We have been told that all it takes to lose weight is a reduction in calories and/or an increase in exercise. The theory goes that if we eat fewer calories or exercise more or both, we will lose weight.

Yet, we continue to struggle with losing weight and keeping it off. Only a small percentage of overweight and obese people maintain a weight loss of 10 percent of body weight for one year. The reason for this goes beyond the simple calories in/calories out calculation. What researchers are discovering is that a calorie is not just a calorie. Rather, it’s the quality of the diet as a whole that determines whether a person will be able to lose weight and keep it off or not.

The New Model of Obesity

A paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association proposes a new model of obesity that better explains why and how we get fat. The current model states that the standard American diet (SAD), full of convenient, highly palatable, energy-dense foods, causes people to overeat, which increases energy intake (calories in), while a sedentary lifestyle decreases energy expenditure (calories out). As a result, circulating fuels in the bloodstream (glucose from sugar and carbs, fatty acids from fats, and ketones from proteins) are more available, which increases fat storage and leads to obesity.

The new model proposes that diet quality— especially carbohydrate amount and type—as well as genetics and lifestyle factors such as inadequate sleep and stress, all contribute to an increase of fat storage, which decreases the circulating fuels in the bloodstream (sugar, fat, and ketones), triggering hunger (calories in) and lowering metabolism (which lowers the burning of calories). The result—obesity.

This new model helps explain why a calorie is not just a calorie and supports the fact that a lowcarbohydrate diet versus a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet of equal calories results in better weight loss, blood sugar control, and cholesterol levels. It also explains why a low- versus high-glycemic index diet (glycemic index measures the ability of a food to raise blood sugar) of equal calories decreases hunger.

Other dietary factors that decrease fat storage are a low refined sugar intake, high omega-3 and low transfat intake, adequate protein, high micronutrient and phytochemical content (in other words, plenty of fruits and vegetables), and probiotics and prebiotics.

You may think that overeating causes you to be fat, but it’s actually a poor quality of diet that causes overeating, which causes you to be fat.

How to Improve Diet Quality

Here are some tips:

• Eat plenty of nonstarchy vegetables and low-sugar fruits.
• Eliminate sugar and grains.
• Eat healthy fats such as omega 3 (fish oil), omega 9 (olive oil), and medium-chain triglyceride saturated fat (coconut oil), and reduce your intake of unhealthy omega-6 fats (most vegetable oils).
• Eat protein throughout the day.
• Eat fermented foods, which contain beneficial bacteria.

In conclusion, following these dietary suggestions along with moderate caloric restriction with optimum nutrition, exercise, and stress reduction not only leads to permanent weight management, it is also the recipe for adding years to your life as well as life to your years.

Chronic constipation is the top gastrointestinal complaint in the United States. According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, more than four million Americans have frequent constipation.

What Causes Constipation?

The possible causes are numerous and can be complex. The source of constipation could be:

• dehydration
• lack of:
  • fiber
  • beneficial bacteria
  • B vitamins
• certain medications
• chronic stress
• genetics

...to name a few.

Processed Foods

Constipation is much more common in Western cultures than elsewhere due in part to our sedentary lifestyles and consumption of processed foods.

Fiber (indigestible complex plant carbohydrates found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains) is removed from most processed foods because it decreases shelf life.

Indigenous cultures that have a high intake of dietary fiber invariably enjoy superior intestinal health.

Diet and Nutrition to Fight Constipation

• Start with Fiber

  High intake of dietary fiber has many benefits for individuals, including:

  • Decrease of transit time for stools
  • Decrease of absorption of toxins from stools
  • Bulking and softening of stools
  • Increasing frequency, quantity, and quality of bowel movements

  When bowel transit time is slow, waste is not promptly eliminated from the body. It creates prolonged bacterial fermentation of retained fecal material, which can produce toxins. As toxins are reabsorbed into the body, the risk of developing colon diseases and other health problems increases. The toxins stress the gallbladder, pancreas, and liver, giving rise to fatigue and headaches.

