Struggling With Balanced Eating Habits? Choose My Plate!

If you have ever played darts, or even if you just understand it, then you know how to use “Choose My Plate” to help you put together healthy plates at each meal. Choose my plate is the guide (and best I’ve seen) from the USDA to empower people to make healthy food choices.

Why darts?

I compare “Choose My Plate” to darts because of the “bullseye”. In darts, you strive to hit the bullseye. You aim to get as close as you can pretty much every throw, and sometimes (let’s face it) you’re happy to get on the board!

That is how I view the realities of healthy eating. There’s really nothing perfect at all about the factors that influence our decision of what goes on our plates and in our bodies. We have so much to do between work, taking care of the family, and exercise (remember that?)

I don’t know many people who get through their day effortlessly. We might forget to bring our lunch to work or race out of the house without breakfast. We need to have something very simple and memorable to help guide our food choices whether we’re at the grocery store, restaurant, or a gas station. (I have been hungry at a gas station and have had access to a banana and yogurt so it’s possible!)

Let the Plate Guide You

“My Plate” is just the kind of simple guide that can help you no matter where you’re at in healthy eating. Each meal is a chance to try to hit the bullseye. Even if you come close, and you replace some of the less healthy choices you’ve been making, you are making a difference. I bet you will feel better from an energy standpoint and feel better about eating well.

Looking at the plate, half fruits and veggies (not an or — I find many people think OR veggies — you can’t avoid ‘em, peeps) is a good visual. Some of my fave ways include:

• “Green smoothies”
• Eggs, spinach, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and a side of berries
• fajita bowl with beans, brown rice, tri-color peppers, pineapple, and chicken

Be Comfortable Full

No matter what is on the plate, enjoying your food and being in touch with your fullness trump all else. You know that uncomfortable feeling – a sign you ate to much. Your body is telling you something. Oh well, you aren’t perfect, but perhaps its a learning experience.

What do YOU think of “MyPlate”?

Check ‘em out on Pinterest!

“Accident”

I don’t do much with guest bloggers, but when people are willing to share their story, I want to give them a platform. Let’s all support Adele and thank her for her insight and courage.

Guest blog By: Adele Schroder

It’s funny how perspective is everything. Looking back now I see how completely ridiculous what I believed to be true then actually was, but at the time it made so much sense, I was doing what was right, what was healthy. There was nothing wrong with eating about 500 calories per day – so many diets out there suggest it – smart people, famous people, doctors even, all support the idea that the best way to lose weight was to reduce what you eat and some even go so far to suggest that those who are lower calorie diets live longer. Skinny at any cost is the healthy thing to do.

The truth at the time, I was over weight. I know I was, but I was healthy, I ate fairly balanced, exercised, my cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar I dowere all fine, but my doctor was still pushing me to lose weight. Truth is, she made me feel horrible about myself and at one point even said that if I couldn’t control what I was eating myself, then she would give me a prescription for appetite suppressants. It was that comment that began the slippery slope that would eventually become a case of accidental anorexia.

I started restricting what I ate – I went from eating balanced to eating one thing per meal – one yogurt, one piece of skinless chicken, one piece of cucumber. There was nothing balanced or healthy about it, but the weight started to come off and my doctor, family, friends, and anyone else who saw me started praising me for “looking so good”. I read about all the latest fad diets – it didn’t seem like anything I was doing was wrong – so many people ate like this, limiting there intake to a few select “safe” foods to make yourself healthy again. It was great – I was getting skinny and everyone was proud of how much “will-power” I had to stick with it.

A year, and almost 90lbs later, things started to change. I was always tired, my hair was falling out, I had passed out a couple times – but I was skinny, “beautiful” and “healthy”. Staying that way was all that I could think about – an Ana brain inside of me had taken over – nothing was more important than self-control and skinniness – skinniness at any cost. I was working at a place that insisted everyone eat lunch in the lunchroom. Didn’t take long before people started to talk and I remember that day that I got pulled into the meeting room. All of upper management was standing there and they simply said, “we want you to see a dietitian, you don’t look well”. I was royally pissed off – some of these people were the same people who just months before had been telling me how great I looked….they must be jealous, that was it, I was convinced! They were just jealous at the self control I had.

