Eat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss (48 page)

There is also the rare individual who needs more concentrated sources of protein and fat in his diet because of digestive impairment, Crohn’s disease, short gut syndrome, or other uncommon medical conditions. I have also encountered patients on rare occasions who become too thin and malnourished on what I would consider an ideal, nutrient-dense diet. On such occasions, more animal products have been needed to reduce the fiber content, slow transit time in the gut, and aid absorption and concentration of amino acids at each meal. This problem usually is the result of some digestive impairment or difficulty with absorption. I have seen only a handful of such cases in the past twenty years of practice. In other words, not even one in a hundred, in my estimation, requires animal products regularly in his diet. These individuals should still follow my general recommendations for excellent health and can accommodate their individual needs by keeping animal-product consumption down to comparatively low levels.

Sweetening agents such as NutraSweet (aspartame), Sweet’N Low (saccharin), and Splenda (sucralose) are added to thousands of foods and drugs. Many health gurus now recommend substituting stevia in place of artificial sweeteners. Recently approved by the FDA, stevia is made from the leaves of a South American shrub and can be labeled natural.

Many people use these sweeteners in an effort to control their weight. It doesn’t work; it just perpetuates your desire for
unhealthy food. When researchers compared the caloric intake of women fed aspartame-sweetened drinks with women given higher-calorie beverages, the women given the aspartame merely consumed more calories later.
³¹
The use of noncaloric sweeteners as a calorie-restriction strategy continues to be criticized by scientists.
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It has been suggested that consuming something with a sweet taste primes the body for a calorie delivery that doesn’t happen. As a result, users of no-calorie sweeteners just seek more sweets to satisfy the body’s cravings. Noncaloric sweeteners signal the body that sugar is on the way and stimulate the pancreas to secrete insulin, which is not favorable.

If you are a headache sufferer, beware of products made with aspartame. Studies have shown that migraine sufferers experience more frequent and more severe symptoms after ingesting aspartame.

I recommend playing it safe and sticking to natural foods. The safety of all the artificial sweeteners, as well as of natural sugars, has been questioned in one way or another. Bottom line: try to enjoy your food choices without sweeteners. Fresh fruit and occasionally a little date sugar or ground dates are the safest way to go. I recommend dropping colas, sodas, sweetened teas, and juices. If they don’t contain artificial sweeteners, they are loaded with sugar. Eat unrefined foods and drink water. Melons blended with ice cubes make delicious, cooling summer drinks. I certainly believe that if you are significantly overweight, the risk of being overweight probably exceeds any risk associated with these sweeteners. However, I am not convinced that many people have found low-calorie or no-calorie sweeteners to be the solution to their weight problem.

Agave has become the sweetener of choice for many health enthusiasts, but I do not recommend it. It is just another concentrated, low-nutrient sweetener. In addition, it may pose some significant health problems.

One of its claims to fame is its low glycemic index. That is because agave is approximately 85 percent fructose. Fructose is metabolized differently from other sugars. Instead of going into the bloodstream (where it could raise blood sugar), most of it goes directly to the liver. This is why it has a low glycemic index, but it still promotes fat storage and weight gain. While many see a low glycemic index as a positive, fructose or any concentrated sweetener high in fructose can cause elevated triglycerides and increased risk of heart disease. It may also increase the risk of metabolic syndrome/insulin resistance, particularly in those who are insulin-resistant and/or overweight or obese.
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These are the same reasons we are given for avoiding products made with high-fructose corn syrup, which has more fructose than regular table sugar.

Choose restaurants that have healthful options, and know the places that will cater to your needs. When possible, speak to the management or chef in advance. When traveling, look for restaurants that have salad bars. This is not an all-or-nothing plan. Every person exposed to these ideas can improve over his or her current diet. People have a tendency to like best the foods to which they have become accustomed. Keep in mind that eventually you will lose the desire for some of the unhealthful foods you are eating now and you will enjoy the pleasures of healthy, natural foods more. I actually enjoy eating healthy foods more than injurious foods because they taste good and I also feel good. Most of my patients report the same sensation. Food preferences are learned; you can learn to enjoy healthy foods, just as you learned to like unhealthy ones.

You can follow this diet on the road if you are committed to your own success—it just takes more diligence to plan where to eat and to make sure there will be something for you on the menu. Get in the habit of ordering a double-size green salad with
the dressing on the side, and use only a tiny amount of dressing or a squeeze of lemon on the salad.

Remember that this is not a temporary diet, it is your life plan. We must consider how our health is affected by what we choose to eat. We all have to make wise choices to get the most out of life. That doesn’t mean you must be perfect. It does mean that however you eat, whether you adopt all of my recommendations or just some of them, your health will be better off as a result of those improvements. After a while, it will become a habit. If you give it a good try, you may find, as others have, that it is not as difficult as you thought, and you will likely grow to enjoy it.

