The Best Darn Book About Nutrition and Health

INTRODUCTION

There is mass misunderstanding of nutrition in the world today—especially in America. Many people listen to nutrition and fitness advice from unreliable sources. These people that listen to bad advice, often become fatter, more obsessive, unhappy and unhealthy. You should realize these people know just as much about nutrition as you do. You will become healthier and fit when you stop obsessing about what you eat.

This book will teach how vital fat is in the diet and how it’s bad to refrain from it. Instead of learning what expensive supplement will support your body the best, you will learn that no supplement supports your body like food does. You’ll realize that a lot of the nutrition hype marketed through the media and heard through your friends and family is exactly just that…hype! You’ll also see how complex nutrition isn’t. It is complex in the chemistry and nutrient metabolic pathways. But it is not complex in terms of good and bad.

I dropped extra weight, became less obsessed and more muscular from my dietetics education and experience. I feel proud of my health. I want to share this marvelous feeling with you. I am not healthy from a super pill, a new and improved fitness gadget, or from eating no carbohydrates and sugar. I will provide you with the information and motivation to take you where you have never been before. I have included my best from years of counseling patients with all different types of nutrition, fitness and health issues.

Read this book and incorporate what you learn. You can read one chapter and use what you discover to change your health habit. Focus on that one chapter until you’ve made it a good habit in your life. Then move on to the next chapter and build on to your new lifestyle. Each chapter takes less than ten minutes to read. Before you know it, you’ll feel fabulous. You will want to share these health secrets with your friends and family too.

My goal for you is to reach your optimal health. That doesn’t mean that you’re going to eat, exercise and think just like me. However, it means that you develop a healthy attitude to help you create a body you are proud to live in. So as we begin our journey together, I want you to set your goals higher than you think you can accomplish. The further your aspirations, the further you will take yourself. I am confident that you will experience self-actualization in health. You will revert back to the healthy instincts you were born with. Go get ‘em!

-Dorothy Ziegler, R.D.

1  

 BE DISCIPLINED

Losing weight is not easy. Working out most days of the week is not always fun. Ordering the fish tacos as opposed to the beef chimichanga can be challenging. Giving up one hour of television or internet surfing per day can be torture. What makes some people choose the healthy option while others continuously opt for the latter? It’s discipline!

One way to combat tempting food or the desire to skip exercise is to remember how it feels to be at an undesirable weight. Remembering feelings of pain, rude comments and bad photos can help make you more disciplined.

You don’t always have to use negative thoughts. You can also use positive motivation. Imagine what it will be like when you meet your goal weight. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Or the thought of fitting into your favorite jeans again, YES! The confidence that you will gain is remarkable. There will be those who doubt you can make a change. Proving them wrong is an astonishing feeling!

Discipline is a large component of being nutritionally and physically fit. In a recent poll done by the Calorie Control Council, men and women were asked what their reason was for not being able to lose weight. Forty-one percent of women and twenty-eight percent of men attributed it to lack of self-discipline.

We know what the right thing to do is. But why don’t we do it? The number of people exercising after the New Year is great. But where do they go by the end of January? It never fails. The same people are back in April just in time for bathing suit season! The gym is like a ghost town in December. If you are going to exercise, you need to make it a regular part of your weekly, monthly and yearly schedule. It is even possible and very beneficial to squeeze in a workout during the holiday season.

Think about one area of your life in which you are very proud of how disciplined you are. Is this where you concentrate most of your attention? For example, maybe you are extremely focused on your work. It is important to balance your life. You need to develop the skill to be focused in other areas of your life such as exercise. Channel some of this energy to the other aspects of your life that you lack discipline. You will find a deeper sense of satisfaction.

2  

 WORKOUTS… FUN?

How could the two words possibly be in the same sentence? Working out and fun just do not go together. And those people that say, I love aerobics, it’s so fun! or My morning jog is my favorite time of the day, they must be lying! Right? Wrong! Workouts can be very fun. The challenging part is finding a workout that suits you. Don’t feel guilty because you can’t learn to like jogging.

I had a friend once who joined me on various sorts of activities. After an all day hike together, he expressed how much he needed to work out. He couldn’t figure out when he was going to fit it in nor did he really want to. I looked at him quixotically and said, "What do you mean get a work out in? What do you think we just did? Hiking is a work out!" He thought the only way to work out was being underneath a bar full of iron plates.

Many people view working out as having to be grueling, repetitive and within the confinement of a gym. This is exactly why fun workouts are an oxymoron.

Have you ever performed the same activity day after day without much variation? It may have been fun at first but less appealing soon after. The same goes for working out.

Think back to the days as a kid when playing tag was fun. Maybe little league was your passion! I bet you didn’t realize you were working out during those times. They were fun ways of working out. That’s why you didn’t grasp the fact that you were actually exercising.

So change that thought in your head that a work out has to be grueling to be considered as exercise. Begin brainstorming of various activities that may be fun for you. Try learning a new sport each year. Throughout the year you can perfect your skill. You will be getting your exercise in at the same time. Play tennis with your spouse or companion. You will be spending valuable time together. You can even do a nightly activity, such as swing dancing. Couple’s dancing is great bonding! Here are some other great ideas:

Working out doesn’t have to be three miles on the treadmill everyday. There is so much more workout opportunities out there than that! Find fun and forget about working out even though you really are!

