The Strong Correlation Between Good Sound Nutrition and Cancer Prevention:

I'm not sure if it's just me, but lately I've been hearing too many horrific stories of young people being diagnosed with cancer. Today I came across an interesting article (which may based on information from Johns Hopkins) on Facebook which reaffirmed my feelings on the importance of good, clean nutrition for overall health and cancer prevention.

The following is a brief summary of the main points of the article which I think it so vitally important for all to read and internalize!!

Every person has cancer cells in their body, When a person's immune system is strong the cancer cells are destroyed and prevented from reproducing and forming tumors. When a person is diagnosed with cancer it indicates he/she has nutritional deficiencies which can be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors. One needs to overcome these multiple nutritional deficiencies by changing their diet!!

Chemotherapy and radiation involve poisoning and destroying rapid growing cancer cells but they also destroy healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc. Yes, initial therapy with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size, however their continued use will not result in tumor destruction. When the body is overly intoxicated from the chemo and radiation the immune system is either badly compromised or destroyed and the person can succumb to infection and complications.

An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply. One such example is  sugar which feeds cancer and is an essential food supply for cancer cells. Additionally, cancer cells thrive in an acidic environment. A meat-based diet is acidic therefore it is best to eat fish and some chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat contains antibiotics, growth hormone and parasites, which are all harmful! A Diet made mostly of fresh vegetables, whole grains, seeds, nuts and some fruit helps put the body in an alkaline environment!

Last but not least is that cancer is a disease of the mind, body and spirit. A positive spirit will help that cancer warrior become a survivor!!

I am not reinventing the wheel here with new information. This stuff has been proliferated over and over again. However, I feel it's necessary to reiterate as a way for me to implore to each and every one of you to please get on board with a healthy mind and body! It's imperative for everyone to do what is clearly in their control to keep these cancer cells from proliferating in their bodies. Cancer Sucks!! and I've personally had my fill of watching so many young people suffer!

(There is some controversy if this information did indeed originate from Johns Hopkins, nevertheless I decided to elaborate on it as feel strongly about the correlation between good nutrition and its' role in disease/cancer prevention and I feel it's about time we take matters into our own hands--- and at least  do what is in our control to do to obliterate this disease!)

 

Are very low calorie diets a good idea?

Dear Diary,

My goal is to lose 30 lbs for my wedding which is in 6 months. I have a strategy that I just know will work. 90% of the time I will eat very little, maybe around 500 or a maximum of 600 calories per day, and during the weekend, holidays or at parties I will eat and drink whatever my heart desires with the next day being a "detox" day where I will live on vegetables and water. My friend did this and she lost so much weight, she looks great! We don't have time to exercise, but when you eat so little there is no need for it.

Yours truly,

Starved

Dear Starved,

There can be serious potential consequences to eating so few calories and also to cycling between overindulging and subsequently fasting in an effort to compensate. A lack of food can cause the body to go into starvation mode. Starvation mode is a metabolic response to the body being deprived of food.   The body is malnourished and breaks down muscle to be used as fuel in an attempt to keep vital organs functioning. Of course your friend will find every excuse in the book not to engage in physical activity, her body is exhausted! She feels sick and tired all the time as her body doesn't have sufficient energy to complete its internal processes let alone exercise! Extreme fatigue occurs as the body simply does not have sufficient energy to function. Vitamin deficiency which can lead to many dangerous conditions including anemia, edema, and even heart failure and stroke can occur. Women experience menstrual irregularities which can lead to fertility issues. And the list goes on and on!

Yes, these very low calorie diets can lead to initial rapid weight loss. However, much of this is water weight and the latter weight loss includes a significant amount of muscle loss. 

So, let me share the bottom line with you, the point at which I come into the picture...

These people come to see me and complain that they are "a mess." Yes, initially they lost weight, but now they find it impossible to sustain the very low calorie diet that they were on and find that they are regaining the weight rapidly, much quicker than they lost it, and they have very little muscle tone and complain they are "flabby." They are plain scared to eat in fear of gaining weight. They need to gradually learn to introduce a normalized eating pattern but often have difficulty eating 3 meals and snacking in between as they are afraid this is "too much food." So as you can see a vicious cycle that is extremely difficult to break is created. 

