It is not surprising that many Conventional Medicine trained doctors lack sufficient knowledge in nutrition. They are minimally educated in nutrition and marginally aware of the power of food as medicine. It is no wonder that they cannot provide you with the basic nutrition tips you need.
I found stressed-out doctors trying to keep up with the business of medicine by generating revenue and keeping the hospitals utilized. They are not thinking about nutrition, they are thinking about how to serve their patients as quickly as possible.
As a result, no one in medicine is encouraged to move away from the standard doctrine for weight loss. “Eat less, move more” frustrates women who lose and then regain their unwanted weight. It frustrates physicians who blame the patient for not sticking to a plan that has not been successful or sustainable.
We must eat to live. Our choices of what to eat, when to eat, and how much to eat are the key to achieving vibrant health and longevity. I call this Conscious Eating. And yes, Functional Medicine has got it right. It is not about balancing calories in with calories out; rather it is about understanding the biochemistry of our bodies.
Calories are not all created equal. Their involvement and interactions in the many chemical reactions, pathways, and ancestral systems that we are made of determine our energy levels, weight gain or loss, the strength of our immune systems, and how well our bodies age. We truly are what we eat. Yet, what we eat is just one part of the issue of wellness and health.
I offer five nutrition tips that are easy to do, nontoxic and effective:
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Drink water
Hydration is critical to sustaining life, but can water help you lose weight? You bet it can.
Replacing sugary beverages with water will cause weight loss since you are decreasing sugar calories. In addition to saving sugar calories, this first of my favorite nutrition tips will save you money too!
Studies show that just increasing daily water intake is associated with less weight gain over time.
Also by activating what’s called our “ Divers reflex” you can get the body to burn calories more efficiently. This reflex allows us to survive immersion in cold water by diverting blood flow and energy to our core, slowing our heart rate, while raising our metabolic rate.
Studies reveal that drinking one cup of water prior to eating results in increased metabolism that can create “negative “ calories by burning more calories than you took in from your meal.
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Include vinegar
Chemically vinegars are acetic acid which when consumed enhances your muscles glucose uptake. Think more energy to exercise.
Adding two teaspoons of vinegar to a high-glycemic meal reduces the spike of sugar in your blood by 23 percent! Think apple cider vinegar or any of the many deliciously flavored vinegars. Never drink vinegars straight but dilute in 2 to 4 oz of water, use in dressings or drizzle over foods like southern style collard greens.
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Timing of caloric intake
This means eating the bulk of your calories earlier in your day. Studies show that the identical amount of calories eaten earlier in the day results in less weight gain then if eaten later in the evening.
Notice how Europeans eat their biggest meal midday when they are the most active.
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Eat nuts and seeds daily
Nuts and seeds are excellent sources of fiber and omega 3 fatty acids that are missing in action in the standard American diet.
Take Brazil nuts. Eating two Brazil nuts a day gives you the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for zinc. Zinc is required for many chemical reactions as well as for absorption of other vitamins and minerals. And just one Brazil nut daily will give you the RDA for selenium which may provide protection against the Corona Virus.
Pistachios contain the most melatonin than any other nut out there in the world! Eating just two gives you a physiologic melatonin dose to aide in sleep and when timed well, they are one of the best foods to eat for jet lag.
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Time-restricted eating
This gives you the means to balance eating with not eating or fasting. Confining eating to a set window of time of your own choosing (start with 12hrs and gradually increase to 16hrs) for seven days a week helps to get rid of evening eating. Late-night snacking is a prime culprit in weight gain. Additionally, fasting allows the body time for repair and detoxification.
These are five simple nutrition tips that can promote weight loss even without changing your diet. No expensive or toxic medications required. No feelings of deprivation, instead you will feel empowered by taking back control of your health.
Incorporating these nutrition tips into your lifestyle on a consistent and daily basis will get you surprising weight loss results. Once it becomes a habit, part of your automatic behavior, will-power is no longer necessary. You have now created a pathway to permanent weight loss! You have become a Conscious Eater!!
I’m Dr. Sy Powell a board-certified OBGYN gone rogue! I now practice from a functional medicine perspective. I know that a functional medicine approach can completely change your life for the better because it’s done so for me. To learn more about my work, visit my services page and if you’d like to talk with me directly, you can schedule a free consultation call here. Yours In Health