Dr. OZ -- Tips that Support the Angel Way

Dr. Oz has the following tips listed in O Magazine January 2010.... page 95 -- The Angels are smiling....

Spoil Your Dinner (eat snacks between meals)
Why? the hormone that gets your tummy growling is called ghrelin. Once you start to eat it takes about 30 minutes for ghrelin levels to drop and for your tummy to begin to feel satisfied or "full"... A 100 calorie snack 30 minutes or so before your main meal will temper those ghrelin levels (I likes say "gremlins"-- KMR). By the time you sit down to eat your main meal, you won't feel famished. What does Dr. Oz suggest for a snack: a handful of nuts like almonds, an apple, walnuts... wise choices!

Reduce or eliminate soda at meal time
Why? Leptin is the hormone that tells your brain "I've had enough. I have stored enough energy from food." Sugary soft drinks interrupt the feedback loop so your brain does not get the message (another brain imaging study, unrelated to this article, shows that sugar substitutes like those found in diet soft drinks also disrupt the message but the mechanism of action is different). So, in all likelihood you could be overeating because the soda you consume with your meal has saturated the area of the brain where the the message needs to get through and you realize "I've eaten enough." Opt for water or, as Dr. Dean Ornish suggests, tea (green oolong white, etc)

Eat with Awareness
Eat at the table, sitting down; not reading, not hypnotized by TV or a magazine or your iphone, or web surfing. Mindful eating increases the satisfaction you get from each bite of food-- the flavor, the texture, the temperature and allows extra time for your gremlins (ghrelin) to subside.

Move Your Body
10,000 steps a day the good Dr. OZ suggest. The Angels love walking, too. Muscle burns a dozen more claories than fat... strengthen your body with weight bearing exercise for both upper and lower extremeties

As always, consult your healthcare providers before embarking on any changes to your physical activity routine or dietary habits.
Happy New Year!  KMR

"white food at every meal?" does that mean snacks, too??

yes... ideally all meals and snacks contain some form of "white food," but it doesn't haev to be huge - a handful of nuts with a piece of fruit, a spoonful of almond or peanut butter, a glass of milk, anything that provides some form of complete protein is essential...

some people will find that three meals and three snacks work for them, others three meals and two snacks, depending on how long they are awake. (i get a lot of sleep and so i tend to only eat five times a day - with a cup of tea or hot chocolate between 8 and 9 if i feel i want something.) some people will eat mini meals all day and some will only have one main meal and the rest snacks.

again, it all depends on YOU!