Very low calorie diets are not the way to go. They are not sustainable. Even if you are looking for rapid results you can set yourself up for long term consequences that are plain just not worth it. Instead, do yourself a favor and see a Registered Dietitian, the food and nutrition expert, to help you with your weight loss goals or just to learn how to generate a healthy lifestyle for you and your family.

Yours truly,

Idy Neuman MS, RD, CDN

Forget the Scale!

Dear Diary,

I am infatuated with my scale. I weigh myself every morning,  it's part of my daily  routine, I get on it just before I step into the shower. You ask the reason I do this? Umm well, just because the scale is right there on the bathroom floor just beneath the towel rack, alongside the toilet.  It calls out to me and dares me to come on over and get my daily reading; my daily dreaded number. Yes, yes, I know it's just a number and that it doesn't mean all that much, but that number does linger in the back of my brain (behind all the unimportant stuff) and I admit it kind of affects my mood. So, I guess I have a love/hate relationship with my scale. Some days I love it, but most days I hate it!

Yours truly,

Scaled-obsessed

Dear Scale-obsessed,

DROP THE NUMBER!

Interestingly enough research shows that the anxiety from the "number" on the scale often plays a significant role in causing people to fall of the bandwagon and give up on weight loss and general healthier lifestyle goals.

The scale is a poor indicator of your progress. Along with fat, it also measures muscle and water weight. So, if you're working really hard at the gym to build lean muscle, then chances are good that you have lost fat, however, this may not reflect on the scale as muscle actually weighs more than fat. Or if you were rather thirsty and guzzled water just before you stepped on, your daily number may be higher than it was yesterday when you were dehydrated. If your scale is not one of the fancy shmancy types that calculates TBW or total body water, then your scale is weighing your water along with your fat, muscle etc.

Bottom Line: -  Do yourself a favor. Chuck your scale! Put it out of sight and out of mind. You will feel liberated. It is a poor indicator of your weight loss goals and overall health, and serves as a source of stress which is detrimental to our health and well-being (the complete opposite of what we are trying to accomplish here!).

Yours truly,

Idy Neuman MS, RD, CDN

The Carbohydrate Vendetta

Nine out of ten clients that walk through my office door have a grudge against the forbidden food group -  Carbohydrates. 

Some common quotes:

• "Carbs are bad for you." 

• "I absolutely cannot eat carbs, they just don't agree with my body."

•  "Carbs are bad for me because they just are, everyone says they are...."

•  "Whatever you do, do not include carbs in my meal plan. It is impossible for me to lose weight when I eat carbs."

• "Carbs make me fat"

 When they leave my office the most famous quote is:  

"Thank you! You gave me the right to eat carbs! It's been so long since I've merely touched anything related to carbohydrates." 

Carbs are both good and bad for you and it's easy to separate the good from the bad. There are many health benefits from "good" or complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits which are chock full of fiber.  Fiber slows down the absorption of nutrients which are eaten at the same meal including carbohydrates. This can help to lower blood cholesterol, prevent diabetes and keep us fuller longer. Fiber is therefore actually a dieter's best friend so go ahead and get your fill of good carbohydrates!

Having said that, we definitely want to minimize our intake of "bad," simple, or refined carbohydrates which are high in sugar and low in fiber, Examples of these carbs include, white bread, white rice and white pasta, added sugars, artificial syrups, soft drinks, cakes, cookies etc.

   

 

 

 

Red Light Green Light Eat Right program to be featured in this the upcoming season of "The Biggest Loser"

Yup guys, you heard right! The program which has helped so many of you transform your lives and inspire so many people around you will be featured in the upcoming season of "The Biggest Loser."

The Red Light Green Light Eat Right plan is a revolutionary program  developed by Dr. Joanna Dolgoff which is a simple and FUN (yes, fun!!) program that empowers children, teens, and adults to make healthy choices on their own. It's so easy, even my youngest clients can understand it!

This season's "Biggest Loser" will feature three children following the Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right plan. Dr. Dolgoff will work closely with these kids and viewers will have the opportunity to follow their progress. Be sure to tune in and to compare the contestants experiences with your own!

The "Biggest Loser"  in my practice is.....a 17 year old who has lost a grand total of 67 pounds---Wow, keep up the amazing work! 

I love when my Red Light Green Light clients come in because the most amazing component of their lifestyle transformations is that they are HAPPY! They find this to be a sustainable program which they can follow even through holidays and parties---it's really not a problem at all to stay on track!