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 FINAL STRETCH!
Makeover Candidates' Penultimate
Update
With the finish line of July 29 just two and
a half weeks away, we see a final burst of energy -- and frustrating
inertia. All three candidates should be cheered for continuing
progress in the right direction. None have stumbled, and all three
demonstrate a positive, upbeat outlook on the challenges that
remain.
This has been a breakout month for Janet Picarelli,
who has launched herself off her plateau to lose another 7.5 pounds.
"I feel like a new person," says Janet, and with 25.5 pounds lost
since the beginning of this process through lifestyle changes and
healthy new habits, she is a woman in the midst of an exciting
transformation.
Amber Spahr has also clearly taken her
efforts up a notch, peeling off another three pounds (compared to
last month's two pounds lost) -- she's also closest to her original
weight loss goal, with just eight more pounds to go. Frank Jacobs
has repeated last month's loss of half a pound.
For those of
you who happened to read last (June 21) newsletter's Director's
Corner, "The Reality Diet," it's encouraging to see how
those same tried and true keys to weight loss -- exercise,
accountability, weigh-ins -- that have worked for the majority of
successful dieters have also helped our own candidates shed unwanted
pounds.
On the other hand, our candidates have learned -- and
we along with them -- why things like "weekend cheating" and "days
off" aren't a part of the program for most who lose major weight and
keep it off over time. Bottom line: It ain't easy, but it can be
done. It just takes time, effort, exercise and the ability to place
ultimate objectives before intermediate indulgences.
AMBER
SPAHR
Height: 5'1"
Starting Weight: 134
lbs
Current Weight: 123 lbs
Weight Loss Goal: 19
lbs
POUNDS LOST: 11 lbs
"Well, we are really down
to the wire now. I am continuing to lose weight slowly but steadily
(with a few yo-yos between weigh-ins that are published). I wish I
could tell everyone that it is easy at this point, but in fact, it
is a constant effort. I have to continue to watch portion sizes to
make sure they don't grow out of control and force myself to fit in
regular exercise. I am still trying hard and will not give up. No
matter where I am by our official 6-month deadline, I will continue
to lose and maintain after that date (at least until I reach the
official goal which is only 8 pounds away). I feel like I have
accomplished so much so far. I won't let myself revert to my old
ways and go back to a pudgy/overweight bracket according to
standards.
"This process has not only been one of personal
accountability but personal discovery. I have pushed myself to the
limits and found out I can do things I never thought I could.
Exercising regularly and eating better are more a part of my life
now than they ever have been. I am actually planning a vacation this
fall (my first vacation in three years) and have decided I want to
go to a place that offers exercise classes, healthy lifestyle
lectures and healthy meals so that I can continue to feel good about
my life, weight loss progress and general health changes while
getting a little R&R."
JANET PICARELLI
Height: 5'5"
Starting Weight: 255
lbs
Current Weight: 229.5 lbs
Weight Loss Goal: 50
lbs
POUNDS LOST: 25.5 lbs
"So many exciting things
are happening for me. To date I am free of 25 unwanted pounds and
still losing. I now pass on the gardening or remodeling magazines
and grab the health or fitness magazines (there is power in
knowledge). I was interviewed by Women's World Magazine for an
article (August?) as a woman who is successfully losing weight by
adding more fruits and vegetables to her diet. My energy is up, I
have a spring in my step and I feel like a new person.
"I
have learned so much about healthy choices and my eating habits
since this program began and I am grateful for both the knowledge
and the lesson. This is the best present I ever gave myself. Don't
get me wrong -- I still have 25 pounds to lose by July 29 to win the
contest, but I'll keep giving it my best shot and see how close I
can come. Either way I am a winner, but if I don't make it,
donations will be accepted!"