I sat in the waiting room of the dietitian’s office going over what I was going to say – figured it would be easy – just tell her what diet I was following, what my doctor had said when I was fat – how I was just being healthy…she would just sign that stupid thing for work and I could put this whole embarrassing “you need help” crap behind me. It’s not like I wasn’t doing something that so many other people weren’t doing – and I wasn’t one of those skinny-little-nut-jobs you see on those reality help shows – I was a well off business person who just took control of a problem (being over weight) and fixed it. Nothing was wrong with that.

Unfortunately my appointment didn’t go that way – instead I was bluntly told that how I was eating was dangerous, completely unacceptable, and that if I didn’t stop I would die. I told the dietitian she was crazy, rolled my eyes and must have told her I was fine at least 20 times. But the hardest part came at the end of the appointment – all she asked me to do was have an extra yogurt at lunch – one 80-calorie yogurt – and I lost it. There were tears, begging, saying I wouldn’t do it and that she wasn’t listening to me – I wasn’t doing anything wrong I was just doing what Dr X said to do and following Y diet – I didn’t have a problem, I was just trying to be healthy and why was she trying to make me fat again.

She stayed calm through all of it – repeated that what I was doing was not ok, not healthy and that I was going to die if I didn’t stop – then told me she would see me next week. I refused – she shrugged and said that it “wasn’t a suggestion” then walked with me to reception to make the next appointment.  I hated her – she didn’t know me – so how could she judge me. But I knew I at least had some saving grace – she was pregnant – so I figured that if I couldn’t fight her I would play her silly little game for 3 months and she would be gone. And being honest, I probably did at the time – but something else happened – I started to respect her, if for no other reason than she was consistent in what she said, “you can’t keep eating like this, it is not healthy, you will die”. Three very simple and blunt comments that stuck with me.

My eating did get a little better when she was away on maternity leave that year – not because I wanted to get healthy but because I was told that if I lost more weight then a hospital stay would no longer be up to me (I had mandatory monthly check ins with an ED psychologist that year, I played along with the stupid game) – I wasn’t better by any stretch of the imagination – I still thought that barely eating was the right thing to do – I just wasn’t willing to give up everything I had accomplished and end up in the hospital – so I ate the bare minimum I had to to avoid that consequence.

It was a year later that I ended up getting a new family doctor – and with that change came the routine “base-line” blood work workup. I got a call I never expected, “the doctor wants to see you back in her office today regarding your blood tests, how soon can you be here?”. I sat in her office looking at line after line of abnormalities – high cholesterol, high liver enzymes, poor kidney function, a large amount of ketones in my urine, and electrolytes that were all over the place. She was questioning me on how I felt, if I had been on any medications etc etc and I sat there thinking, “the dietitian was right, I’m hurting myself…” I felt so confused – why were there so many diets out there saying what I did was right? Why did my old doctor praise me? Why was my blood work normal when I was fat but so abnormal now that I was skinny…why wasn’t skinny healthy? I wasn’t “dangerously thin” – my BMI was fine – so why wasn’t I healthier than when I was over weight? Isn’t that what we are taught? Skinny is healthy…my whole world came crashing down that day. Everything that I had believed regarding what it was to be healthy – everything that I had read and seen in the media was wrong – and because I believed it, I was now sick.

The next day I swallowed my pride and sent a “you were right” email and asked for help. This time was different – I tried not to fight as much (hard to give up the fight completely) and I worked towards a goal – I wanted to be healthy – I wanted normal blood work. I wanted to learn to eat well and enjoy food again. I learned that I had to start putting my health first, my body first – it was all in my control to be healthy.

Today I can say that I am healthy – I eat well – and I eat anything and everything without worrying so much about if the food is “good” or “bad”. But there is one thing that still bothers me: how is it that even though I am well educated and a professional person I was able to believe that what I was doing was right? I accidently became anorexic, not because I was trying to gain control over my life or any of the other things that you hear about when you think of eating disorders – I became anorexic because I honestly did not know that what I was doing was harmful or wrong. And what was the worst part of this whole thing? Even if being anorexic was not your intent, once Ana brain sets in, there’s no escaping it, no controlling it, no seeing any other opinion. It is far easier to believe what you see every day than believing the truth: skinny does not always equal healthy.

