Gluten Free?

Okay, I'm about to embark on some tricky territory here. I feel like this whole gluten free thing has just really gotten out of hand and it's time to give you guys some food for thought.

I want to start off by saying two things: 1) If you have celiac or an intolerance diagnosed by your doctor and it's medically necessary for you to avoid gluten, then you can pretty much disregard this post. Keep avoiding the gluten like your doctor has instructed you and 2) celiac disease and gluten intolerances are definitely NOT the same thing. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease where your intestines literally start to attack themselves every time you eat gluten. It's not fun, and even using a knife that has touched gluten can cause someone with this disease to get sick. If you think you have celiac it's not okay to self diagnose. You need to go to a doctor and get checked out. It's not smart to go gluten free before getting tested for celiac because your doctor needs to see if your body produces antibodies from the gluten you eat and look for intestinal damage. So, please… go get checked out if you think you have this BEFORE you start avoiding gluten. Even if you think you have an intolerance, you really should talk to your doctor. Don't try to self diagnose. 

So, I knew the second Miley Cyrus showed up on social media 10-15 pounds thinner claiming giving up gluten was the secret that we were going to see a huge surplus in the gluten free trend. Of course this wrecking ball licking son of a gun knows what she's talking about, right?! Kidding. But seriously, avoiding gluten has become SO trendy and cool. I know, I know… you suffer from gas, bloat, and other intestinal issues, right? I'm no doctor, but I will say that in my profession when people have gas, bloat and intestinal issues it is by far the HARDEST thing to try to pinpoint the cause. I would love to tell you that gluten is to blame, it would make my life so much easier… but the truth is even stress and things completely unrelated to your diet can cause intestinal issues. 

I was in the avoiding gluten boat once. I was sure that it was the cause of all my gut problems. No way was it the miscarriage I suffered, the stress of my demanding internship, balancing out being a wife and a student, studying for the most important exam of my life… nope, definitely the gluten. Wellp, I'll be the first to admit it, I was wrong. Since then I'm happy to say that I figured out how to take better care of my body (gluten included) and my intestinal issues have become a thing of the past. Now, I'm not saying that every intestinal issue isn't gluten… I'm just saying maybe you should dig a little deeper before you start blaming it all on gluten and cutting it out of your life like a scorned lover. 

In my opinion, gluten has gotten a bad wrap. It's become known as "that one thing that makes you fat" and people think by avoiding gluten they'll lose weight. Yes, there is gluten in cake, pasta, bread and cookies so if you cut those out you may see some weight loss… but you could get the same effect just by cutting down on them. However, those gluten free brownies and cookies you've been eating…. hate to break it to you, but they're probably packing more sugar and fat in them than the real things. Gluten acts like glue and helps hold your food together. When gluten is removed they add fat and sugar to help the food maintain its shape. Is your mind blown?! Mine was. 

Now let me persuade you with some science. There have been multiple studies going on looking at gluten free diets and it's affects on gut bacteria. A 2012 review in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) showed that a gluten free diet has no benefit and can even harm gut health in people without celiac disease or an intolerance. They're not the only ones to say that either. There was a 2009 study done in which the British Journal of Nutrition reported the same thing. There's other studies showing yet again, the same thing. On top of that, missing out on gluten can mean that you're also missing out on fiber, B Vitamins, and even iron. There's still research that needs to be done before there's really anything set in stone on this issue… but I'm just pointing out that just because Dr. Oz says something is great, doesn't mean you have to believe him. Other doctors are disagreeing with him… it's okay for you to do the same. 

Lets recap. I'm not saying gluten free is bad for everyone… but I'm definitely saying it's not necessary for everyone either. I guess really what I'm saying is that if you want to lose weight there's a healthy way to do it, with gluten included (providing you don't have to avoid gluten for medical reasons). I'm also saying that if you're having gut issues maybe you need to take a look at your stress levels, your sleeping patterns, supplements you're taking, and overall lifestyle. Start there, don't start with the gluten. If you have questions or you think you might truly have an intolerance, email me! I'll be happy to help you through the next steps on figuring all of that out. 

Don't be mad at me guys. I don't want to crush your gluten free dreams… I just want to give you some things to think about. 

Until next time!

