Jonny Bowden's Blog, page 22
January 6, 2015
Things to Remember When Reading Your Next Diet Book
To those of us who write books, January is synonymous with the phrase “New Year New You”. There’s a “New You” section at every brick and mortar bookstore still in existence, and you won’t have to surf online for more than a minute to find literally dozens of new diet and exercise books “guaranteed” to change your life in 2015.
The two words you’re guaranteed to see the most on every book cover, DVD or infomercial program promising you quick results—besides, of course, the words “burn fat”—are the following.
“Simple” and “Easy”.
As I explain on a recent video blog, that’s a lie. Weight loss may be “simple” (in the sense that stopping smoking is “simple”), but easy? Not so much.
So here’s the thing to remember when you get tempted to double down on the next diet book that promises instant transformation. Whatever variations exist among diet plans, the following are truths that apply in all and every case, forever and always, and anyone who implies differently is, well, lying. Or, if you’d prefer to give them the benefit of the doubt, ignorant (of both science and of human beings).
Everybody’s different. The basic nutritional principle on which my nutritional education was based is the concept of biochemical individuality. The term was first introduced by Dr. Roger Williams in the 1950’s and basically means that everybody’s different– and in a spectacular number of ways. Translated: No diet works for everyone.
The ways in which people differ can have profound effects on weight loss. We’re all different metabolically, hormonally, culturally, psychologically, behaviorally, biochemically, neurologically, enzymatically, ad infinitum. All these differences mean that the likelihood that everyone will respond the same way to a food plan is utter nonsense. Honor- and understand—our differences, and adjust accordingly.
Anyone who says we know all there is to know about obesity is either lying or deluded. The best researchers admit that we are just scratching the surface. We now know that what your grandmother ate influences your weight. And that there are many chemicals in the environment that mimic hormones which in turn lead to weight gain. (Many of those chemicals are known as “obesogens”, which means they make you fat, possibly regardless of what you eat.)
The most insidious and destructive half-truth ever told in the field of weight loss is that it’s “all about calories”. The human body doesn’t behave like a calorimeter, it behaves like a chemistry set. Different foods and combinations of foods beget different metabolic reactions. All calories are not created equal and never have been, despite the American Dietetic Association’s decades-long battle to convince you that “a calorie is a calorie”.
Weight gain is driven by hormones. Any food plan that doesn’t take that into account is doomed to failure. Some foods trigger your “fat storage” hormones (insulin), some don’t. Some trigger hormones that tear down muscle (cortisol). Some trigger hormones that release fat from cells (glucagon). Ignoring that is idiotic, yet most nutrition advice of the past few decades does exactly that.
I’d add a few things to the above list. It’s probably a good idea to eat a lot of plant foods, that locally grown and organic will trump everything else for a myriad of reasons, that you have nothing to fear from saturated fat (particularly in the context of a low-carb diet), that we have no idea of the long-term consequences of GMO, that cholesterol doesn’t cause heart disease, that you’d be smart to supplement with fish oil, that sugar is one of the most addictive substances on the planet, that it’s a good idea to drink a lot of water and get a little sun, that you’re free to eat whole eggs. And that you don’t need grains in your diet (though you’re welcome to eat them if you’re not gluten sensitive, don’t have weight problems, and don’t mind the addictive gluteomorphins in wheat.)
And as long as we’re talking about principles upon which to design a happy life, let’s not leave out the stuff that has nothing to do with what goes into your mouth but rather what comes out of it. Make kindness, encouragement, praise, gratitude, appreciation and warmth part of your daily “output”, just as you make the foods and supplements I talk about on this website part of your daily “input”.
Now that’s a diet in the true sense of the original Greek word: A manner of life.
A loving, happy, peaceful, healthy and prosperous 2015 to everyone!
Warmly
JB
January 4, 2015
Video – Bad Weight Loss Advice
Hey everybody,
Want to know the single biggest lie told by every diet book author on the planet? (Hint: it’s probably not what you think.)
Watch this short video and I’ll explain!
Warmly,
Dr. Jonny
January 1, 2015
December 31, 2014
5 Great Tips for Making New Year’s Resolutions Work
Ever wonder why so many good intentions are forgotten by the second week in January? Here are five great tips for making sure your New Year’s resolutions actually wind up making a difference in your life.
Don’t start on January 1
Beginning any set of resolutions on New Year’s Day is a prescription for failure. Why? Because it’s arbitrary and artificial and few people really own it. Better: pick a day of your own choosing, further from the holidays and not symbolic like New Year’s Day is. That way it’s yours. You’re far more likely to make real lasting life changes if you start by owning them, and what better way to symbolize owning them than by choosing the start date rather than having it artificially imposed on you?
