Almost everyone I know that has been tested for Vitamin D is low, and some absurdly so. This last November, my boyfriend broke his foot. Now, more than 2 months later, it's still not completely healed. His blood test showed low Vitamin D, despite the 2000 IU supplement he was taking. What's going on?

For one, it's normal that Vitamin D levels should drop slightly in the Winter time since we're spending less time in the sunshine. Here in San Francisco, CA, at this time of year, we could stand naked outside all ... << MORE >>

The New Year is here! It's a Brand New Year and it's time for a Brand New You!



Many of us are making the same resolutions this year as we did last year: we want to lose weight, fit better into our clothes, & feel better. Full of renewed determination, we drag ourselves to the gym for endless cardio and think we're being healthy by eating high fiber cereal for breakfast.

Hold your horses!!! ...

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We're smack dab in the middle of December and suddenly I no longer fit into my skinny jeans. Augh!!! How did that happen? I worked so hard to get to my goal for my birthday back in October...
                                                                                                                      


Thinking and looking back carefully, I realize that since then my excellent habits slowly started breaking down. I'm skipping work-outs, the sugar's crept back in, and I'm not as diligent with taking my vitamins. There's been more celebrations and partying with my birthday, and Thanksgiving, and Hannukah, and now Christmas around the corner...Yes! I celebrate all of it!

Now celebration is an important part of life and I'm not willing to give that up! However, I need to face up to what I know deep down inside to be true: the longer, harder path is always more rewarding. A while ago, I would have said, "the longer, harder path is always more rewarding once you reach the top." Now I can see that there is no top. Thinking that there is a top implies that there will be a downward trend to follow. The uphill path itself is the reward!

It's the whole instant gratification vs. long term reward thing. For example, I know that eating another chocolate chip cookie will please my mouth and brain for another 5 minutes. But I also know that afterwards, I'm going to crash and feel irritable and perhaps my stomach will even hurt.  If I really need to feel better, I can take myself to the gym. The afterglow lasts for hours,  and the long-term reward is that my jeans will fit better.

Here are the things we can remind ourselves of daily to honor ourselves in a healthy way.

True celebration involves connection with loved ones. Of course, sharing food with others creates connection. However, eating slowly, focusing on conversation rather than food alone, and avoiding mindless eating can ensure that unwanted calories don't creep in.

You can bring healthy and delicious food to celebratory events. Fruit and vegetables are delicious, colorful, and refreshing. You'll be surprised at how quickly those fresh foods get eaten up! Email sylvie@realfoodnutrition.com for easy and delicious veggie recipes.

Schedule exercise time for yourself. This is not being self-centered! Taking care of yourself in this way will increase your energy and mood, making you much more fun to be around!

Don't give up on yourself. It's easy to just tell yourself you'll start being healthy in January. The best gift you can give yourself is feeling good in your body. Don't wake up fat, bloated, and depressed on Christmas!!! Take that ginger bread cookie out of your mouth right now!

Spice up your life with cinnamon, cloves, and ginger in your tea. These will keep you warm & cozy, enhance your metabolic rate, and energize you without excess calories.

Start your morning with protein. Eat breakfast within an hour of waking up and include an egg, or 1/2 cup of cottage cheese (it's yummy with cinnamon, ground flax seed and 1/2 apple!), or even a couple of slices of nitrate free turkey meat. Protein keeps your blood sugar stable and you'll be less likely to cave in to sweet temptations.

Cheers to your good health this Holiday Season and beyond!

Yours in Health,

Sylvie Nalezny, MA, CNE

    

It seems like it’s been forever that I’ve been telling myself I wanted to lose ten pounds. More recently and after my divorce, it turned into twenty pounds. That was over two years ago. As a practicing nutritionist specializing in weight loss, carrying extra weight felt all the more difficult for me.

At the beginning of this year, I stumbled upon some old journals and diaries of mine and started to thumb through them. I found several recurring patterns; it was obvious that my weight fluctuated around unfulfilling relationships and addictive patterns. I vowed to myself that this year would be different and that it was finally time to break free from this spiral.

Here’s what I did this year so far:

• I carved out “me” time. I’m starting to get a little better at this. Literally in the beginning, it was hard to spend a night alone without my partner. Now I enjoy my own space and reflection time. It makes the time I share with others even more special. 

