FOOD IS MEDICINE – The Truth About Long-Term Weight Control, Health, Calories, and Dis-ease

2008-01-16T13:13:00.001-08:00

FOOD IS MEDICINE – The Truth About Long-Term Weight Control, Health, Calories, and Dis-ease - By Jason Maggard

Food is the fuel that literally "creates" our body, since quite directly, we are what we eat. The body’s cell’s turn-over frequently, and we are “re-creating” our body’s systems continuously through food intake. A key consideration in what you want to “become” is realizing we are a product, physically, of our nutrition. The old adage, GIGO, or Garbage In Garbage Out, demonstrates this principal quite simply.

So why do people have such a hard time with LONG-TERM weight loss, hormone imbalances, fluctuations in mood, etc? The biggest problem is MISINFORMATION. We are all inundated by countless new programs, books, and systems guaranteed to be “the way” to lose weight, be healthy, etc. It is all quite confusing! So what do most people do? And who should one listen to? Our doctors, the government, traditional nutritionists? Well, that is a good start compared to paying no attention to the matter at all, but clearly the main thrust of their message, i.e. control calories and eat lots complex carbs is not working too well. It is important to dig a bit deeper to understand that the body has feedback mechanisms and hormones that regulate the endocrine system and how the body works. So controlling weight and feeling healthy than simply counting calories.

First, I will explore the notion that a “calorie is a calorie” proposed by most traditional nutritionists, doctors, and so-called health authorities. Lets look at some noteworthy studies you should be aware of (and there are MANY more like this!)…Despite all the "experts" you've heard say how weight-loss is "all about calories-in and calories-out", it's just plain nonsense.

What if you fed a group of monkeys identical calories, with the only exception being the type of calorie consumed? They should all gain weight at the same rate, right? At the Obesity and Diabetes Research Center at the University of Maryland, this exact experiment was conducted. Some of the monkeys grew heavier with an identical diet as their thinner counterparts. The difference was the simple carbohydrate to protein and fat ratio. The same calories from simple sugars caused more weight-gain than the same calories from proteins and fats.A recent study directed by Penelope Greene of the Harvard School of Public Health found that people eating an extra 300 calories a day on a very low-carb regimen lost just as much during a 12-week study as those on a standard low-fat diet. Over the course of the study, they consumed an extra 25,000 calories. With 3500 calories in a pound of fat, that should have added over 7 pounds, but they did not. "There does indeed seem to be something about a low-carb diet that says you can eat more calories and lose a similar amount of weight, “Greene said.

WOW! 25,000 calories is a HUGE amount! That is not just slight differences in calories, but provides substantiation that food composition MATTERS! Not that low-carb is magic, but excessive sugars and increased insulin/hormone response makes a difference. Use your common sense, do you really believe that you could eat 2,000 calories of sugary/refined carbs and see the same fat burning benefit as you would eating 2,000 calories of whole, unprocessed, unrefined, high fiber, higher protein foods? Think about it…Calories-in/calories-out is OUT?

Funny when you think about it and understand more about human physiology and hormone function, oh, and look at people who successfully regulate weight long-term and what they do. Studies show that even most expert nutritionists miscalculate calorie counts… so if they can’t do it accurately, do you really think you can? Many studies also show that people grossly underestimate caloric intake, especially people who are overweight. Go figure. The reason a calorie is not “a calorie”, and is not the sole regulator of weight gain is due to the complex interaction of the body’s hormonal, nervous, and immune regulatory systems that monitor and adapt to environmental stimulus such as food, stress, sleep, exercise, and thoughts (more on that later, and yes, thoughts are real, do matter, and do affect brain physiology, the body’s physiology, and all of these regulatory systems in the body).

Here are some of the main reasons food composition matters and not just calories. Insulin is an important hormone that helps metabolize sugars/carbohydrates. Meals that have a high “glycemic load”, cause a rapid rise in blood sugar (glucose), and consequently increase insulin response to process the excessive blood sugar. This elevated insulin response causes weight gain, inability to effectively metabolize fat, aging and inflammation in the body, as well as heart disease. Eventually, it causes insulin resistance (inability to effectively use insulin where more and more is needed to “try” to get the job done), excessive weight gain, diabetes, and numerous diseases (i.e. Metabolic Syndrome). Oh, not to mention affecting neurotransmitters in the brain which regulate mood, energy, thoughts, digestion, feelings of satiety and hunger, and much, much more.