FRANK JACOBS
Height: 5'7"
Starting Weight: 236
lbs
Current Weight: 220.5 lbs
Weight Loss Goal: 45
lbs
POUNDS LOST: 15.5 lbs
"Losing weight is one of
the easiest things to do in the world. I know this only because I
now realize that losing weight is one of the hardest things to do in
the world. It's easy to come up with a diet that limits your caloric
intake to about 1,600 calories per day -- a low-fat diet, low-carb
diet, high-protein/low-carb diet,
all-the-bacon-and-cheese-you-can-eat-diet, etc. However, in this
world of a seemingly ubiquitous supply of unhealthy food, it is
infinitely more difficult to actually limit your calorie intake to
desired levels while eating well.
"What success I have
achieved I can attribute to adhering to a structured eating regimen
-- and conversely, my failures can be attributed to lapses from this
regimen. My struggle is maintaining a regimen in a life that is
often anything but structured.
"With one month to go, my
focus is on planning the previously unplanned. Rather than waiting
to see what food they sell at a baseball game, I will pack a lunch.
Rather than succumbing to airport/airplane food, I will eat in
advance. With this strategy I hope finish July with weighty
results."
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 JULY IS NATIONAL BLUEBERRY MONTH
Meet the Miracle
Berry that Keeps You Young
An excellent source of
vitamin C and a good source of fiber -- with just 80 calories a cup
-- bingeing on blueberries can boost your body's antioxidant
activity big time. And there's no better time to take advantage of
this bumper crop of health benefits than summer's berry
season.
Blueberries have high levels of compounds called
anthocyanins, which provide their beautiful color and antioxidant
prowess. According to a study done by researchers at Tufts' USDA
Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, blueberries have a high score when it comes to
neutralizing certain kinds of free radicals. Since these
protective compounds work synergistically with other nutrients found
in different fruits and vegetables, it's important to remember to
eat a wide variety of healthful foods -- say, a fruit salad with
plenty of blueberries, rather than a bowl of blueberries
alone.
Can blueberries help you outsmart Alzheimer's? In the
first major study on the effect of fruits and vegetables in
reversing neural cell damage, researchers at the Neuroscience
Laboratory at Tufts University found blueberry-supplemented animal
subjects had improved brain and motor function coordination. It's
unlikely the antioxidants alone are responsible for these benefits,
and researchers caution that more study is needed to confirm blueberries' ability to help reverse some loss of
balance and motor memory associated with aging. But study author
James Joseph, Ph.D. is already sold: "I can tell you that after
doing this research, I now eat a cup of blueberries every
day."
Blueberry bonus: Like their little red cousin, the
cranberry, blueberries contain compounds that may help ward off
urinary tract infections, according to researchers at the
Rutgers Blueberry Cranberry Research Center in Chatsworth,
N.J.
We love this easy, chilled berry soup idea from the
folks over at CSPI: Mix three cups of OJ with three cups of
buttermilk (always choose nonfat). Add two tablespoons of fresh
lemon juice, one tablespoon honey and 2 1/2 cups of blubes or the
berry of your choice.
BAD EGG? MAYBE NOT ... IN MODERATION
Study Shows
Daily Egg Doesn't Raise Dangerous Cholesterol
Will
those who warned us not to eat eggs end up with the forbidden food
on their faces? Perhaps -- at least when it comes to moderate egg
consumption's impact on those cholesterol particles in the blood
that most likely lead to heart disease. Findings from a small
University of Connecticut study published in the June issue of
Metabolism suggest that while egg cholesterol does raise
levels of certain, less dangerous LDL (bad) cholesterol molecules,
it has virtually no effect on those smallest, densest LDL particles
most closely linked with heart damage.
Skeptics may point
to the study's funding by the American Egg Board, but the findings
add to a growing body of evidence that has led some to relent on the
anti-egg edict with regard to heart health. Researchers looked at
data from the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals
Follow-Up Study and found that consumption of up to one egg a day did not
significantly increase coronary heart disease
risk.
Another study found that adolescent girls who eat more eggs may be less likely
to develop breast cancer later in life. While the results,
published in Breast Cancer Research, associated increased egg
consumption between the ages of 12 and 18 with lower disease risk,
equally significant was the fact that high consumption of butter was
found to increase disease risk. Vegetable oils on the other
hand, were also associated with lower incidence of breast cancer,
once again reinforcing the health benefits of monounsaturated
plant-derived fats (think olive oil, avocado, nuts), and the risks
of saturated animal fats.