• I started jogging. My current boyfriend is an avid runner and I’d watch amazed as he would run for 10 miles at a time, his shirt totally soaked with sweat. I started out by going to the track and just running halfway around and then walking the other half. I gradually worked my way up and now I can run for three miles without stopping. It’s incredible to me. I used to smoke cigarettes. 

• I started circuit training. I go and get a full body workout in 30 minutes at the Fit-Lite circuit. I go three times a week no matter what. I shocked myself because I saw muscles in my arms the other day that I had never seen before. Rad. 

• I started saying “no” more often. I realized that in my efforts to please others, I often wasn’t honoring myself. I believe that people are inherently good and the bottom line is that everyone really wants what’s best for each other. I wouldn’t want to make someone else do something they didn’t really want to do! So I can say “no” when someone offers me food that I don’t want. And I can decline social invitations. Because I’m honoring myself, I don’t end up “rewarding” myself or “escaping” with food as often as I used to.

Two months ago, I got stuck with my weight loss effort. My goal was to get between 130 and 135 lbs and be at around 25% body fat by my birthday. I couldn’t seem to get below 29% and the scale was stuck at 145. To lose those last ten pounds, I had to make some more changes. Here’s what I did:

• I stopped drinking alcohol for almost a month. I was fooling myself thinking that white wine had fewer calories and that vodka soda had fewer carbs. Whatever! For me, the alcohol was totally stopping further weight loss. Since then, I limit drinking to Friday and Saturday night with no more than one drink per night. 

• I started supplementing with Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), Evening Primrose Oil (GLA), and Coconut oil. All of these are fats that actually help your body to burn fat. I took 6000 mg of CLA for two weeks and then dropped to 3000 mg. I’m still taking 3000 mg of GLA daily and 2 tsp of coconut oil daily. The GLA has the added benefit of making periods a lot easier and my pre-menstrual breast tenderness that I used to experience is 90% better. Coconut oil is also an immune booster and I haven’t gotten ill, despite several people around me coming down with the flu.

• I got off of gluten. Even though all of the tests I’ve ever taken show that I’m not sensitive to gluten, it’s obvious to me that I’m totally addicted to bread. Once I start with the bread, cookies, and pastries, it’s really, really hard for me to stop. I literally start to obsess over when I can have more and I’ve actually “snuck” eaten extra bread, embarrassed to eat that much of it in front of friends and family. Woah! There…I said it! Oh my goodness! 

• I started taking yoga class and stretching a little every day. I really believe that this is what I needed to reduce stress levels. Remember that high cortisol (from stress) will lead to weight gain around the middle!

So October 2nd is my birthday and I’m turning 33!! I just got back from a run at Tilden Park and got on the scale: 133.8 lbs. and 25.2% body fat! Happy Birthday to me!! Finally made my goal.

As a Libra, I’m happy to say that I really feel balanced today. I have been on a wild swinging pendulum ride but I know that this is part of my growth and that hanging out in the extremes has given me a broader perspective. My challenge now is to maintain the balance throughout this year, one moment at a time. I feel grounded and strong and I hope to sustain this nurturing energy and to bring it into my practice as I work with my clients to help them reach their own health goals. 

Yours in Health,

Sylvie Nalezny, MA, CNE

    

    

Summer's not over yet!! We're just smack dab in the middle of August. Here in the CA Bay Area, we can count on at least another 6 weeks of warm weather. (At least, I'm crossing my fingers and hoping for it!) Over the last couple of weeks, we've had some heat waves and several people I know have experienced some pretty scary symptoms. Feeling dizzy and disoriented may be an indication that you haven't been properly hydrating or are on the verge of a heat stroke. 