Perspective is everything – and mine has now changed. I put me and my health first and realize that the number on the scale doesn’t always have anything to do with health.

*****

Thanks, Adele!

If you are intrigued by what you read here, you may want to check out the “Health at Every Size” principles and community.

Metabolic Syndrome – Not Simply a “Spare Tire” Issue

I recently read an article called “Metabolic Breakdown: How a spare tire leads to diabetes and heart disease” published in Nutrition Action Health Letter. The expert interviewed for this article was Doctor Michael Miller, the director of the Center for Preventative Cardiology and a professor of medicine, epidemiology, and public health and the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine. I subscribe this newsletter and I think it’s a very useful source, but I wanted to add my opinion about the metabolic syndrome issue because I think the article had some good points, along with some very off-based points.

Cool it with the body bashing, please

My main problem here is a big one; I disagree with the article’s weight and body image focus. The subtitle of the article reads, “How a spare tire leads to diabetes and heart disease.” This sends the wrong message to readers. A “spare tire” does not automatically mean you are unhealthy. And also- why use the term “spare tire?” That is an offensive term for something that a lot of people genetically have, healthy or not. I’ve done many endurance trail races with men and women with a so-called “spare tire” who clearly know how to crush out a run.

You cannot tell by looking at someone that they don’t exercise, eat right, or have health risks just because they have fat on their belly area. We all have different genetic make-ups that give us different shapes and sizes. I have plenty of clients that eat well, exercise, and have lowered their cholesterol and triglyceride numbers, but still have what you would call a “spare tire.”

It is also harmful to use this term because it gives “thinner” people the idea that because they don’t have belly fat that they are metabolically healthy, when that is not true whatsoever and there is research data to prove it. If this idea piques your interest, I highly recommend a look into the research and the movement “Health at Every Size”.

If not your size, then what?

Individual trends are the most important indicator of your health, not the shape of your body. Trends are so important because they are a product of habits and lifestyle changes. If you have three more inches on your gut than you did ten years ago, is it possible that your habits have changed? If so, what do you want to change back? Lack of exercise or increased unhealthy food consumption can change your cholesterol, triglycerides, and insulin response.

Healthy Habits Matter in Reducing Metabolic Syndrome Risk – Regardless of Size

The reason I want to not focus on the “spare tire” aspect of metabolic syndrome is the fact that the context of changing this syndrome is healthy habits. This should be the main point because people who decide they want to start making healthy changes but don’t see results in body fat might stop trying to be healthy.

Three Out of Five Possible Conditions Needed for “Metabolic Syndrome”

Belly fat is known to generate factors that increase inflammation and heart disease risk. But, let me give you some background. Metabolic syndrome effects one out of four Americans and is diagnosable when a person has at least three of these five features:

1. a large waist,
2. low HDL cholesterol (the “good” kind,) and
3. higher than normal blood sugar,
4. higher than normal triglycerides and
5. higher than normal blood pressure.

A large waist is only one of the five criteria for metabolic syndrome, so it is confusing to me why the waist is the focus and the only criteria mentioned in the title.

Another Miss… What to Do to Lose Weight Reduce Metabolic Syndrome Risk

Seeing hundreds of clients has given me perspective on the wide range of nutritional needs people have. However, in the article, an established health practitioner gave an oversimplified piece of advice for those who would like to lose weight and decrease their metabolic syndrome risk: Cut out two slices of bread or 1 bagel every day.

How many of you find this advice laughable? First of all… what if you don’t eat bread or bagels daily? Or what if you eat cake for breakfast, but decide to cut out the tuna sandwich at lunch.

This, to me, reinforces the idea that doctors might not know exactly what a dietitian does because it is very rare that advice is that simple for a person. Many carbohydrates are good for our bodies – it is fuel for our brain and our muscles – especially with exercise. Cutting a serving out doesn’t automatically improve health. Some people are already eating lower carbs and don’t have 2 pieces of bread to cut out. Dietitians work with a person to find a realistic approach to obtain their goals.