Pregnant women might be interested
to know that eggs are an excellent source of choline -- a nutrient
necessary for proper fetal brain development that may also help
lay the foundation for children's memory function later in
life.
Eggs have other eye-opening benefits for those worried
about the risk of age-related macular degeneration -- the leading
cause of blindness among people over 65. Scientists at the Jean
Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts
University found egg yolk is a highly bioavailable source of certain
carotenoids (lutein and zeaxanthin) that may protect against this
ocular ailment.
The problem with many of these studies,
however, is that most egg-eaters don't stop at one egg per day.
What's more, even if it turns out to be true that saturated and
trans-fatty acids pose a greater threat to cardiovascular health
dietary cholesterol per se, the fact that eggs are often served
swimming in lard or butter means that they're still a nutritional
nightmare.
Eggs can provide a nutrient-dense source of
protein, riboflavin and selenium, as well as one of the few food
sources of vitamins D and K. But keep it simple to keep it healthy:
opt for a hardboiled egg with your salad, or mix a whole egg in with
a bunch of whites before scrambling them in a bit of olive oil. And
remember that if one egg is a good thing, in this case two (or three
or four) may not be better, but actually worse.
ATKINS UNDER FIRE -- AGAIN
Nutrition & Public
Health Groups Warn of Risks Associated with Low-Carb Diets
Popular low-carb diets are leading Americans astray
while spawning a rip-off industry of expensive packaged products,
said a new coalition of nutrition experts, public health and
consumer protection groups at a Washington, D.C., press
conference on June 22.
The Partnership For Essential Nutrition pointed to the
mounting evidence that low-carb diets do not lead to lasting
weight-loss -- but rather encourage unhealthy food choices (more
saturated fat, fewer fruits and vegetables) that can lead to serious
health consequences down the road. The group announced the findings
of a comprehensive review of the scientific literature as well as a
call for government guidelines to safeguard consumers against
misleading claims made by the currently unregulated low-carb product
industry.
The mainstream partnership includes the American
Institute for Cancer Research, the National Consumers League, the
University of California at Davis Nutrition Department, the American
Obesity Association and the American Association of Diabetes
Educators, among others.
"Eating vegetables, fruits, whole
grains and beans, which are all predominantly carbohydrate, is
linked to a reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes
and a range of chronic diseases," said Jeffrey Prince of the
American Institute for Cancer Research, whereas excessive animal
protein and saturated fat consumption is "increasing the risk of
developing cancer, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and other
chronic diseases."
The Dole Nutrition Institute
wholeheartedly supports the idea of cutting simple carbs --
pastries, candy, sugar soda and refined grain products -- from your
diet. Such foods offer little more than empty calories, and break
down quickly, causing a spike in blood sugar that makes you hungry
sooner. But unfortunately, most low-carb diets don't stop at that
salutary advice. They promise weight loss through dietary
imbalance which stresses your internal organs and alters
brain mechanisms.
These imbalances almost always invite
dietary rebound -- but that's not the only reason to steer clear.
Free radical damage, calcium depletion, gout, kidney stones,
diverticulitis, diminished athletic performance -- not to mention
beastly breath -- are among the prices you may pay.
Speaking
of prices, the National Consumers League said it found that low-carb
dieters are spending an average of $85 a month on so-called "reduced
carb" products. Unfortunately, many low-carb dieters operate under
the delusion that it's carbs -- not excess calories -- that make
them fat, and so end up over-consuming such products only to find
their wallets lighter and jeans tighter at the end of the day.
MORE EVIDENCE FOR 5-A-DAY
But, Please, Not the
French Fried Potato Way
Hard to imagine that the
evidence linking low-fat, plant-based diets and better weight
management could get any more compelling -- but it did. A new study
conducted by the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on
Aging at Tufts University analyzed the eating patterns of 450
healthy men and women participants in the ongoing Baltimore
Longitudinal Study on Aging, clustering them into certain categories
based on those foods which most characterized their diets.