    

In the 80's we got a Tofu cookbook and for awhile there, we were making everything from tofu scramble to mint chocolate tofu pie. That pie was a total disaster by the way! What can I say? We live in Berkeley....it was the hip thing to do back then and we thought we were making a healthy choice and saving the planet while we were at it. The real story is that we've been conned into thinking that soy beans are a health food. Is it any coincidence that soy is one of the U.S.'s largest crops and one of the cheapest to produce? Here are the reasons why you should stay far away from soy:

    

OK. We've all had these embarrassing moments. You notice white flakes on the shoulders of your black sweater. You're hiking and the wind blowing on you feels great and quite cooling but you also notice your distinctive aroma. You just got taken out to a romantic dinner and when it's time to get close, either your tummy's rumbling, you feel like you've got to fart, or you can still taste the garlic on your breath. Oh the joys of bodily weirdness and digestive distress! Hopefully, the person who you're with is cool, and loves you for who you are, and won't judge you for the momentary lapses of politeness. Meanwhile, there are a couple of things that you can do to ensure that you won't embarrass yourself unnecessarily. There are those of us out there, (and I won't name any names!) that don't let little things like this bog them down. In fact, I've met guys who are quite proud of their manly emissions, comparing their out-gassing to the latest hip-hop hit or the roaring thunder in the last storm they witnessed.  That's OK sometimes and even kind of endearing in a way. But then there are others that just won't take a hint. I offered gum to someone 3 times in a row once, and he kept refusing. (Tip: if your date keeps offering you gum or a breath mint, just take it!) For those of us who are in the more self-conscious category, take the following advice from your friendly nutritionist:

    

At the turn of the 20th century, the average sugar consumption per person in the US was 5-10 lbs per year; in 2001, it was 170 lbs! During this time we have witnessed an alarming increase in obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and conditions related to a compromised immune system (immune function is suppressed for up to 5 hours after eating sugar!). Is it coincidental that these ailments were quite rare in traditional cultures before the introduction of white sugar and other refined carbohydrates, such as white flour and white rice?

 

Everyone knows that sugar causes tooth decay; but what many don’t realize is that dental problems are almost always an outward sign of a systemic problem. For example, thinning tooth enamel indiactes mineral depletion, while gingivitis may be a precursor to heart disease. Additionally, sugar and refined carbohydrates feeds bacteria (including those that cause acne), viruses, Candida albicans (a yeast-like microorganism that can cause digestive problems and yeast infections), and even cancer cells. An overgrowth of Candida, which is quite common, especially among women, will itself create more sugar cravings.

 

So why can’t everyone just simply give up sugar? Unfortunately, it can be one of the hardest habits to kick, partly because it is so pervasive in our culture, and partly because, for some people, it is highly addictive. Beyond simply tasting good, sugar affects the physiology of the body in several ways that keep us hooked. Sugar and refined carbohydrates cause the blood sugar to rise rapidly, then quickly crash back down, leading to more sugar cravings and an endless roller coaster effect. Sugar stimulates the same pleasure pathways in the brain as alcohol and many drugs. At the same time it ends up depleting us of the co-factors needed to make our own feel-good brain chemicals (neurotransmitters), leading to a dependency on sugar or refined carbs to feel good.

 

There are, however, many things that can be done to overcome sugar cravings. Following are some guidelines that will help reduce cravings and ensure better overall health, steady energy, a stronger immune system, and better weight control.

 

Check all labels for added sugar, especially salad dressings, mayonnaise, breakfast cereals, soups, and canned foods. Get rid of anything with added sugar.

 

Stop drinking soda! Regular soda contains a whopping 8-12 teaspoons of sugar, while diet sodas contain aspartame which blocks the production of serotonin, causing more sugar and carbohydrate cravings! Instead, try drinking low sodium mineral water with a splash of unsweetened fruit juice.

 

Switch from refined flour to whole grain products. Remember, refined grains and refined grain products affect blood sugar in the same way as white sugar.

 

Use alternate sweeteners. Use stevia, xylitol or lo han, none of which significantly affect blood sugar levels.

 

Lighten the glycemic load. If you need to drink something sweet, dilute fruit juice with water. Try to avoid eating anything sweet on an empty stomach;  add some protein and/or fat into the equation (e.g. some nuts with fruit) to ease the glycemic load. This way your blood sugar won’t go up, or crash down, so quickly. Crashing blood sugar leads to more cravings.

 

Don’t skip breakfast. Eating breakfast helps to stabilize your blood sugar, whereas skipping it tends to unbalance it.

 

Include protein at every meal. Protein is made up of amino acids that your body uses to make feel-good brain chemicals, short-circuiting cravings. It also keeps your blood sugar steady.

 

Cut back on alcohol. Alcohol is itself another form of sugar. If you are going to drink, try to limit your consumption to one glass of wine or beer a day.

 

Get enough sleep. Research shows that when people are sleep deprived, they are much more likely to reach for sweets or other refined carbs.