  Toxins created in the constipated bowel damage digestive enzymes in the intestinal wall and cause digestive problems and nutrient deficiencies. The walls of the colon can weaken and herniate, giving rise to diverticulosis. The excessive bowel transit time associated with constipation can also contribute to bowel disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome and colitis.

  In addition, studies suggest that constipation may indirectly cause estrogen to be reabsorbed. With slow transit times, a low-fiber diet, and low concentrations of beneficial Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria, there will be reabsorption of estrogen. This can lead to estrogen dominance, which can result in long-term health issues.

  If you are not eliminating one and a half feet of feces per day (the length of the descending colon), you are not getting enough dietary fiber in your diet. This comes as no surprise, as the average intake of dietary fiber in the US is 12 to 15 grams. I recommend at least 35 grams daily for optimal health.

• Balance your Gut with Living Foods

  When you eat living foods daily, you replenish the good bacteria in your gut and increase your fiber intake, which helps control appetite.

  Living foods either contain beneficial bacteria, or they act as food for the beneficial bacteria already in the gut.

  Living foods include non-starchy vegetables and low-sugar fruits.

  • Fermented Foods

    Also be sure to include the following fermented foods in your diet:

    • Live cultured pickles
    • Sauerkraut (refrigerated, unpasteurized)
    • Cultured vegetables
    • Kimchi
    • Cheese made from raw milk
    • Unpasteurized miso
    • Tempeh
    • Kombucha
    • Yogurt containing live cultures
    • Kefir (dairy and nondairy)

  • Prebiotic Foods

    In addition to fermented foods, you need to eat foods rich in soluble fibers called prebiotics. Prebiotics feed the good bacteria in your gut. Aim to include high-prebiotic foods in your diet as often as possible.

    Some examples include Jerusalem artichokes, dandelion greens, garlic, and onions.

In recent years we have seen a drastic increase in the number of people in this country who are overweight and obese. This has led to a scary increase in many chronic health conditions ranging from diabetes and metabolic syndrome to heart disease.

We are also seeing a rise in NAFLD (nonalcoholic fatty liver disease) in humans. I’ve written many blogs on this topic.

What is NAFLD?

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a term used to describe the accumulation of fat in the liver of people who drink little or no alcohol. People usually don’t have symptoms, or if they do, the symptoms are mild—most commonly, episodes of fatigue.

But we now know that the increase in NAFLD is due in part to obesity. It is no secret that weight loss is an important factor in improving a fatty liver.

Detox for People

As a big proponent of supporting liver function in people by using detoxing programs, I have always suggested the use of herbs, amino acids, and nutraceuticals in a combination formula. I have seen this formula help countless people over the years as they work on improving their health and losing weight.

Detox for Pets

Pet Obesity

Veterinarians are also finding that, just like people, dogs and cats that carry extra weight place additional demands on their organs too, especially on their livers.

So the question is: how do we help our furry friends who are overweight?

We can’t exactly offer our pets suggestions like “Push away your plate before you are full,” or “Stop opening the refrigerator after 7 PM for that extra snack!” I sometimes joke about our dogs with my husband Stan, “I’ll bet they wish they had thumbs so they could open the refrigerator.” You see, I am also trying to control the weight in my dogs at this time, yet they have learned so many ways to control me and devour more food!

I often read articles that claim overweight pets habitually hang around during mealtimes and while food is being prepared. Well, where else would they be?

Fatty Liver Disease in Pets

Hepatic lipidosis (commonly known as fatty liver) is one of the most common feline liver diseases in cats. But dogs can also suffer from fatty liver, which results in a decrease in liver function and leads to myriad other health conditions.

Once again, we share the same problems with our health as our pets when it comes to both weight and liver disease.