Lo
and behold, those who fell into the "meat and potato" category gained more weight over
time than those who derived most of their calories from fruits,
veggies, whole grains and low-fat dairy.
But hold on --
aren't potatoes vegetables, and don't they count toward your 5 A
Day? They do. But common sense should tell you that batter-dipped,
deep-fried potatoes aren't exactly in keeping with the spirit in
which the dietary dictum was intended.
Texas Federal Judge
Richard Schell was apparently more concerned with the letter than
the spirit of the law last month when he ruled that french fries qualify as "fresh vegetables," based on a
little-noticed change to obscure USDA regulations last
year.
The french fry industry argued that battering,
frying and freezing potato slices was equivalent to, say, waxing an
apple. If so, what's next? Strawberry milk, jelly donuts and
candy-covered cherries as fresh produce items?
Let's be
clear: a baked medium potato with skin can be a healthy treat --
with 45% of your daily vitamin C, 12% of your potassium and 12% of
your fiber. Russet potatoes are even rich in certain antioxidants.
But these benefits won't protect you from the toxins and trans-fats
you take in when those tempting tubers are deep-fried, super-sized
and crusted with salt.
For example, fast-food french fries have one of the highest levels
of acrylamide -- a cancer-causing chemical used in various
industrial processes, and recently found in certain starchy junk
foods.
According to laboratory tests commissioned by the
Center for Science in the Public Interest, a large order of
fast-food french fries contained over 80 micrograms of acrylamide --
well over 300 times the amount the EPA allows in a glass of drinking
water. The product of chemical reactions that take place during
high-temperature frying or baking, acrylamide has been shown to
cause cancer in animals, and is widely considered a probable human
carcinogen as well.
Would you like a side order of trans fat
with that? A jumbo order of fast-food french fries may contain as
much as 7 grams of trans fat -- the artery-clogging processed
fat highly correlated with increased levels of cholesterol,
especially LDL ("bad") cholesterol, and therefore increased risk of
cardiovascular disease. You'll consume another 6 grams of saturated
fat with that same large serving of french fries -- in total, more
than two-thirds of your daily fat allowance.
Oh, and did we
mention the nearly 600 calories you'll polish off in the
process?
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 THE NEW ANTIOXIDANT RANKINGS -- AND THEIR LIMITATIONS
The new USDA ranking of top antioxidant-rich foods,
published in the June 16 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and
Food Chemistry, is bound to upset a few apple carts. Actually,
apples do pretty well -- with three different varieties making the
top 20 list of those fruits, vegetables, nuts and spices touted as
highest in "total antioxidant capacity."
Purveyors of dried
red beans are undoubtedly also very happy, if perhaps a little
dazed, to see their product taking the top spot on the list -- like
a heretofore ignored beauty pageant contestant taking the crown. And
while many of the well-recognized antioxidant berries retain star
status, some famous superfoods -- like tomatoes -- are lost way down
among the honorable mentions, while others -- like kale -- are
nowhere to be found at all.
As for the rest of us, well,
we're justifiably confused. Where are those antioxidant powerhouses
we've been hearing so much about? Broccoli, spinach, pumpkin and
watermelon didn't make it into the top 20, while others such as
pomegranate, kale, papaya and brussels sprouts didn't make it into
the study at all. What do these upsets and exclusions
mean?
Were the much-ballyhooed benefits of the beaten -- and
in some cases, banished -- foods simply overblown? No. Is eating
oodles of red beans and Russet potatoes (both of which made the top
20) the way to better health? No. Is this list more misleading than
it is enlightening? Unfortunately, my answer to that question is
"yes." And there are four broad reasons why.
First, the
ranking claims to be based on "total antioxidant capacity," but
that's just not true. As Tom Mahier, the DNI's Laboratory Manager,
explains: The study looks at different foods' antioxidant capacity
against just one type of free radical, the peroxyl radical,
while ignoring over a dozen equally, if not more, dangerous free
radicals, and the many antioxidant reactions which neutralize
them.