Don’t make the Arnold mistake
Every gym in America signs up more than three times their capacity at the beginning of the year. They do that because they know full well that over 2/3 of the new members will drop out within a month. Back when I was Dean of the Equinox Fitness Training Institute and working as a trainer in New York, we used to have a bet about how fast the newbies would drop out. Here was the clue: Guys would come in with the Arnold Schwarzennegger Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding, all revved up for a two hour workout straight from the book, workouts that the Terminator used to do when he was training for the Mr. Olympia. They’d last three days. Don’t make the Arnold mistake and bite off more than you can chew. Set small, reasonable goals that you’re able to keep. Remember, your subconscious mind only knows success and failure; if you come in planning to do 2 hours and you “only” do an hour and a half, your brain logs that as a negative. Set yourself up for success. Start with short, light workouts. That way you leave the gym feeling successful, and that guarantees that you’ll be back for more. You can always make it harder later.
Rehearse and visualize
Studies have shown that mental rehearsal improves performance. Basketball players who go through their shots and strategy in their mind perform better on the field than those who don’t, and piano players who “practice” in their heads play as well as if they had spent 30 minutes at the keyboard. Learn from them. Rehearse the habits of your new lifestyle. When it comes to eating, for example, see yourself in a tempting situation with trigger foods and practice what you’re going to say, what you’re going to do, what you’re going to eat. Make it come alive. When you get to the real life situation, it’ll be that much easier to do what you’ve already “seen” yourself doing.
Act as if you’re already there
So many people tell me that if they could only lose 10- or 100- pounds, they’d be so happy and their lives would change. But they rarely realize that if they could snap their fingers and magically be the perfect weight, they’d still have to eat and live differently in order to maintain it, or they’d be back where they are right now in no time. If you were 10- or 100- pounds lighter right now, you’d have to eat like a person 10 (or 100) pounds lighter– and exercise like one too. So why not start right now? Act as if you’re already there- you’d have to live differently then, so you might as well get in the habit.
Make a list of the habits you’d like to change- start with one
If a goal is too overwhelming, we tend to turn away from it and tune out altogether. Maybe there are ten- or twenty- different habits you’d like to develop and another couple of dozen you’d like to lose. Fine, that’s great. Make a list of all of them. Then pick one to work on. Remember, it takes 21 days to build (or lose) a habit. Honor that. Do one- two at the most- at a time, not all of them. When that one is strong, add another. If you went at that rate, you could add 17 new life-changing habits to your repertoire in a year.
Do these five tips and come next New Year’s you’ll have a whole new life. And a whole new- bigger- set of resolutions.
And you’ll know how to keep those as well.
December 30, 2014
My Response to a Letter From a Reader
Hey everyone,
How often do you run into medical doctors who are courageous enough to think for themselves and buck the establishment? Unfortunately, I’d bet, not too often.
Here’s my response to a letter from a reader whose doctor told her to read “The Great Cholesterol Myth”.
December 24, 2014
December 19, 2014
Healthier Holiday Nog
Ingredients
4 fresh, clean, organic, pasture-raised eggs, separated*
¼ cup light palm sugar (or regular sugar)
1 cup organic heavy cream, preferably from pastured cows
2 cups organic whole milk, preferably from pastured cows
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon fresh-grated nutmeg, plus extra to garnish
Place the egg yolks and 2 tablespoons of the sugar into a mixing bowl and beat until it thickens.
Place the egg whites and remaining 2 tablespoons of sweetener into another mixing bowl and beat until soft peaks are formed.
In a third bowl, add the cream and beat until it starts to thicken. Add the milk, vanilla and ¾ teaspoon nutmeg and beat until well incorporated.* Add the yolks and beat in. Finally, fold in the whites until well incorporated. Divide into cups and sprinkle each one liberally with extra nutmeg to serve.
Yield 6- 8 servings
*To make it a cocktail, add 2-3 ounces of white rum or bourbon when you add the milk.
NOTE:
*As a chef I am duty-bound to mention the FDA caution in consuming raw or partially cooked eggs because of the marginal risk of contracting salmonella or another food-borne illness. On the one hand this is a real concern because, unlike other food-borne illnesses, the number of salmonella cases has actually increased over the past 15 years. However, the contamination of eggs usually originates in contaminated factories with unhealthy chickens.