No. The social and economic forces that are pulling our population toward obesity and disease will not be defeated by one book preaching about achieving superior health with nutritional excellence. The “good life” will continue to send most Americans to a premature grave. This plan is not for everyone. I do not expect the majority of individuals to live this healthfully. However, they should at least be aware of the facts rather than having their food choices shaped by inaccurate information or food manufacturers. Some people choose to smoke cigarettes, eat unhealthfully, or pursue other reckless habits. They have that inalienable right to live their lives the way they choose. Don’t add stress to your life by trying to persuade every person you meet to eat the same way you do. Looking good and feeling healthy will be your best tools of persuasion.

A common criticism of my eating plan, which all knowledgeable authorities agree is healthy, is that most people won’t stick to such a restrictive regimen. This is an irrelevant point. Since when is what the “masses” find socially acceptable the criterion for value? Value or correctness is independent of how many will choose to follow my recommendations; that is a separate issue.
The critical question is how effective these recommendations are in guaranteeing a slim body, a long life, and enduring health. All those naysayers have missed the point; my plan was not designed to win a popularity contest.

Thousands of enthusiastic individuals who have benefited from this body of knowledge consider this information a special blessing. It is an opportunity to have your life be so much healthier, happier, and more enjoyable. We don’t feel deprived; rather, we enjoy fantastic-tasting food that is also healthy. We have developed a distaste for “junk food.” At this point in our lives, healthy food simply tastes better. Another question is, how enjoyable is life for those plagued with a multitude of serious medical problems?

Choosing to live a healthful or unhealthful lifestyle is a personal decision, but this is not an all-or-nothing plan. As a health professional, it is my job to encourage people to protect their future health. We can’t buy good health; we must earn it. We are given only one body in this lifetime, so I encourage you to take proper care of it. Over time, your health and happiness are inescapably linked. You don’t get a new body when you destroy your health with disease-causing foods. I am 100 percent committed to your success and well-being, so please contact me if you encounter roadblocks to recovering your health. I wish you a long life and enduring health. They can be yours.

My gratitude and thanks to:

So many wonderful people who have permitted me to use their real names and case histories in this book. They make the book come alive, giving others hope, enthusiasm, and motivation to achieve their own success.

Lisa Fuhrman, my loving wife, who always believed in and encouraged my career dreams, my message, and my vision. Her continual assistance and input in all my work resulted in many contributions to this manuscript.

My four children—Talia, Jenna, Cara, and Sean—all wonderful and uniquely talented. They have all been understanding of my need to frequently work on this manuscript while at home.

Steve Acocella, D.C., my close friend, who spent many tedious hours collecting and compiling disease and food-consumption data from around the world and made phone calls to foreign health officials to clarify or corroborate statistics for me.

The National Health Association, which has supported my work over the years and contributed a research grant to aid in data collection for this book.

William Harris, M.D., whose insight and scientific advice have greatly aided my work.

Angiography or catheterization
  passage of a small catheter into the cardiac circulation to release a radiographic dye permitting visualization of the lumen and detection of cardiac abnormalities

Angioplasty
  expansion of a blood vessel by means of a balloon catheter inserted into the chosen vessel

Arteriosclerosis or atherosclerosis
  commonly occurring deposits of yellowish plaques containing lipoid material that thicken and stiffen the vessel walls; these deposits may narrow the lumen, causing chest pain (angina), or rupture, causing clots that lead to heart attacks

Chelation
  intravenous infusion of a chemical compound that sequesters metallic ions, traditionally used for heavy metal poisoning but controversially promoted as an intervention to reverse atherosclerosis

Detoxification
  the body’s efforts to reduce its toxic load by changing irritants to a less harmful form or one that can be more readily eliminated, or the body’s efforts to force the expulsion of such substances through channels of elimination, such as mucus, urine, or skin

Embolus
  a clot or plug brought by the blood from its original site to a place where it occludes the lumen of a smaller vessel

Epidemiologist
  one whose field of medicine is the study of factors affecting the frequency and distribution of diseases

Gastric bypass
  permanent division and separation of the main section (lower segment) of the stomach to create a small stomach pouch with the remaining (upper) segment, which is then reattached to the small intestine

Gastroplasty
  surgery to reduce the size of the stomach

Homocysteine
  an intermediate protein in the synthesis of cysteine, which elevates as a result of certain nutritional deficiencies (especially vitamin B
₁₂
or folate) or because of biochemical variance; the elevation of homocysteine has
been implicated in coronary artery disease and heart attacks

Hypertension
  high blood pressure

Ischemia
  deficiency of blood flow and subsequent oxygenation secondary to constriction or obstruction of a blood vessel

Ketosis
  an abnormally high concentration of ketone bodies in the blood, caused by poorly controlled diabetes (high serum glucose) or prolonged carbohydrate insufficiency, such as in fasting or carbohydrate-restricted diets

Lipids
  a group of water-insoluble fatty substances that serve biological functions in the body: an expression to represent the group of lipoproteins affecting heart disease risk, such as cholesterol, triglycerides, and their component subtypes

Macronutrients
  fats, carbohydrates, and protein, which supply calories (energy) and are necessary for growth and normal function