Free radicals, you'll remember, are generated by our
bodies in response to environmental stresses such as over-exposure
to the sun, smoke, pollution and poor diet. Certain organs, certain
cells, certain aspects of our physiology may be more vulnerable to
one particular free radical over another, just as certain
antioxidants, found in different fruits and vegetables, may be more
effective in combating one particular free radical than
another.
So really, the study measures different foods'
antioxidant capacity with respect to just one free radical --
ignoring all the other extremely powerful and beneficial
antioxidants that come into play when other kinds of toxins are
introduced. For example, carotenoids -- a class of antioxidants
including lutein, lycopene, beta-carotene, etc. -- quench a free
radical known as singlet oxygen. But since the role of the "villain"
in this study has already been filled by the peroxyl radical, all
the heroic carotenoids never get a chance to strut their stuff on
the scientific stage, which is why carotenoid-rich fruits and
veggies, such as carrots, leafy greens, cantaloupe, etc., are left
stranded in the wings.
The second misleading aspect of this
ranking is that it relies on reactions studied in vitro (in a
test tube or on a petri dish) rather than in vivo (in a human
or animal subject). Such test tube studies utilize a limited number
of plant extracts -- which fails to take into account the
synergistic dynamics that take place when you consume a whole fruit
or vegetable.
One such dynamic, bioavailability (i.e. the
ease with which your body can absorb certain nutrients) is
completely ignored in such a context. A fruit or vegetable might
therefore score off the charts in antioxidant capacity when put to
the petri test, but if the phytochemicals responsible for this
activity have limited bioavailability, or if the food contains other
inhibiting agents, the results have little relevance to your average
consumer.
The third limitation of the USDA's list is that it
seems to put the cart before the horse: It jumps straight to ranking
various fruits' and vegetables' reaction to one common free radical,
when it seems to me they ought to begin with ranking the threat
level of different free radicals, or at least take such qualitative
information into account. Not all free radicals are created equal,
nor are all antioxidants created equal. They attack -- and protect
-- different kinds of cells within our bodies, and some of that
damage has more serious consequences than others.
Shouldn't
we be more worried about those free radicals, for example, which
target our DNA and our DNA-repair mechanisms, than those bad rads
which declare war on, say, our toenails? Correspondingly, shouldn't
"total antioxidant activity" give greater weight to those fighting
phytos that defend our DNA than those which keep safe our
cuticles?
Fourth, the "total antioxidant capacity" rankings
take into account only the free radical scavenging activities of
direct antioxidants (those found within the plants proper)
and not indirect antioxidants, which, as you learned in our
6/7 Director's Corner ("Glucosinolates: Antioxidant Fountain of Youth")
activate your own body's detoxification processes.
You'll
recall that unlike the one-shot, finite amount of direct
antioxidants you get from eating a particular fruit or vegetable,
indirect antioxidant activity actually cycles over and over within
the physiology, continuing to protect your system as many as 3 to 4
days after the glucosinolate-containing food has been consumed. Yet
despite this extremely powerful -- and extended -- antioxidant
cascade, none of the glucosinolate-rich cruciferous vegetables made
it into the USDA's top 20 list, while two of the most potent
sources, broccoli sprouts and brussels sprouts, weren't even
included in the study at all!
Tom Mahier contacted the
USDA study's author, Dr. Ronald Prior, to ask him about such
outright exclusions, as well as some of the limitations listed
above. Dr. Prior acknowledged the omissions, which he said were
unintentional, and agreed that rankings based on just one facet of a
food's antioxidant activity should not be construed as a
comprehensive measurement of relative free radical scavenging
capacity, much less the relative health benefits of such fruits and
vegetables as a whole.
In fairness to our friends over at the
USDA, and as Dr. Prior's acknowledgement indicates, I suspect they
were at least sensitive to the likelihood that the media would
vastly oversimplify the study, which may be why they made such
little effort to publicize its results. Consumers want to know what
foods are best for them -- which is how they're likely to interpret
this list -- but unfortunately such interpretations aren't entirely
merited, at least in a relative sense, for all the reasons outlined
above.
