Nutrition

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Here's the most common question that my patients ask me:

"What should I eat?"

If you've ever found yourself asking that question, you may be another unsuspecting victim on what I like to call Nutrition Confusion. Nutrition Confusion is caused by all the conflicting information that floats around in the media and press. One person proclaims that you should eat low carb diets. Someone else says eat carbs but avoid fat. Then yet another guru will come along and tell you to precisely balance your meals. And so on. You know what I'm talking about.

When I design custom nutrition programs for my patients, I gather a lot of details about their lives. This includes their dietary histories, digestive health, adrenal gland lab tests, and more. All of this information is important for developing the right program. But certain basics apply, and that's what I'm going to share with you in this article.

6 Good starting points...

1. Start with high-quality proteins. Every meal and every snack should include a quality protein. This means that low-quality processed foods do not count. You might think that a couple of McDonald's hamburgers are a source of protein, but they ain't (in my opinion) a quality protein. Ideally, you want your proteins to come from all natural or organic grass-fed sources. You will have to cook a lot of these proteins for yourself, since you can't get them at fast food joints.

2. Include a wide variety of organic vegetables. Most people don't eat enough vegetables. It's essential to include them in a healthy diet. For most people, this takes some adjustment. It's best to get locally grown organic produce whenever possible, and always wash everything thoroughly.

3. Make sure you include some quality fats. Healthy fats come from olive oil, high-quality butter, whole milk yogurt, and wild fish. Quality fats are critical for your body. Don't be afraid of them.

4. Take 2 months off of wheat and dairy. Most people feel great when they take two months off from gluten (wheat) and lactose (dairy). I start many clients this way. Yes, it's tough at first, but gets much easier.

5. Never skip meals. Skipping meals will cause your blood sugar to crash, and you'll start looking for the nearest pile of calories you can find. This usually means something from the vending machine. It's OK to snack between meals, just make sure your snacks have protein.

6. Drink water, not soda, not diet soda, not sports drinks, etc. Water. Filtered water is better than tap.

Two evils to avoid.

1. Processed junk foods. Processed junk foods are usually found in colorful packages, or in fast food restaurants. These foods are made of cheap ingredients, and sold without any real concern for the people that eat them. If you've never seen the movie Super Size Me, rent it. You'll see what eating low quality food does to a person.

2. Refined sugar. Sugar is everywhere. Getting it out of your diet is one of the best things that you can do for yourself.

Three ways to make eating a quality diet easier...

1. Learn to cook (or marry someone who knows how). You simply can't get high quality foods on a regular basis without learning to cook. There a great book that I highly suggest you get if you're not someone who cooks. It's called "How To Cook Everything".

2. Plan ahead. Every day, you have to plan your meals and pack a lunch and snacks. Every day. The food you bring with you will always be better than the stuff you pick up on the run. Once again, for a lot of people this is a lifestyle adjustment, but once you get the hang of it, you'll be glad you made the effort.

3. Strive for balance. You shouldn't go overboard with protein, carbs or fats. Including reasonable amounts of each at every meal is the best way to go. If you seem to be someone who prefers more protein, then go ahead. But don't force yourself to choke down 100 grams of protein a day because some magazine article said you should.

So those are the basics of the StrongerLeanerBetter nutrition approach. Every person is different, and adapting the basics for your unique needs is a good idea. If you have any food allergies or food intolerances, make sure to avoid those foods. If some foods seem to bother your stomach, avoid them.

Dr. Glenn Hyman, D.C.

http://strongerleanerbetter.com

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1. SPINACH - For skin that looks 38 per cent younger in just a few weeks, add dark green leafy veg such as spinach, cabbage and kale to your diet every day. These are packed with an antioxidant called lutein that new French research reveals boosts skin hydration and elasticity, fighting wrinkles. You need 10mg of lutein to get results.

2. BEANS BAKED - kidney or butter, all of these help your purchase wholesale l-phenylalanine powder produce a vital anti-ageing substance called hyaluronic acid. When we're born our skin is pumped full of this and it makes it look plump and smooth. As you age levels fall, but eating plenty of beans can help replace it. Aim for at least two tablespoons of beans each day - broad or butter beans make a great substitute for mashed potatoes if you mix them with a little Greek yoghurt.

