Diet confusion

[nancy324]

I've started to experiment lately with different ways of eating. I have stayed on a low-fat (high sugar) low-cal diet most of my adult life. I have always had a problem with very low energy and moodiness. When I recently read somewhere on this website that Cathe used to be exactly the same way, I stood up and took notice. Cathe mentioned a few things she did to change her diet, but didn't go into much detail. I've been eating less sugar and more protein and fat and have been gaining weight. :-( Does anyone know of an eating plan that can give you more energy and stabilize mood swings, while keeping you lean all at the same time?

Learning how to eat right is just too important and too complicated for me to attempt on my own. I don't want a specific day-by-day meal plan, so much as guidelines I can live with for the rest of my life. I need a plan that is as easy and fun as a Cathe workout. Anyone got any ideas that might help me? Thanks.
-Nancy

 

[Bernard]

Hi Nancy,

I have been reading about this very same subject over the past couple of weeks. Research has shown that eating a high sugar, low calorie/fat diet causes mood swings. Children who eat alot of sugar at once (even in the form of chocolate), it can send them quite hyper, and hysterical (I have seen this in my own 3 children too). And eating a lower fat diet means you are missing out on Omega 3s and Omega 6s, which in turn causes depression. The book I have been reading, mentioned that studies have been done on adults with depression, from all ages, and they split the groups in half, and gave one group Cod Liver Oil (rich in Omega 3s and Omega 6s), and the other half were given placebos. The results, in the group that were having Cod liver Oil, were so dramatic, that they were finding that people who had suffered with depression, about 90% of the group found their depression lifted. They took the placebo group off the placebo and put them onto Cod Liver Oil, due to the amazing results.
If you are eating a low fat diet, then your diet will lack in Omega 3s and Omega 6s.
It recommends taking high dosage Cod liver Oil capsules, if you are a vegetarian, they recommend flax seed oil capsules (which is richer in 3s, than 6s) and high doses of Evening Primrose Oil for PMS depression, mood swings, etc (as it is rich in GLAs, she recommends 3,000mg to 4,000mg per day). I wish I could remember what else this book recommends (it is upstairs - if I had more time I would go and get it. DH is being a bit of a grouch this morning !)
Anyway, the book is called 'Vital Oils' by Liz Earle, and is only available to purchase through her web site,
www. lizearle.com
Look under her New Products section, and she ships internationally, too.

When I have more time later, I will have a better look through it for you.

She also recommends which are the best oils to cook with, as some oils become quite unstable at high temeratures, and become toxic, with carcigenic (sp?) properties. She mentions that Oilve Oil is the best for cooking at high temperatures, as it remains more stable throughout different temperatures.

It is a fascinating book, well worth a read !!!!! I am certainly going to start supplementing my diet.

Anna

 

[Bernard]

Hi Nancy,

Forgot to mention that you could probably still stick to a low fat diet, using the oil supplements (which are lower in fat than increasing fat intake, if you know what I mean), and maybe in between meals snack on fruit (which contains better sugar, than refined sugars), and rice cakes, which only contain around 30 calories each.
You could maybe,
Start the day with a nutritous, fortified breakfast cereal, a banana and your oil capsules after eating.
Then mid morning a couple of rice cakes,
A healthy snack for lunch, with a low fat yoghurt, and another piece of fruit,
A couple more rice cakes mid afternoon.
And in the evening, a healthy meal that includes steamed veg (they retain more vitamins).

Sometimes cutting down on caffeine in the diet, gives the body more vitality, as caffeine is considered a toxin within the body, causing sluggish-ness.

It always sounds great though written down, doesn't it ?!

Nancy, I would also keep a very detailed food diary, and write down everything that passes your lips. Maybe you can see after a week, where you are going wrong food-wise. Though I have also found that doing cathe regularly caused me to gain weight, too, yet the inches are dropping. Weird, isn't it ?

Anna

 

[starbuck]

Nancy, Anna

Can I also add water, water, water I would say at least 8 glasses or a litre of water a day. This will also help with weight loss.

Babs

 

[nancy324]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jan-07-03 AT 09:18AM (Est)[/font][p] Hi Anna!
Don't you have to watch out for that low-fat yogurt though? Have you seen how many grams of sugar a cup contains? Even a small container has as much sugar as candy! I think that may be the kind of stuff I need to start changing.