What You Can Really Do to Decrease Metabolic Syndrome Risk

If you take out body size, there are several things you can do to evaluate your risk for metabolic syndrome. Here is what you can do:

1. Be honest with yourself. Think about your eating, exercise, and stress habits and decide if there is room for improvement.
2. Get accurate fasting labs done. Know your numbers and watch for trends throughout the years.
3. Reflect on your body’s trend. Have you noticed some weight gain around your belly area that has coincided with a bad habit like stopping exercise or going out to eat more?

A High Point in the Article – Even Thinner People Should Know Where They Stand Metabolically

As much as I take issue with negative body image aspect of the article, I really resonate with the part of the article that reads, “even though you may appear normal, you may still not be metabolically normal.”  The media throw the idea at us that “skinny is healthy” and “fat is unhealthy.” These are misconceptions and there is scientific evidence that proves you can be healthy at any size. Linda Bacon’s book Healthy At Every Size has evidence that shows that “overweight” people live longer than “normal” weight people. This isn’t an excuse to go run for a bag of chips, but it shows that even if you have a normal BMI, you can be metabolically unhealthy and more at risk for metabolic syndrome than someone with an overweight BMI this is metabolically healthy.

My main point is to take out the body image part and focus on genetics and habits. Healthy habits will not only cut your risk for metabolic syndrome, but also help you sleep better and have more energy. My clients that have made healthy behavioral habits feel great and have forever ditched dieting. This article and its focus on body shape may make my clients think that they aren’t doing enough or that their progress is not having an impact- but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Don’t Waste Your Time With Consumer Reports Diet Rankings

Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers as health foods? Seriously? This NPR Health blogger “get’s it” – she argues there are profits to be made from their selling of processed foods. She says, of the “savory” steak and ranch flatbread …

But there was nothing very whole or natural to be found among the ingredients. We counted no fewer than 80 distinct substances on the list from salt and soybean oil to titanium dioxide and ammonium chloride.

Hmmm… makes you “think”. How can they promote healthy eating and sell you THAT food-like substance?

If anyone gets the allure of dieting, it’s me. I swear if you could get a PhD in diets, I’d have at least five. I actually have more experience dieting (started at 12) than I do as a registered dietitian!

But as you’ve heard me say a million times, dieting is bad (mmm kaaaay?). I’m not going to list all the negative aspects in this post… although I’d LOVE to see them in the comments I’ll just say this: diets promote thinness, science says thinness is not health, our culture says we need to be thin to be worth a damn (that’s discrimination we should not tolerate). As long as weight loss is the goal and primary focus VS health and wellness, behavior change, quality of life, absence of disease, all we’re doing is delaying the freedom, flexibility, knowledge, and empowerment that comes with living a truly #mefirst balanced life.

I’m going to take every chance I get to lay the “smack down” on diets and diet-mindedness. That’s why when Fox 5 wanted me to stay up past my bedtime to do a late night TV appearance on the Consumer Reports diet rankings, I said YES. I didn’t care that I’d lose sleep. This topic is too important. YOU are too important for me to keep my mouth shut.

So, here’s what I said… Sound off in the comments. What do you think? Agree? Disagree? What points would YOU have made if you were on there?

http://www.myfoxdc.com/video/videoplayer.swf?dppversion=8705

Consumer Reports Names Jenny Craig Best Diet: MyFoxDC.com

Need a nutritionist? See a registered dietitian.

Who hoo! It’s a blog carnival for registered dietitians, celebrating #RDday (for those twitter-ers). Be sure to check back at this post for links to other blogs by my RD colleagues participating. I can’t wait to get into my piece, but I just can’t help myself to use this opportunity to explain what and RD is and why we are essential to the health and wellness of the people and a healthy economy.

What is an RD?

When you’re sick and you need to see a doctor, your doctor has a credential – the “MD” – which stands for medical doctor. The nurse takes your weight and blood pressure – and that person has a credential too – the “RN” – which stands for registered nurse. Then there’s the RD – which stands for registered dietitian. It’s the credential for food and nutrition experts who are qualified to help you eat right to manage your weight, prevent a disease, optimize your sports performance, manage an existing medical condition (from diabetes to high cholesterol to food allergies and many more,) overcome a clinical eating disorder or sub-clinical disordered eating habits.