3  

 ARE YOU REALLY HAPPY?

Happiness is produced by different stimuli for different people. For some, hearing rock music makes them happy while for others it causes a twinge of pain. Becoming engaged for some is happiness while for others it causes fear. Some people have no concern with being overweight but it can make others depressed and worrisome. Are you happy with your physical health? This is what matters most.

While the media bombards us with images of what makes happiness, it is important to not let this control our contentment. Each person’s body is healthy at different levels of fitness, thinness, fatness, etc. For example, I have a client we’ll call her Thea. Thea has established her own body happiness. At one point she forced herself to be very thin. Her body felt weak and tired. She didn’t feel attractive and she hated depriving herself of the food that she loves. She was not eating a balanced diet. Some people can eat a healthy and well balanced diet and still be very thin. Thea’s body is different. Her body doesn’t function correctly when she goes below 123 pounds. Her body fat percentage is too low. Thea feels the healthiest between 125—130 pounds. This is Thea’s happy weight range. You have your own range.

Think about the weight where your body feels happiest and healthiest. Consider all factors such as health measures (cholesterol levels, blood pressure), mental happiness, energy level and self-confidence. Remember a time in your life when you felt great! This is most likely your optimal weight range. Now consider how you achieved that weight range. Can you incorporate those habits back into your life? Perhaps this is the key to becoming happy again!

4  

 EATING HEALTHY IS LIKE BUDGETING MONEY

I have several clients who proclaim to be aces at budgeting money. On the contrary, they are not so good at eating healthy. Eating healthy is like budgeting money.

Dee is planning for her sister’s wedding. The wedding is seven months away. She estimates how much money she will have to save each month to cover the costs. Weddings can be expensive. She calculates that she will need $700. Thus she will need to save $100 a month.

Likewise, one must budget food the same way. It may not be desirable to watch carefully what you eat. If you don’t, you’ll likely gain pounds. Plan for the week ahead of you. Let’s pretend you have a wedding to attend on Saturday. At weddings you usually enjoy a glass of champagne, appetizers, a glass of wine and a piece of cake. Think about how many calories are in the meal you plan to consume. Be aware of the hidden calories in great tasting catered food.

You are probably wondering how you could afford to eat all that while trying to lose weight. It’s simple! You will budget your week’s worth of eating. Allowing yourself to have a piece of cake is definitely a grand idea if you really want it. But make that your sugar-laden dessert of the week. During the week choose low fat desserts such as fresh berries or a banana. As for the dinner, enjoy every bite without feeling guilt by choosing lower fat options earlier in the day. For example replace your bran muffin in the morning with wheat toast and all-fruit preserves spread on top. Skip the mayonnaise and croissant for your turkey sandwich at lunch and replace it with two slices of hearty whole grain bread with mustard. When snack time hits, opt for celery without the peanut butter in the crevice, and add protein to the meal by drinking a cool glass of fat-free milk.

You can enjoy the delicious food at the wedding without guilt because you planned ahead. Using a food diary helps some individuals while others like to plan their food budget in their head. Think of the upcoming week. Decide when you might be eating rich desserts, high calorie foods, or fatty foods. From there plan ahead and you will have an easier time deciding what to order Monday for lunch… the grilled chicken fresh green salad or the big fat burger and fries!

5  

 RATING THE DIETS

Let us rate the diets popular today. Americans spend billions of dollars each year only to gain the weight back. Wouldn’t it be nice to be in a successful weight loss program? Here is an analysis of the different diet plans that are commonly available.

Slim Fast™—This one is simple, inexpensive and requires no thinking. All you have to do is drink one shake for breakfast and lunch, and then eat a regular-sized healthy dinner. The drinks are full of healthy vitamins and minerals fulfilling your Recommended Daily Allowance.

Your wallet: 90 cents per serving.

Analysis: What happens if your normal dinner turns out to be a king’s feast? This is because you have deprived yourself of chewing wholesome food all day. Chewing is extremely important for people to feel gratification. Fiber is necessary for intestinal health. Ultra Slim-Fast™ has five grams of fiber per serving. If you rely on the Ultra Slim Fast™ shakes, you may receive enough fiber for the day. It is not a diet you can use to change lifestyle habits.

Grade: D

Weight Watchers™—It is easy to learn, affordable, healthy, targets all aspects of weight loss, and most importantly, is good for life.

Your wallet: $100

Analysis: This plan requires tracking, time, and effort. You will track your intake through points. Different foods have different point values. This makes it easier to calculate how much you ate in a day as compared to counting calories.

Grade: A

Dr. Atkins™-A diet consisting of protein with minimal carbohydrate.

Your wallet: $7.99

Analysis: This diet is not suitable for life. A lot of people do it until they lose the weight. But what are you to do once the weight is gone? You will gain weight back because you did not learn how to eat healthy. If you choose to follow this plan you will have the following risks: cardiovascular disease, cancer, hypertension, diverticulitis, diverticulosis, among other problems.

Grade: F