Leslie 

Fad Diets

2014 is a week and a half away. You know what that means… hundreds of thousands of people will be jumping on the diet bandwagon.

I love New Years, something about feeling like you get a fresh start really resonates with me. I always tell myself that this year will be my year. I always have resolutions… I don't always follow them, but I always have them. I always have some sort of health or fitness goal in the mix, probably like most of you. So, in the spirit of shedding those holiday pounds I decided to talk about fad diets.

We've all heard the term Fad Diet, but what exactly is it? I'm sure some of you can guess the master cleanse and Atkins diets are on those lists… but what about the south beach diet and blood type diet? What makes a fad diet a fad diet? I'm glad you asked.

Fad diets make really bold promises. Things like, "you'll lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks" and "all you have to do is eat grapefruits all day every day and you'll find yourself at the epitome of health". Hopefully your bullshit meter is going off when you read these things… if not let me help…. your bullshit meter should be going off when you read these things. Any diet that promises rapid weight loss, requires that you eliminate or severely restrict entire food groups (cough, cough carbs), need to eat foods in specific combinations or tell you that you don't need to exercise should raise some kind of suspicion with you.

On a quick side note… I want to mention that one of the latest fad diets is the tube feed diet. Yep, that's right, perfectly healthy people are choosing to have tube feeds installed to lose weight. Isn't it just easier to make healthy choices?! I mean seriously, that is probably one of the craziest diet trends I have ever heard.

I want to bring up a couple of points. How many of us have said "ok, this is the year, I'm going on a diet, I'm losing 20 pounds and I'm never eating an unhealthy thing again ever in my life". Maybe not that extreme, but I'm pretty sure most of us have decided to go on some kind of diet or restrict some kind of something from our diet. How long did you last? Here's the thing with these fad diets. They're not fun and they're not as easy as they want you to think they are. Sure you might lose 10 pounds like that with the master cleanse, but is it worth not being able to go anywhere for 10 days because you are pretty much living on the toilet? And while I'm at it, if you were able to do some of these fad diets and lose some weight… how long were you able to keep the weight off before you gained it back? In my experience, most people who lose 20 pounds on a fad diet end up gaining 30 pounds as soon as they are off of it.

Rapid weight loss scares me. When you lose weight that quickly you're not really losing body fat, you're losing muscle, bone, and water. When you gain weight back, you gain fat. What that means is you could have someone who isn't that overweight but is at 40-50% body fat because they have been a victim of rapid weight loss for years. All weight loss is not created equal.

So, what does healthy weight loss look like? If you want to lose weight and KEEP that weight off then you should be shooting for 1/2-1 pound per week. You didn't gain that extra 15 pounds over night and you shouldn't plan on losing it overnight either. If you want results that are going to stick then you need to can the fad diets and start making choices that will be way more sustainable. Telling yourself that you will never ever have another bite of carbs again is ridiculous. Sorry to burst your bubble, but the chances of you actually sticking to that are slim to none. And, if you're anything like me, the second I tell myself I can't have something, it's all I can think about. So maybe, instead of completely cutting things out we need to make the decision to pick healthier things more often than the not healthier things.  Hello balance!

How can you set yourself up for success in 2014? First off, it's going to take some planning. Trust me, taking 20 minutes to plan your menu out every week will save you thousands of unwanted calories in the end. Before I go grocery shopping I sit down, decide what meals I'm going to make that week and get all the necessary supplies. That way, if I'm having a busy day I don't have to come home and try to figure something out, which ultimately means I'm probably going to just go out and get myself something unhealthy. Meal planning should be your best friend.

Secondly, you need accountability! It's easy to slip up when you're the only one keeping track of yourself. When you have to report to someone else, it's a whole different ballgame. This goes for working out too. And you might have guessed this, but you have to work out. It doesn't have to be anything crazy, you could even just go for daily walks… but some kind of physical activity is a must. It's the key for good health and weight management. You should shoot for 30-60 minutes most days of the week.

