Master Your Metabolism

Hello!
I mentioned to John that perhaps I could write a little blurb each week about diet, exercise and green living, and he thought it was a good idea. When I began writing, I became very overwhelmed, because there is just so much to say. My little blurbs were turning into pages and pages, so I decided to break it up with one topic a week. This week I’ll address diet. I hope that you find these tips helpful.

Diet
My new favorite diet plan is the Jillian Michaels’ Master Your Metabolism. It is a book which she wrote with an endocrinologist (hormone specialist) named Mariska Van Aalst. Jillian Michaels is the female trainer on The Biggest Loser (which I failed to mention, airs on Tusday nights on Ch 5 at 7PM). She is really tough and mean, but she really knows her stuff. I first learned about the program from a PBS seminar which airs on the Lakeshore channel on the weekends, also entitled, “Master Your Metabolism.” If you can catch it, it’s worth the watch, but the book is even better. It explains so many of the mysteries of diet and lifestyle from a hormone perspective. You may be thinking, this sounds like a female diet—not so. Our bodily processes, both mens’ and womens’ are ordered by hormones. This book explains how synthetic chemicals in foods talk to your cells on a DNA level. They can switch on fat-storage genes that may otherwise lay dormant. Of our 6,000 genes, about 25% or our genome helps determine weight. We can change the expression of our genes through diet and lifestyle.
She recommends a three step process of removing, restoring, and rebalancing.
Remove Anti-nutrients
1. hydrogenated fats
2. refined grains
3. high fructose corn syrup
4. artificial sweeteners (it’s true)
5. artificial colors and preservatives
6. MSG and other glutamates
Restore Power Nutrients
1. legumes (beans)
2. alliums (garlic and onions)
3. berries
4. organic meat and eggs
5. colorful fruits and veggies
6. cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage)
7. dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, collard, arugula)
8. nuts and seeds (raw is best)
9. organic dairy
10. whole grains
Rebalance
Eat every 4 hours, and eat till you’re just full, not stuffed. Do not eat after 9PM—especially no carbs before bed.

These are the basics of any good diet, and if this has peaked your interest, I recommend that you try to catch the PBS seminar or read the book.