 

Tune into your emotions. If you are craving sugar because of an emotional upset, try to deal with it through direct communication, journaling, talking to a friend, or counseling.

 

 

 

 

 

    

I’ve had it with telling people telling me that there’s not more to it than that. Sure, for most people that haven’t been yo-yo dieters their whole lives and have a healthy metabolism, it’s true. However there are some exceptions, and I’ve come across plenty of clients who have struggled with this diet myth. Speaking from personal experience, I know that it’s the kinds of foods that I choose and at what time I eat them, rather than the calories in them, that make a bigger impact on my weight and energy.

When I worked as a weight loss counselor for another organization, their approach was to balance blood sugar and to cut calories and fat way back. Balancing blood sugar is right on. When your blood sugar is steady, you’re much less likely to experience cravings.  Cutting fat way back is dead wrong. Yes, it’s true. You’ve got to eat the right kind of fat and enough of it, to lose body fat. Completely eliminating trans fat is essential for weight loss and minimizing omega 6 inflammatory oils from vegetable oils like sunflower, safflower, canola, and soybean oil is a good idea too. But eliminating avocado, nuts, seeds, butter, olive oil, coconut oil, and oily fish is self-sabotage. You might lose weight initially, but you’ll be moody, dried out, wrinkly and miserable. 

Also, based on activity level, body size, and gender, 1200 calories daily for an extended period of time can shut down the body’s metabolism, making it harder to maintain weight loss down the line. Sure, you might lose weight initially, but a large portion of that will be metabolically active muscle. When you lose muscle mass, your resting metabolic rate drops down. That means that you burn less calories over a 24 hour period while you’re at rest. The more muscle you’ve got, the more calories you burn doing absolutely nothing but sitting on your behind.

Food is information and your body is a complex chemistry lab. Let’s say you eat 200 calories worth of frosted flakes. All the sugar and carbohydrates are going to spike your blood sugar, causing you to release insulin which is…guess what? A fat storage hormone! Choosing a higher protein snack with a healthy fat would be a much more intelligent choice for fat loss. A handful of nuts would be a great option, for example.

Besides the ratio of carbohydrate, fat, and protein and the time of day at which you eat (try to front-load as much as possible with larger meals earlier in the day so that your liver can detox at night rather than digest), there are a few other factors to consider:

Food allergies and sensitivities: If you eat foods that you’re sensitive to, your body retains water weight, making it difficult to lose inches and pounds.

Thyroid imbalance: With chronic low-calorie dieting, the thyroid can become sluggish. Thyroid regulates how many calories you burn on a daily basis. Get your T3, T4, and TSH levels all checked out to make sure. Testing for thyroid anti-bodies is also a good idea to differentiate between Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism. Many people are currently being misdiagnosed with hypothyroidism rather than Hashimoto’s.

Hormonal imbalance: A salivary hormone profile can test for cortisol levels as well as other sex hormones. High cortisol will prevent weight loss. Excess estrogen may make it difficult as well.

Lack of Sleep: Not enough sleep (anything less than 8 hours per night) can increase ghrelin (the hunger hormone) and decrease leptin (the satiety hormone). So if you’re tired, you’ll feel more hungry and less full.

Heavy Metal Toxicity: The body protects the brain and nervous system from heavy metals by storing toxic metals in fat cells.

Over-exercising: Yep! Too much time on the treadmill can raise cortisol levels. Your body senses it’s in fight or flight mode and weight loss is put on hold. If you burn out your adrenal glands, this can lead to thyroid issues long term. The better solution is to practice interval training, strength training, and stretching.

Losing weight is hard. There are many psychological, social and emotional factors involved. Calories in, calories out only addresses the body and in a very naïve, mechanistic way. New research is coming out on how sugar works in the brain. Turns out that sugar is more addictive than cocaine! There are some people who are wired differently than others and we are discovering genes that make a person more likely to be an addict. So give me a break about calories in and calories out. To simplify weight loss in this way is an insult to the intelligence of all the folks out there who struggle with their weight on a daily basis. It’s like telling an addict or an alcoholic to just stop using drugs because it’s bad for them.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. I’m currently working on a 12 week mind, body, spirit “learning to love and respect your body” program for women who struggle with their weight. I’ll keep you all posted!