If you’re not in the hospital, you’re likely to see an RD who owns their own business in private practice (like me!) or perhaps working in an outpatient setting as part of a medical practice (like bariatric surgery or other areas). The bottom line is this: the connection between your nutrition habits and your health is undeniable. It’s also complicated. RDs need to understand the intricacies of food and disease/condition prevention (wellness) and management. We also need to know how to work with HUMANS (not robots that can be programmed) on how to change behaviors… and lemme tell ya, it is different for every person! So if you really NEED help. If you want to overcome your nutrition-related challenges. Make sure you go to someone with the ONLY gold-standard credential that requires a 4 year degree, a year “internship” (more like a residency – it’s hard, internship is a huge understatement), passing a board exam (just like doctors, nurses, and psychologists), in many states licensure, and then maintaining all of this by collecting “continuing education” units. We essentially have to fill out our own training plans and complete report cards to CADE (check it out here, if you want to learn more). If you wanna see a nutritionist, see an RD. Call around to several in your area and interview them. I LOVE IT WHEN MY CLIENTS WANT TO TALK TO ME BEFORE BOOKING AN APPOINTMENT. You also need to know this sad truth: Anyone can call themselves a “nutritionist” or a “certified health coach” (give me a break). They often will spend time “beating down” RDs in an attempt to discredit them. You need to know a key marketing strategy is to PUT DOWN the #1 spot in an attempt to raise their own profile and try to convince you that you need them. It’s just marketing. They are trying to influence you. But this is your health we’re talking about. You deserve excellent (and legal) nutrition care. Demand a dietitian! Now you know. (YAAAAAY FOR DIETITIANS)

(addendum added 2:52 p.m. March 9th) You don’t need to be an RD if you are a personal trainer or health coach and want to follow USDA guidelines and give a talk or general advice about nutrition — the kinds of information you can get online.

Why RDs are Essential for a Healthy Economy

Congress can’t stop talking about the health care bill. Basically, it could bankrupt us. We’re living longer because medicine is getting better, but the quality of life is in the pits at this older age, especially if a person gets a chronic disease. Four modifiable health risk behaviors—lack of physical activity, poor nutrition, tobacco use, and excessive alcohol consumption—are responsible for much of the illness, suffering, and early death related to chronic diseases. (dietitians work with all of these in a nutrition assessment and we collaborate with experts who work with overcoming addictions, medical doctors, therapists and whomever else you need).

Treating patients with chronic diseases accounts for 75 percent of the nation’s health care spending. Many Americans are unaware of the extent to which chronic diseases could be better prevented or managed. The doubling of obesity between 1987 and today accounts for 20 to 30 percent of the rise in health care spending. (source: http://www.fightchronicdisease.org/issues/about.cfm)

Need I say more?

Capsaicin for Weight Loss?

By Carlene Helble-Elite Nutrition Intern

Have you ever taken a big bite of salsa only to recoil at the intense spice? The big bang happening with each scoop is due to capsaicin. Capsaicin is found in super hot peppers, like cayenne, but you may have also seen it as a topical cream or dietary supplement. The capsaicin within that spicy hot food is doing you some good by acting as an antioxidant but also strengthens lung tissues, helps relieve pain, and aid digestion among other great things.

The topical cream is actually a pain reliever and anti inflammatory, which first excites pain signals in the body (through nerves in the spinal cord and other areas of the body) and then decreases them. When the cream is applied, the ‘substance P’, which is an important transmitter of a pain message going to the brain, is inhibited.

Capsaicin as a supplement  is used as a digestion aid by amping up the amount of digestive juices in your stomach and fighting bad bacteria. Besides pain relief and digestive help, this chemical compound has research indicating capsaicin can help prevent heart disease by preventing clotting, hardening of the arteries, and lowering blood cholesterol levels.