Next, food composition and timing has significant affect on “metabolism”, and thyroid function. Cutting calories will often cause weight gain, but will result in slowing down the metabolism. If the resting metabolism is slowed, and thyroid function affected, you can never eat as much as pre-diet, and eventually will gain back the weight lost. This is called yo-yo dieting, and studies show 95% of people who “diet” (i.e. calorie restrict), gain not only the weight back they lost within two years, but even MORE weight gain. Why? Altered “metabolism” due to caloric restriction, less food, and most importantly, loss of muscle. Calorie restriction without appropriate preventative measures will usually result in loss of fat… but an equal amount of muscle as well. Muscle is metabolically active, and burns 37-60 calories per day, per pound.

That is 18,000 calories per year per pound. So the take-home message, don’t lose muscle! And is it inevitable that we must lose muscle with age? Recent studies done in 2007 actually show it is possible to literally REVERSE aging in muscle cells, and revert back to a younger genetic age with resistance/strength training (i.e. sufficient enough to produce adaptation in the muscles).

Last, food composition, stress, sleep, and other factors affect levels of Cortisol vs. DHEA in the Body, and the resultant feed-back mechanisms that regulate these hormones. Increased chronic stress makes the adrenal glands work harder, changes cortisol to DHEA ratio, and causes a myriad of problems including an increase in central obesity (visceral fat), heart disease, decreased immune system function, and much more. So all of that to say, the body is smart, and junk, well, is junk. You know it deep down, it is the GIGO principal. Garbage In, Garbage Out.

This is true with most things in life, and the human body is no exception! So how does one lose weight effectively long-term? Eating “clean” unrefined foods with higher fiber, adequate protein, and ensuring meals have a low “Glycemic Load” are some of the major factors with food.Oh and of course stimulating the resting metabolism and hormone response with moderate-intense exercise (depending on your level), and enough general movement during your daily routine…

New studies from the Mayo Clinic show higher levels of overall movement during the day, i.e. not lying down or sitting in particular, substantially affect resting metabolism, and tendency to being overweight. A difference in little as 3 hours per day of movement/activity was shown to be the difference in overweight vs. leaner people.

From a personal perspective, I have not counted calories ever, and have always been below 10% body fat. Even when getting my body fat down to 5% for fitness modeling shoots… it was through changing the composition of food intake, increasing meal frequency, adjusting portion sizes, increasing protein and fiber intake, and cutting any “junk”, starchy, refined, sugary, and process foods. That is to say eating “super-clean”, which is not sustainable on a long-term basis, but is the extreme example of what works repeatedly for me, and for others who do it consistently. Fitness competitors do this routinely when getting ready for shows/competitions.

On the other hand, the most overweight people I have ever worked with at only once or twice a day, and ate far less calories… so why are they not thin!?

Hmmm…are you seeing a pattern here?

On a separate note, calorie restriction is linked to increased longevity… but why? Reasons propose the link to lower fasting insulin levels, lower body temperatures (also linked to depression and decreased libido), and decreased genetic damage from free radicals and increased DNA stability. Other studies indicate that lifespan is increased by 15 years or more when people did four things: exercise consistently, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, did not smoke, and did not drink excessively. Perhaps not simply calorie restriction, but the fact that eating “clean” controls and regulates hormone levels such as insulin and cortisol, which results in better hormonal/immune-system regulation (which are intricately linked).

By the way, have you ever tried to eat a high amount of calories with “clean” food? Wow, not easy. Considering these studies, it becomes clear that eating “clean” exercising, and avoiding stressors that throw off the body’s regulatory systems is the key to success.

I challenge you to try it for yourself, you will see! So I suppose common sense wins again! Unfortunately, sometimes common sense, is not so common.

Food is medicine. Use it wisely.

Food is Medicine - Use it Wisely!

FOOD IS MEDICINE – The Truth About Long-Term Weight Control, Health, Calories, and Dis-ease