Does this mean you should never eat raw eggs? If you buy conventional eggs from industrial farms, the answer to that question is probably yes. However, to avoid contaminated eggs, what you really need to avoid is contaminated feed and factory farming conditions. The solution is to purchase your eggs from smaller, free range, organic poultry farms, preferably local, where you can see happy, healthy chickens scratching in a field. Know where your food comes from. I personally eat raw eggs. I love them in smoothies, in Caesar dressing, and in egg nog, but only if they are from healthy, pasture-raised chickens on smaller, clean, local farms.
To further reduce your risk of any contamination, wash any eggs that aren’t perfectly clean, always keep them refrigerated, and try to keep the egg contents from coming in contact with the outside of the shell when you crack them.
December 17, 2014
Rack of Lean Lamb with Herbs and Roasted Shallots
The following is from The 150 Healthiest Comfort Foods on Earth by Dr. Jonny Bowden and Jeannette Bessinger for Fair Winds Press.
For the moment, let’s put aside any concerns we might have about eating lamb (and yes, I’m a sucker for these gorgeous gentle creatures and have a few ‘tree-hugging’ sympathies of my own). But the fact is lamb is one of the healthiest meats on the planet. Precisely because it’s young (under a year old by definition) the animal hasn’t had too much time to accumulate toxins. In general, lamb isn’t “factory farmed”, so added antibiotics, steroids and hormones aren’t the problem they are with factory farmed beef. (And if you really want the best, it’s possible to get grass-fed New Zealand lamb at many grocery stores or butchers.) Lamb is high in protein, relatively low in fat, and contains zinc, niacin, selenium, vitamin B3 and all 8 essential amino acids. The Frenching process removes the layer of heavy fat leaving the exposed lean and tasty chops. To bump up the flavors even more, we marinate—overnight, if you can- with a fabulous mix of mint, rosemary and thyme, all of which really pop the flavor of the already tender meat. Serve it with creamy roasted shallots on the side- it’s comfort food at it’s best! Fun fact: marinating with herbs like rosemary before cooking or grilling significantly reduces heterocyclic amines, a potential carcinogen (cancer-causing compound), according to research by J. Scott Smith, PhD, at Kansas State University.
2 racks of lamb, trimmed and Frenched (about 8 ribs or 1 pound each)
¼ cup olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
½ teaspoon coarse ground pepper
8 shallots, peeled
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Slice each rack in half so you have 4 sections of about 4 ribs each.
In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, garlic, mint, rosemary and thyme. Smear the mixture evenly all over the surface of the meat and sprinkle evenly with the pepper.
Wrap them with plastic and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
The next evening, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Coat the shallots in a thin coating of olive oil and set aside.
Remove the racks from the refrigerator and peel away the plastic wrap, removing any large pieces of herb.
Sprinkle lightly with salt and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium high heat.
Sear the fatty sides until golden brown, about 4 minutes.
Flip the racks so they are sitting fat sides up. Arrange the prepared shallots around the lamb racks and place the pan in the oven. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until desired doneness –watch the shallots closely: Turn them once and remove if they are getting too browned. Let the racks rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting. To serve, slice the racks into chops and serve with a couple of the roasted shallots on the side.
Yield: 4 servings
My Video Interview With Jeanette Bessinger
Jeannette Bessinger– “The Clean Food Coach”– has been a friend of mine for well over 30 years. We did five cookbooks together, and write a monthly column on food for Better Nutrition. Jeannette’s spent her career teaching incredibly busy people how to eat and cook healthy without breaking their budget or spending hours in the kitchen. In this short video, we discuss how to do damage control during holiday eating season. If you don’t know Jeannette yet, you’re in for a treat. She’s brilliant, funny, and has a loving, compassionate spirit that will warm you up like hot chocolate on a winter morning.
Learn more about Jeannette Bessinger
The Clean Food Coach™ – Follow me on Facebook!
Tastier, Healthier Meals in Less Time
www.thecleanfoodcoach.com
Check out Clean Food Central – your one stop resource for clean eating
December 16, 2014
Three Great Holiday Recipes
The following three recipes are from Jeanette Bessinger, the Clean Food Coach™, www.thecleanfoodcoach.com.
Autumnal Antioxidants: Cranberry-Orange Relish
This tangy orange-cranberry relish is made with fresh cranberries, not canned, and less than half the sugar of conventional canned relish. You may not realize it, but cranberries are one of the healthiest foods on earth. They have one of the highest antioxidant ratings, and are loaded with plant compounds known as flavonoids, which may reduce the risk of atherosclerosis. Emerging research also indicates that they may help protect brain cells. In any case, they taste great, and this fabulous relish is a perfect complement to the heady, herb-infused turkey!