I'm taking my omega-3 fish oil pill right now with breakfast!

As soon as I find the right one, my husband and I are going to go to a nutritionist, but I don't have a lot of faith in the kind of nutritionists that are covered by insurance. I fear they will just compare me to the rest of the population and say I'm doing great just because I'm not overweight and don't have heart disease, or something. I don't know if a nutritionist will care how difficult it is for me to get going in the morning. We'll see.

Sounds like an interesting book, and I will take a look at it. Thanks!
-Nancy

 

[Bernard]

Hi Nancy,

Sorry, I meant those low fat natural, unflavoured yoghurts, with Probiotic stuff in them. They are good for helping the intestines get rid of toxins out of the intestinal tract faster, or something like that !!!!!!!

Nancy, do you think you would be hungry following a clean eating plan like that ? I always look at something like that and think, I am going to be starving following that ? Maybe the trick is to bulk up the diet more with wholewheat breads, vegetables and fruit ?

Anna

 

[DawnA]

Hi Nancy,
I know this is trite, been said a thousand times, but there is always this way of eating. No added white sugars, eliminate white flour, white rice, most low fiber/pure carb foods, use brown rice, whole wheat pasta and bread, and natural fruits and veggies. Eat lean meats and get enough protein. There was a table somewhere that said how much protein we need per day to maintain our lean body mass. I can find it if you want it. I think Cathe said she decreased her carbs 85% after the baby. I'm not that good, but I do strive to keep them lower. I have a gazillion no added sugar recipes, even for desert, if you're interested.
Dawn

 

[Maribeth]

Hi, Nancy,
Easy guidelines--no foods are forbidden, no foods have to be eaten in excess--there are only two to remember.

First and foremost, you can't take in more calories than you expend unless you want to gain weight, period. This is regardless of the form in which the calories come. An extra 3500 calories will equal a pound of body fat, whether those calories come from "junk" food like cookies and cake, or "healthy" foods like fruits, veggies and lean protein.

Guideline #2--you will have to start eating often enough to keep your blood sugar stable, which typically means having 5-6 smaller meals per day. Make sure all meals include a bit of protein and carbohydrates.

If you don't want to have to plan out each and every meal right down to the gram, there are a couple of tricks that help. Something that works well for me, carb lover that I am, is to make sure that at every meal, I eat the majority of the protein source and higher fiber foods first. Not all--just a pretty good amount. The protein and fiber will make you feel full sooner and for longer, so you will be less likely to overconsume.

Another thing that works well for me is to make sure I drink plenty of fluids as I eat. Yeah, the purists will insist it be plain water, but any non-caloric beverage will do, especially if it's carbonated. Again, it's a matter of feeling full, which will discourage overeating.

Good luck!
Maribeth

 

[KayM]

Hi there everyone! I have some info I thought you might find valuable.

My husband does not eat any processed sugar. NONE. Now, it is not necessary (in his opinion) for everyone to go to this extreme. But he explained to me why it is good to avoid lots of sugar, and I wanted to share this info.

When you eat foods (such as desserts, muffins, etc.) with lots of sugar, it does things to your blood sugar. Your blood sugar spikes, and then it returns to a level lower than normal for a while. So I think that can really affect your mood.

What we do in my house is, for dessert-type items, we simply substitute granulated fructose. Fructose is the sugar from fruit. It is a less complex sugar and consequently does not wreak havoc with your blood sugar level - does not cause a lot of change in your blood sugar level at all. That's why diabetics can use it.

For desserts and most foods that use a lot of sugar, you will not notice a difference in the taste. I make delicious banana muffins with fructose and feed them to various neighbors and friends, and nobody would EVER suspect that they contain fructose instead of regular sugar!

So I'm just thinking this may help your mood swings, without your having to sacrifice eating good stuff.

You can find granulated fructose at most major grocery chains in the "health food" section, or you can find it much more cheaply at health food stores (we get ours for $.95 per pound at a store called Food For Thought). You can use the same amount of fructose in a recipe, but it's pretty sweet so you can use a bit less than you would sugar - I use around 3/4 c. fructose in a recipe that calls for 1 c sugar.

Good luck, and I hope this information helps you!!