in the sun. Then it’s back to the office for more coffee as she frantically races against a deadline. Read the rest of this entry »

Because the cells of your body are created from the nutrients that you take in, the foods that you eat are an integral part of your detoxification program. From a purely physical aspect, you literally are what you eat. Your body is continually renewing itself, making new blood cells every day. In only four months, your entire bloodstream is replenished. The soft tissues of your body are made new approximately every three months, and your bone cells are replaced each year. Virtually your entire body is recreated every seven years. Each time you eat, you have an opportunity to improve your health and renew your body. Read the rest of this entry »

The least strict approach is the Limited Elimination Diet, in which you eliminate just a few of the most commonly reactive foods, plus any food that you eat virtually every day.

The three most commonly reactive foods are wheat, milk, and sugar.

Wheat and milk are notoriously reactive foods, for two apparent reasons. One reason is that both of these foods were introduced into the human diet at a relatively late stage of our evolution. Read the rest of this entry »

I know I said I wouldn’t try to change your eating habits too much, but as a mother and nutritionist, I just can’t help putting in a plug for healthy food. In my experience most teenagers don’t go out of their way to find nutritious food. My own daughter only eats beige foods (nothing green or yellow). I know I can’t get you to eat carrots instead of fries, but how about giving some fresh fruits and vegetables a chance? They have few calories. If you like quantity eating, you can eat as much as you like of them. You may find out you like them. Read the rest of this entry »

You are all set to lose weight: you’ve designed your diet, exercise, and special circumstances. Here are some key points for making your plan a success.

1. Start slowly. Most people want to lose 10 or 20 pounds in one week. This is not realistic. Permanent weight loss takes time. Look for no more than one or two pounds a week. Read the rest of this entry »