4 cups (440g) fresh cranberries, or 2 8-oz (225-g) bags frozen/unsweetened, thawed and rinsed
2 oranges, peeled and halved
½ cup (230 g) raw honey, or more or less to taste (or palm sugar)
In a blender or food processor, blend together the cranberries, oranges and honey until a juicy relish is formed.
Yield: 12 to 14 servings
Notes from Chef Jeannette:
Cranberries are not only delicious and nutritious, but also beautiful. If you wish to serve a canapé or cheese platter during a holiday gathering, fill your serving platter with a bag of fresh cranberries and place the food items on the top –lovely!
Holiday Waldorf Salad
Adapted from The Healthiest Meals on Earth: The Surprising Unbiased Truth about What Meals to Eat and Why by Dr. Jonny Bowden and Jeannette Bessinger for Fair Winds Press.
Ingredients
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
Juice from 3 tablespoons grated ginger root
1 tablespoon raw honey or coconut nectar, or to taste
¼ teaspoon powdered ginger, optional
2 small crisp red apples (such as Macoun or Pink Lady), cored and chopped into small pieces (about 2 cups)
4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
½ cup purple seedless grapes, cut in half, optional
¼ cup dried cranberries, cherries or chopped figs or dates
1/2 cup lightly toasted walnuts or caramelized almond slices, coarsely chopped
8 cups chopped hearts of Romaine
In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, honey, orange juice and gingers. Set aside.
In a salad bowl, combine all remaining ingredients through Romaine.
Pour dressing over the salad and toss together to coat.
Yield: 6-8 Servings
Notes from Chef Jeannette:
Replacing conventional mayonnaise with high protein, pastured, organic Greek yogurt transforms this timeless dish into a healthy classic.
Easy Spiced Pumpkin Pie
By Jeannette Bessinger, the Clean Food Coach™, www.thecleanfoodcoach.com
After years of baking pumpkin pies I’ve simplified a formula for a delicious, no-bake version that is grain-free, dairy-free, speedy and easy to make, even for non-bakers like me! This is sort of an interactive recipe because you need to decide what your priorities are –i.e. are you looking for the highest protein and lowest glycemic load? Try the tofu and Orange NuStevia combination. Don’t eat soy? Go with the avocado for the binder (it will not set as firmly as the soy). Looking for something a little sweeter and more traditionally flavored? Use canned pumpkin and pure maple syrup. You can even put the filling into a traditional baked flour crust – it’s still going to be a much healthier pie than any conventional option. Experiment a bit to hit the sweet level you enjoy and make it your own, tailored to your personal tastes and dietary goals.
Crust Option #1
2 cups macadamia nuts (raw or roasted)
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
Pinch salt
Crust Option #2
2 scant cups walnuts
1/3 cup fresh pitted Medjool dates (soak for 15 minutes if they are not soft and fresh)
1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Pinch salt
Filling
2 cups fresh-cooked pumpkin * (or sweet winter squash, such as kabocha), drained if runny
1/3 cup pure maple syrup or ½ cup rice syrup
1 12.3-ounce package firm silken tofu or 2/3 cup lightly mashed ripe hass avocado
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
1½ teaspoons ginger
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon allspice
Pinch salt
Instructions
To make the crust, combine all the crust ingredients from either option 1 or option 2 in a food processor. Slowly pulse and process, turning the mix over occasionally for even processing, until it looks like fine crumbs and holds together well when you pinch it between your fingers. If it’s under-processed it will not stick together, but if it’s over-processed, it will turn into an oily nut butter.
When the consistency is right, transfer contents into a 9-inch pie plate and press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the plate, scalloping around the edges with your thumbs, if desired. Place the crust in the freezer to help it set while you prepare the filling.
To make the filling, combine the pumpkin, sweetener, spices and salt in a food processor and process until smooth and well-mixed. Add the tofu or avocado and process until completely incorporated (it takes a little longer for the tofu, and a little less time for the avocado). Spoon the filling into the crust and refrigerate for two hours to set completely. You can serve the pie at room temp, but it will be very soft.
Yield: 8 servings
Notes from the Clean Food Coach:
*To cook a sugar pumpkin (or any large winter squash), simply cut it in half and remove stem and seeds. Cut each half into quarters (or eighths if the pumpkin is more than a few pounds) and cook on low in a slow cooker for 6-8 hours or until tender. Scoop out the flesh for use and discard the skins. Puree the cooked flesh in a food processor and drain in a double mesh sieve for at least 30 minutes if runny.
You can also use high quality organic cooked pumpkin, but it will taste a bit blander than fresh-cooked –consider adding another half teaspoon of ground ginger or cinnamon to the filling.
