Turn Off the Fat Genes – A Book Review
Once in a while a good title comes along and “Turn Off the Fat Genes” is one of those titles that just have to be written about. If you are not familiar with Dr. Neal Barnard’s work, he has been writing about how to lose weight on a high carbohydrate diet for at least a decade now.
I’m amazed, as you might be, that his work is not better known. There are a number of advantages to using a high carb diet and as many disadvantages to the low carb/ high protein diets.
There is some great research in his books that document the ability to lose weight on a high carbohydrate diet, which may also be healthier in the long run than the ever-popular low carbohydrate diets.
You might think it surprising, as I do, that more people are not using high carb diets to lose weight. You might also conclude that this is solely due to a lack of awareness on the part of the public.
Turn of the Fat Genes, written by Dr. Neal Barnard features over 150 pages of menus and recipes. The recipe and menu section is very comprehensive and you can definitely find recipes that will delight you out of such a large compilation.
Dr. Bernard discusses the concept that some of the genes that shape and influence us as human beings are themselves subject to influence. The genes that affect taste, appetite and metabolism are subject to the influence of the foods that we eat.
Not only are they subject to influence, the proper use of foods can mean that you don’t have to sacrifice and starve yourself of decent nutrition. You can modify your diet, eat perhaps even more frequently and still enjoy weight loss. Does that sound incredible? It is real. You might feel incredulous because the masses of people out there have been told that low carb is the way to go.
I have been following some of the suggestions in one of Dr. Barnard’s books and I can tell you that a high carb diet can help you lose weight. Using his suggestions, I can eat a lot of food frequently and I still seem to stay thin.
To give you an idea of what kind of information “Turn Off the Fat Genes” can provide you with, here is a list of some of the Chapter titles:
Taste Genes: Broccoli and Chocolate
Appetite and the Leptin Gene
The Fat-Building Gene
Fat-Burning: Turning the Flame Higher
How Genes Influence Your Exercise
Children and the Fat Genes
Food Choices for Optimal Weight Control
Dr. Barnard writes, “Contrary to popular opinion, scientific research reveals that genes are not dictators; they are committees. They do not give orders. They make suggestions. Genes are not rogue tyrants exerting despotic control over your waistline. Rather, they work in groups, often with subtle effects, and you can nudge them in the direction you want them to go. You can counteract the fat genes and boost your thin genes.”
In ancient times, Hippocrates said, “Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.” Of course we aren’t really talking about healing as much as we are discussing losing weight, but the principle applies.
One thing I learned from another of Dr. Barnard’s books is that carbohydrates don’t make people fat. It is fat that makes people fat. And it makes sense. Carbohydrates pack around 4 calories per gram and fats have about 9 calories per gram.
By the way, even though it is correct terminology, the fact is that the calories discussed here are actually ‘thousands of calories’. In nutrition they decided to make a calorie equal to 1,000 real life calories as measured for energy.
Anyway I don’t want to confuse anyone, because the RDA is based on nutrition calories, also known as Calories, but no one capitalizes the C as should be done. You can just keep thinking of calories as calories and don’t worry about the technicalities.
Back to the story. Dr. Barnard’s books on high carb diets are great reading and may inform you about healthier weight loss than you are currently use to. Did I mention the recipe list?
This article is for information purposes only. It is not meant to diagnose, treat or prevent any health condition. If you have or think you have a health condition or even just want to diet, please consult your physician.
Dave Snape is a health, fitness and wellness enthusiast. His website is http://tobeinformed.com
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Approaches to the Treatment of Obesity and A Free Weight Loss Formula
The general approach for treatment of obesity is to suggest a low calorie diet and increased physical activity. Ther are many weight loss programmes in the market. Some over-the-counter wellness products are also very popular these days as they claim to produce the results fast. But many of these products are not researched properly and medical community has expressed doubts about their effectiveness in long term.
Many weight loss programmes are based on low carbohydrate diet although its long term effect is not very much different than that of low calorie carbohydrate rich diet, according to a recent research. Low carbohydrate diet produces ketosis which causes low cholesterol levels and reduced body weight. However, there are differences of opinion in medical community as to whether the low carb diet is safe in long run.
Other systems of medicine like Ayurveda and Homeopathy also have their own approach for treatment of obesity. According to Ayurveda, obesity is recognized as a disease called “Medoroga”. Meda means fat and it is one of the seven Dhatu’s that are sequentially produced from food in the human body. Obesity is considered as a nutritional disorder mainly produced due to sedentary life style. Ayurveda puts more emphasis on prevention of the disease and adopting a healthy life style. The medicines for the treatment of obesity contain the substance known as Guggulu which is responsibe for reducing weight. Ayurveda uses natural products in the preparation of medicines and these medicines are generally safer than chemical based medicines and drugs. Also, the Ayurvedic medicines have a long history of use and hence, are more reliable.
Homeopathy has its own approach. It treats the patient, not the disease. It takes into account the constitution of a person for treatment of diseases. The constitution is the physical, emotional and intellectual make up of the person. Hence there are no ready made prescriptions for obesity which can produce uniform results. The patient should have enough patience to take Homeopathic medication otherwise no significant results can be produced.
Another approach that can help in curing obesity is that of Yoga. Yoga advocates a healthy life style with its specific techniques to clean the body from toxins and improve emotional and intellectual balance. It covers a broad spectrum of life. Besides physical aspects, it also covers emotional, intellectual and spiritual aspects of life which are mostly ignored by modern science when treating a patient. Certain types of pranayama (breathing techniques) greatly help in the cure of obesity. Meditation can reduce mental stress which is also a cause for tendency of over-eating.
A person should be kept motivated and focused on the goals in order to implement a particular weight loss programme. Hence behavioral therapy is also popular these days which suggests to set specific goals and have a reward other than food for achieving those goals. Regular recording of weight and activities is also important to track the progress.
An integrated approach is required which can address the issue more appropriately. A good weight loss plan should be based on a synthesis of different approaches for treatment of obesity. A weight loss formula is available at .free-weight-loss-formula.com that incorporates the following steps:
Step1 – A Meditation technique to eliminate mental causes of obesity
Step2 – A simple but powerful fat burning exercise
Step3 – Pranayam (breathing techniques)
step4 – Balanced diet
It provides a step by step method which anyone can follow to reduce weight and get a perfect body shape. It incorporates the traditional wisdom about healthy life style. It is based on an integrated approach which addresses multiple causes of obesity. You are not required to purchase any expensive wellness product to implement it. In this way, you save money which you would otherwise have to spend on the treatment of obesity related problems.
This article can be reprinted freely provided it is published in its entirety.
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