Eating with Dr. Daphne

Daphne Miller, MD recently completed her book called the Jungle Effect where she focuses on the benefits of diets to prevent disease. She visited counties around the world and investigated the relationship of diet to reducing chronic disease. She discovered several interesting things. In fact she feels not just foods lower disease risks but the way in which they are eaten and enjoyed. The social, calming and centering aspects of family meals seems to influence health. As do using meats as a condiment rather than a hunk on the middle of the plate and eating locally grown, seasonal vegetables and fruits, whole grains and other whole foods. She also learned that integrating these changes into our own lives is possible since her recipes are delicious but easy too. People only have about 14 recipes they use over and over. I like several of her health nuggets including, diet trumps genes and follow your taste buds. Apparently diet dogmas hold little weight with this doctor who treats her patients first with foods and then with medicines.

Stress eating

Stress Eating
If you listen to the news or open a newspaper these days you may feel some stress. It is a time of great uncertainty. Have you noticed that you are eating more as a result? You might be, since stress increases our appetites. The physiological systems responsible for this are meant to protect us. Here is how. When we experience stress the brain instantly signals our body to release a hormone called cortisol. This hormone tells the body to mobilize our fight or flight reflex. The heart races, blood vessels constrict. We are ready for action. Yet with chronic stress the system does not shut off. Researchers at UCSF suggest that chronic stress activates a mechanism that directs us to look for foods high in calories, fat and sugar. Without this system chronic stress would deplete our energy reserves and we would not survive very long. So though eating more may keep us going, when we do not burn these calories we store them right around our mid-sections. We should be concerned since 63% of Americans are overweight or obese. Here are some simple tools to fight the trend. When stressed, get enough sleep, eat lightly, do not drink too much alcohol and exercise. Protect your heart, body and mind by practicing moderation.

Weight loss and keeping it off

At this time of year the common resolution I hear is to eat better and lose weight. It makes sense since generally we all have eaten thousands of extra calories and drank many more during the holidays. Holidays bring out the appetite in people and most people gain about 4 pounds from Halloween through New Years Day. What seems to be changing is not that people gain weight during this season but that in our sedentary society it is getting harder and harder to lose the weight we gain. Tara Pope Parker wrote a piece today in the NYTs highlighting great websites offering diet help. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/02/keeping-that-diet-resolution/
It is worth a read. I am interested in the site called 3Fatchicks.com written by 3 sisters that shares stories of real people's weight loss struggles.

I am also struck by the study in the April 2008 article in the British Journal of Nutrition. They looked at success rates of lifetime Weight Watchers members and found that a year after reaching goal weight, 80 percent of participants maintained only 5 percent of the weight loss. By one year only 27 percent of the dieters were below their goal weight. Despite that most people regained their weight, ww offers more success than most commercial diet plans.

I find the maintenance the key and with this I continue to recommend small weekly, weight loss support groups. They are easy to set up and work.