Guess what? The answer to this problem is the same for both humans and pets: lose the extra pounds. When we—and our pets—lose weight, the liver then loses fat. And by detoxing the liver, it will naturally become healthier.

Liver Detox for Pets

Many pet owners have been detoxing their own livers for years. We now know that liver detox is important for our beloved pets as well.

A very important point to remember is to choose a gentle daily detox for our pets (just as we do for ourselves) that will not cause them to feel poorly as their livers detox.

You’ll want to find a formula that includes milk thistle, turmeric, and MSM. These gentle ingredients support and assist in liver detoxification in animals just as they do in humans.

Make sure the product is specifically formulated for pets.

Helping Your Pet to Lose Weight

Now to address the issue of helping our furry friends lose weight; the responsibility is ours. We must make sure to not overfeed them or give them too many treats. I have one important rule with my dogs: I never feed them from the table!

Admittedly, it’s not easy to refuse those pitiful eyes when they look up at me asking for a treat. But I know that their health depends on it.

Spring is finally here. Certainly, a huge number of us, especially in the northern states are breathing a huge sigh of relief. However, with the advent of spring for many, breathing becomes an issue all by itself. Those dreaded allergies.

Besides the common symptoms of sneezing and nasal congestion, even possible skin irritations that are experienced, new research points to allergies linked to anxiety, along with other mental and emotional issues.

Links Between Allergies and Stress

Research in Science Daily associates asthma and hay fever with an increased risk of developing psychiatric issues like depression and anxiety. The frequency of disorders was also discovered to be more prevalent with some treatment medications than others. Well, that makes perfect sense since often the medications themselves stimulate the nervous system which might result in an experience of anxiety.

Inflammation and Lupus

That research follows a previous study that suggests inflammation as a precursor of lupus erythematosus, a chronic auto-immune disease that commonly presents along with mental issues of various types. The connection here is that allergies are also the result of an underlying inflammatory process.

The lupus study revealed that circulating inflammatory cytokines in the bloodstream of mice were able to physically cross the blood/brain barrier. This was previously thought impossible. So maybe the inflammatory cytokines associated with allergies are also crossing the blood-brain barrier leading to anxiety and/or other psychiatric challenges.

Allergies and Gut Health

Whenever I find research like this, I can’t help thinking how interesting it would have been had the researchers also looked at gut function. They might have done some testing to determine the bacterial balance in the microbiome. After all, there are now mountains of research that connect systemic inflammation to an out of balance gut environment. I blogged about the effects of balancing the gut with probiotics to benefit mood and combat depression years ago.

At this point in my post you may be thinking – great news! AND – today I’m still sneezing Brenda!

It’s my sincere wish for you that this is your healthiest spring season yet!

Natural Ways to Reduce Allergy Symptoms

Here are some practical and proven suggestions that may help to decrease your allergic symptoms.

• Probiotics

  Eat more probiotics! This could be in the form of living sauerkraut or other fermented veggies, kefir, or a quality supplement. Probiotics both stimulate appropriate immune function and decrease inflammation.

• Anti-Inflammatory Diet

  Avoid excess carbs/sugars which simply increase inflammation. Eat organic veggies, fruits and quality proteins.

• Gut Health

  Since allergies are often an indicator of a leaky gut, choosing a good program designed to heal your gut including an L-glutamine supplement can be extremely helpful.

• Avoid Inflammatory Medicines

  Minimize the use of medications like aspirin, ibuprofen and antibiotics which cause more imbalance and inflammation in your gut.

• Try Neutraceuticals

  Seasonal allergies may respond well to nutraceutical products which may include nettles, quercetin, bromelain, L-histidine and/or N-acetylcysteine (NAC).

• Minimize Stress

  And as a general reminder for pretty much anything that ails you – I know you know this – do your best to minimize stress. Believe me when I tell you from personal experience that yoga, deep breathing, massage, meditation, music therapy and so many other de-stressor activities can actually help chase those allergies away!