Recent research in the International Journal of Obesity by Maastricht University in the Netherlands, is showing capsaicin can also decrease appetite, leaving the weight loss world is on the edge of its seat. During a study, 24  men and women were given about ½ a teaspoon of red pepper, close to .9 g of the red pepper which contains 0.25% capsaicin, thirty minutes before every meal. Other members of the study were given a placebo without their knowledge. After eating their meal, the subjects’ saity increased when they were given the red pepper, and less calories and fat was consumed. Those who took the placebo had minimal change in saity compared to saity after a meal when they didn’t take the placebo. The study also found that post consumption, more energy was expended by those involved in the test. Capsaicin creates these results by increasing thermogenesis (the body burning energy from food released as heat), “enhancing catecholamine secretion from the adrenal medulla”.  The increase in thermogenesis suggests a change in “substrate oxidation from carbohydrate to fat oxidation”. These amazing outcomes that say capsaicin increases fat burning and weight loss almost seem too good to be true! The results are legitimate and strong, but like all new research, multiple studies should be done to test the consistency.

That spicy kick in your food has great benefits! From anti-inflammatory properties to current results indicating fat burning, capsaicin is a powerhouse. Eat those peppers! Just be smart about it. Some red pepper flakes on 4 slices of thick crust pizza aren’t going to do much for fat burning.

Dr. Oz Viewing and Twitter Party!

January 3, 2011 is a day you wanna mark down, sit down at a computer and turn on your TV. Cause we are gonna blow up Twitter with a fun live chat during the Dr. Oz episode “11 Weeks to Move it and Lose it”. Check time and channel by zip code.

This one of–a–kind online initiative will provide customized tools to knock off the pounds and transform people’s bodies and lives by giving participants their very own personal trainer and their own individually tailored weight loss plan (a value of $99 a month) absolutely free. During the show, Dr. Oz will
go through the easy step-by-step process of how and when to sign up for the program plus reap incredible benefits and giveaways.

Did someone say incentives???

To help kick off the “11 Weeks to Move It and Lose It” campaign, THE DR. OZ SHOW is partnering with the Nike SPARQ Training Network (NSTN), selected based on their unique expertise and knowledge in the health and fitness field. This team of experts (11 trainers and 11 health/nutrition experts) will be able to provide guidance and motivation, results–focused webcasts, exercise videos, behavior modification tips and answer health and fitness questions all at the touch of a mouse. (have not been able to find a link on the experts yet). On the website www.doctoroz.com, participants can track their progress and food intake with these unique tools:

• Food logging – Participants can enter virtually any food from a database over 70,000 foods (even from popular restaurants) to keep track of calorie and nutrient intake as well as receive suggested lifestyle menus to help plan out meals.
• Setting weight loss goal /tracking – In order to help participants determine a realistic goal for 11 weeks, a customized calendar will monitor progress and set goals with reminders of where you need to be every day based on height, weight, BMI, age, and lifestyle.
• Health assessment – Participants can take a quiz to evaluate diet and exercise based on current health.
• Weight loss community – Participants will get the chance to talk to others on the plan and gain support as they work through the challenges. People can also see real–time updates on their progress and get tips and professional advice from the NSTN for motivation.
• Exercise – Videos and webcasts will help participants lose the pounds and get them on the road to healthier living.
• Product – Participants will receive recommendations from the NSTN with regard to specific products that will support their chosen exercise programs.

Tweet with Us (and Fit Bottomed Girls)

Whether you are already a guru, in the middle of your journey, or feel inspired to start changes in 2011 — your thoughts matter. Use your voice on Twitter. Watch with us and send your tweets out there to share your thoughts on the program. Let’s use #DrOzMILI (Dr. Oz Move It Lose It) as the hash tag. Share your blog posts too. Will you try the program? Why/why not?

Follow @ScritchfieldRD and @FitBottomedGirl and let us know you will be on the Twitter chat on January 3rd!

11 Weeks to Move It Lose It

Viewers can sign up for the “11 Weeks to to Move It or Lose It” program simply by going to www.doctoroz.com. Enrollment is available free of charge for the entire 11 weeks. THE DR. OZ SHOW will be monitoring progress of individuals and exploring various components of the 11 week program throughout January and February.

It’s a Disease Not a Diet: Gluten Free Diets

By: Carlene Helble

It seems like the latest fad diet, is one associated with a serious disease. Going gluten free has become the latest ‘weight loss’ plan among many, but dropping pounds doesn’t come with dropping gluten.

Rebecca was recently interviewed by Fox 5 on Gluten Free dieting as a way to lose weight, made popular with “The G-Free Diet”  book written by Elisabeth Hasselbeck. See the video on Rebecca had to say on this myth.