None of which is to say that any of the foods included
in the study aren't good for you -- to the contrary. As the study's
author himself concludes: "The bottom line is the same: Eat more
fruits and vegetables." But so far the message of balance has been
buried far beneath headlines which tout dried red beans as some kind
of newly discovered superfood nonpareil.
"My problem with the
study is that it promotes 'the magic bullet' paradigm -- as opposed
to the 'rich variety' approach," says the DNI's Mahier. "I hate to
start sounding like a broken record," (oh, go ahead, Tom), "but it's
critical that we consume a variety of fruits and vegetables, since
they each have unique nutritive and antioxidant benefits which react
with each other and within our body in additive and synergistic ways
that science is just beginning to explore."
That's a good
enough reason for you to explore your produce aisle -- and maybe
make a few, new, healthful discoveries. If there's a fruit, veggie,
nut or spice on the USDA list you haven't tried or rarely eat, try
experimenting with new recipes and introducing your family to these
foods. Keep eating those healthy items you enjoy, no matter where
they place on the list. And don't lose sight of the big picture:
Make fruits and vegetables the base of your food pyramid to maximize
your antioxidant activity, minimize your weight and derive the full
benefit of nature's healthy bounty.
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Blueberry Walnut Tea Bread
A moist and
delicious quickbread with a lovely rise.
12 servings
1 medium
Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon lemon
juice
2/3 cup fresh blueberries
2 cups whole wheat pastry
flour
1/3 cup oat bran
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8
teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking
soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1
cup evaporated cane juice
1 tablespoon egg replacer powder
1/4
cup water
3/4 cup enriched soymilk
1/2 tablespoon pure
vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to
350 degrees and spray a 9" by 5" loaf pan with olive oil. Place
apples in a medium bowl and toss with lemon juice. Add blueberries
and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour with oat bran,
cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In
a large bowl, blend applesauce with evaporated cane juice. In a
small bowl, whisk egg replacer powder with water until foamy. Add to
applesauce mixture with soymilk and vanilla. Fold dry ingredients
into the liquid ingredients, adding chopped apple mixture halfway
through, stirring just until blended. Scrape into prepared pan with
a rubber spatula and sprinkle with walnuts. Bake 40 minutes, or
until tester inserted comes out clean.
Blueberry Walnut
Tea Bread
Nutrition Analysis: per serving, one
slice:
Protein: 4 g
Carbohydrate: 34 g
Fiber: 3 g
Fat: 4
g
Sat. Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Calcium: 65 mg
Sodium:
236 mg
Calories 171 (Calories from Protein: 9%; Calories from
Carbohydrates: 73%; Calories from Fat: 18%; Calories from alcohol
1%)
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Indian Mangocado Body Polish
Mangoes are a
primary fruit crop produced in India, which produces 57% of the
world's supply. That's quite amazing when you consider that mangoes
are the No. 1 fruit consumed worldwide. A great source of vitamins A
and C when ingested, they'll also put a healthy glow on you when
applied in this exotic body polishing
scrub.
Ingredients:
1 whole, ripe mango
1 whole,
super-ripe avocado
2-3 tablespoons anise seeds, or similar
granular seed like celery or poppy seeds
Directions:
Peel,
remove pit from mango, coarsely chop and put mango in food
processor/blender. Do the same with ripe avocado. Puree, adding in
anise seeds till evenly distributed. Apply all over body in shower,
giving special attention to trouble spots like elbows, heels and
knees. Rinse, dry, and give yourself a final polishing with jojoba
oil or your favorite moisturizer.
The granular texture of the
anise seeds help slough off dead skin cells while the salicylic acid
in anise seeds helps to clear away both surface dirt and debris.
This allows the fruit enzymes in mango to open up clogged pores and
speed up the production of new skin cells. The avocado then forms a
protective barrier to lock in moisture. By replenishing one of the
components found in intercellular lipids, the fruit helps to repair
the skin barrier, both soothing your skin and shielding it from
oxidative damage.
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