Finally, you need to love yourself. Cheesy, I know… but so true. If we don't start loving ourselves where we are at and celebrating our small victories, then it won't matter if you hit your goal, you'll still find something to be unhappy with. I used to struggle so much with this. I would look in the mirror and only see the things I didn't like. I'm not really sure what happened, but one day I changed my outlook and it changed my life. I still have areas that need some work, sure. But, I love myself where I'm at. I'm actually proud of my body. If we start focusing on the good, it's crazy how things really start to fall into place. So, even though this is totally nerdy… next time you look in the mirror tell yourself three things that you love about yourself physically. Hopefully, those three things will turn into five things and so on and so on.

Thanks for reading!

Leslie

I couldn't think of a clever name for this one, so we're just gonna call it protein.

I can't decide if this is the easiest or the hardest subject to talk about. I guess it depends on who's reading. Protein is one of those things that people can really go overboard on… or not have enough of it at all. At least in my humble opinion.

Protein differs from fat and carbs in that it contains nitrogen. They're composed of these little things called amino acids that are linked together by peptide bonds. BORING. Lets skip the structure stuff for now and talk about what proteins do. The main roles for protein in the body include structue, enzymes, hormones, transport and immunoproteins…. code for you need them. Just like carbs and fat… surprise! 

So, there's these things called essential amino acids. What that means is our bodies can't make these amino asicds in the right amounts so we have to get them from our diets. There happens to be nine of these… some that might be familar are luecine, isoleucine, phenylalanine… and tryptophan. That's right! That sleepy effect we get from eating too much turkey aka tryptophan is an essential amino acid. You learn something new every day, huh?! 

Ok, so we know that there's essential amino acids now, and you probably could have guessed that there's non-essential amino acids… but did you know that there's limiting amino acids too? (I promise there's a point to all this, a method to my madness if you will). This leads into the idea of complete and incomplete proteins. Without getting super technical, complete proteins contain ALL of these essential amino acids whereas incomplete proteins will be lacking in some. Make sense? Good. So what actual foods are considered incomplete and complete proteins?

Complete Proteins:
Chicken

Turkey

Red Meat

Fish

Dairy

Eggs

Tofu

Chia seeds

Quinoa

Incomplete Proteins:

Legumes

Fruits

Veggies

Nuts

Grains

Seeds

Now for some more good news… you can turn incomplete proteins into complete proteins with a little thing I like to call nutrition magic. First I have to mention that the incompletes have to be separated into two groups. Legumes, fruits, and veggies all have the same limiting amino acids (meaning they don't have enough of the same kind) and nuts, grains and seeds are missing the other essential amino acids. Here's where that magic comes in… Combine one food from each incomplete group and tah-dah!! you have yourself a complete protein. For example, combine almonds and a veggie and you have a complete protein. Impressive?! I think so, but I'm pretty easy to please. 

I'm gonna let you in on a little secret: Protein, specifically lean protein, is the key to getting lean. Yep, that's right kids. No magic cleanse, no special pills, just good old fashioned lean protein. It can help boost your metabolism and balance your blood sugar and even help you to stay feeling full. Pretty neat huh?! It takes your body more to digest them which is part of why they can help keep you trim. So, if this is the secret to getting lean then that means if I eat a crap ton of protein then I will have the body of my dreams, right?! Nope, not necessarily. Again, balance should become your best friend when it comes to what you eat. 

Lets talk really quickly about what happens when you eat too much protein. There's this thing called nitrogen balance. Remember how I said that protein is different from carbs and fat in that it has nitrogen?! Well, here's where that becomes important. Nitrogen and other toxins that build up from a very high protein diet can cause some really yucky problems for your kidneys. Maybe not right away, but even if its ten years down the road is it really worth the risk? I have a feeling I'm going to get some grief for this so let me be clear about two things: 1) I won't debate you or argue with you if you disagree with my protein views and 2) I'm not the boss of you so if you eat a ton of protein and love it and know deep in your heart that I don't know what I'm talking about… then guess what, you can eat protein to your hearts content and I can't and won't try to stop you. 

So what's the recommendation? Well for your average person it would be calculated out using 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. If you can figure out what that means for you, in my eyes you would get a gold star for the day. Truth is, it's not a hard equation… but I'm not gonna give step by step instructions and give away all my secrets. Basically if you weigh 140 pounds you would need about 51 grams of protein per day. Now if you're an athlete or work out a lot… and I'm talking like a lot… like ladies you don't wear make up to the gym a lot… then you could increase that to 1.2-2 grams of protein per kilograms of body weight. To put it in perspective, based on your personal goals and activity levels your protein intake should be 10-35% of your daily intake. 