Celiac Disease & Why the Gluten-Free Diet is No Joke

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of speaking with Shelley Case, RD, a dietitian from Canada who is an expert in Celiac disease and Gluten-free eating. I became interested in this subject due to the popularity of Elizabeth Hasselbeck’s book, The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide, and the way it had taken over the public by storm. In the hospital where I work, I noticed an increasing amount of people interested in Gluten-free options, and not because they had Celiac disease or a wheat intolerance.

I began to wonder why so many people were opting out of eating Gluten. I came to the conclusion that many people equated Elizabeth Hasselbeck’s physique with her Gluten-free diet. What people need to realize is that she suffers from a specific disease in which she cannot digest Gluten. The Gluten-free diet is not recommended for individuals that do not have Celiac disease or a similar intolerance to Gluten. Gluten-free eating can lead to nutritional deficencies, weight gain, more expensive groceries, and disordered eating habits.

source: WatchingTheView.com

Celiac disease is a serious disease that has many different consequences and varied symptoms that are hard to diagnose and treat. The majority of individuals have iron-deficiency anemia (approximately 66%), which is a non-GI symptom for a GI-specific disease. Sufferers of Celiac disease face certain issues that disappear once Gluten is removed from the diet. However, without the removal of Gluten, Celiac disease can cause many problems. Gluten is seen by the body as a foreign substance that the body attacks via antibodies. Celiac disease is an auto-immune disease and the antibodies attack the body, specifically the villi on the surface of the small intestine. This leads to problems with nutrient absorption and can also lead to intestinal lymphoma.

There is also non-Celiac Gluten intolerance and wheat intolerance – two disorders that are not Celiac disease and do not have the same long-term consequences. Individuals may feel better once they removed Gluten or wheat products from their diet. However, anyone who believes they may have Celiac disease should speak with their doctor about being tested for this disease before starting a Gluten-free diet. This is because once the Gluten is removed from the diet, the body stops making antibodies. The antibodies are used to determine through a blood test or gastric biopsy whether the individual has Celiac disease.

The bottom line is that Celiac disease is a major disorder that specifically responds to the Gluten-free diet. Those without this disease should not attempt to eat a Gluten-free diet, no matter which celebrities are endorsing it. It is also wise to do more research into a diet book and understand its message before diving headfirst into its recommendations; Hasselbeck’s book is for fellow sufferers of Celiac disease – not for every woman in America who wants to look like her.

“Am I Overweight?”: Teen Body Troubles

Growing up is tough! Especially in today’s society with more and more pressures being put on children and teenagers. One of such pressure is ‘looks’ with the focus on body weight.

Around junior highs and high schools, girls (and sometimes boys!) often talk about their weight, and dieting almost becomes a trend. The media has a lot to do with it. Magazines that are often read by teens, such as Cosmo or Shape, put out a lot of dieting tips and suggestions that are often taken out of context, or abused by the younger readers. More often than not, teens compare themselves to their role models: actors, athletes, or models. These role models are usually very fit, thin, and some on the verge of underweight. When one person decides they’re “fat”, and tries to lose weight, it causes others to assess themselves and think “Well, maybe I’m fat too, and maybe I need to lose weight too”.

A study done by Janet Leichty showed that many teens who believed they were overweight were in fact of a normal and healthy weight for their height. Leichty obtained these findings not by measuring body dissatisfaction, but by observing body-image distortion. Those with a poor body-image are at greater risk for using unsafe weight-loss techniques; once the techniques for weight-loss are used, the odds that those same techniques will be used again increases by 11 times.

From: http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Ar-Bu/Body-Image.html

The need for early prevention in unsafe dieting and disordered eating is quite obvious, but it’s a touchy subject for most. Doctors generally address weight-loss with those that are overweight, but for those of a normal weight, the topic gets brushed off. It is important to address body-image with children and teens of all shapes and sizes, whether it be a doctor, nurse or parent who does the talking.

The most important thing to remember is to respond appropriately. Encourage the child or teen toward more positive lifestyle changes rather than “healthy” dieting, as any type of diet can easily spiral out of control. Suggest going on walks or bike rides, and eating more fruits and vegetables with every meal. Remind them that feeling good is what’s important, and it will help them see their body in a better light.