This was a long post. I'm gonna stop while I'm ahead…. or at least while I think I'm ahead. Hopefully you're not completely confused. Remember just because something is a good thing doesn't mean that consuming a ton of it makes it an even better thing. And on the opposite end, lets make sure that we are eating enough of it. I'm telling you, once you unlock the glorious world of nutrition you will see changes in your body, mood, sleep, output, everything else, that you wouldn't have imagined. In case I haven't said it enough in the last few posts, I'll remind you one more time: BALANCE. On another note, I totally did two blog posts this week. If that's not an accomplishment, I don't know what is.

Until next time,

Leslie

fatty mc faterson.

I remember when i was little snackwells was a huge thing. they were the no-fat or low-fat snack. it's funny, the different trends that surface and resurface in nutrition... back then, fat was the enemy. fast forward 15-20 years and i think peoples relationship with fat has come a long way, but there's definitely still some room to grow.

So probably by now you're used to me telling you how each of the things i've chosen to write about are things our bodies really, truly need. fat is no different. Dietary fat is essential for the digestion, absorption, and transport of the fat-soluble vitamins and phytochemicals such as carotenoids and lycopenes. It depresses gastric secretions, slows gastric emptying and facilitates digestion. basically all that boils down to… you need it. (Side Note: your fat-soluble vitamins are A, E, D and K)

Another topic related to fat that might have heard of are fatty acids. Again, the name refers to its chemical structure… which isn't really that important for you to know. what you do need to know is that they are important sources of fuel because when the body metabolizes them they yield large quantities of ATP (ATP=the energy your cells need to do anything). 

So lets talk about the different kinds of fat. the not so nice fats are your saturated and trans fats. saturated fats come mainly from animal food sources. this is your cheese, fat on a steak, full fat dairy products (think solid at room temperature). These fats can raise your LDL in your cholesterol, which is bad. There's also a potential that they can aid in developing type 2 diabetes. trans fats are mostly synthetically made through food processing. When looking at the ingredients list you'll see things like "partially hydrogenated palm oil". These fats can also increase your LDL (bad cholesterol) and decrease your HDL (good cholesterol). 

Now for the good stuff. monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs). Studies show that a diet rich in MUFAs and PUFAs can improve your blood cholesterol and fight against heart disease and may even aid in preventing type 2 diabetes. foods made up of these fats are liquid at room temperature, such as olive oil. you'll also find them in things like avocado, nuts, and even some fish and poultry. 

as you can see, there's some really good choices when it comes to putting fat in your diet. fat should be 20-35% of your diet every day. i'll say that again in case you didn't get it the first time… fat should be 20-35% of your diet every day. So while i'm all for egg white omelets and no dressing on salads, and all that good stuff… but maybe, just maybe, we are depriving ourselves of something our bodies really need in our strive to be healthy. 

I'm definitely not saying to go crazy in this category. but i am saying maybe it's okay to add a full egg to your omelet. maybe it's okay to make your own salad dressing with some olive oil, and it's definitely okay to add avocado to anything and everything. when it comes to dairy, stick to the low-fat options. You could go no fat too… i just think the low fat stuff tastes better. if you guys haven't figured it out yet i'm trying to teach you that it's all about balance. there's no tricks or gimmicks to being healthy. depriving yourself and not giving any wiggle room in your diet…. in my experience those are the types of things that cause us to give up on being healthy. i find that with my diet when i restrict something… it's the very thing i later end up binging on. And if you think your diet is really healthy and you workout all the time and don't see any results… maybe it's time to start digging a little deeper into what you eat. 

on the flip side, there are some of us that have no problem indulging in dietary fat… aka fast food, ice cream, etc. word of caution my friends… you could be setting yourself up for some serious health issues. do i love in-n-out? heck yes i do. Do i eat it every week?… sadly, no. i let myself indulge, but in my day-to-day diet i really try to be aware of what i'm putting in my body. and that's really the bottom line here… balance. hopefully i've given you some food for thought here. questions? you know the drill, email me, message me, text me, call me, we'll chat. 

Leslie