3. GOJI BERRIES - SKIN-guru Dr Howard Murad swears by the anti-ageing power of these red berries, claiming they are the most "nutritionally dense food on the planet". Fact is, they have nearly 500 times more vitamin C per ounce than oranges - and vitamin C helps you make the collagen that keeps skin firm. They also contain linoleic acid, an essential fat that plumps skin up, making it look and feel younger. They're most commonly used in smoothies or sprinkled over cereal - but celebs including Naomi Watts like them in salads.

4. TURKEY - This white meat contains a vital skin-friendly protein called carnosine that slows down a process in the skin called cross-linking. When this happens, fibres grow into the collagen of the skin making it stiff and inelastic. This then stops it snapping back when you do things like smile, laugh or frown - and this is what causes smile lines or crows feet. If you want to reduce your risk of these, don't save turkey for Christmas, eat it two to three times a week.

5. FLAXSEED OIL - OIL YOU can gulp down by the spoonful, mix it into smoothies or add it to balsamic vinegar and use it as a salad dressing, but whatever you choose, have a tablespoon each day. "Flaxseed is a major source of the healthy fat omega-3," says Suzi Grant, author of Alternative Aging "Skin cells are surrounded by a fatty layer made from this and other fats so, the higher your omega-3 intake the stronger that layer is, and the plumper your skin cells are - which helps disguise lines and wrinkles."

6. PRUNES - ONE of the biggest causes of skin ageing is attack by substances called free radicals, that break down healthy skin tissues. Nutrients called antioxidants help neutralise these free radicals before they can do any damage - and prunes are the fruit containing the absolute highest level of antioxidants. Blueberries are a close second. Eat five to six prunes, or a small punnet of blueberries, daily to get a great health boost.

7. BEETROOT - THIS is the top choice of independent nutritionist Carrie Ruxton: "It's not only a great source of antioxidants, all purple foods contain pigments called anthocyanins that help support collagen production in the skin," she says. The obvious way to use beetroot is to slice it up in salads, but you can now also buy beetroot juice in supermarkets.

8. OLIVES - AUSTRALIAN researchers recently discovered the more olive oil people had, the less wrinkled their skin looked. "The oleic acid found in olives and virgin olive oil can make the difference between a complexion that looks and feels like old shoe leather - and one that looks like a rose petal," says dermatologist to the stars Nicholas Perricone. A healthy fat, oleic acid actually soaks through the membranes of skin cells plumping them up, which then makes fine lines and wrinkles less noticeable. To build more olive products into your day use olive oil for cooking, add olives to pasta sauce and salads - or nibble on them whole as a healthy snack.

9. CHOCOLATE - For all you chocolate lovers you can now indugle guilt free because Chocolate really is good for your skin. In studies in Germany, it was found that after drinking a cocoa-packed drink, blood flow to the skin was boosted (meaning it gets higher levels of nutrients and moisture). It also seemed to be more protected against UV damage - the number-one skin ager. Only dark chocolate contains enough antioxidants to have effects, though.

10. RED PEPPERS - SWEET potatoes, carrots and more - it's not just chocolate that protects skin against sun damage. Research from Dr Ronald Watson at the University of Arizona has found that the antioxidants in red, yellow and orange foods build up under the skin creating extra UV protection. "The effect is so strong that eating six portions a day for about two months will build a natural barrier equivalent to a factor four sunscreen," says Dr Watson.

BEAUTY IN A PILL..is it worth it? THERE are numerous skin boosting supplements available. But are they worth the money or can you get everything you need from your diet? "This depends on the nutrient," says Carrie Ruxton. "Supplements are worth considering for skin-boosting nutrients with limited numbers of natural sources, for example evening primrose oil. "But for antioxidants such as carotenes, quercetin, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, it's better to eat the natural foods. A number of studies on single antioxidants given as pills have found no benefit to health. This is probably because the antioxidants work together or with other, as yet unidentified, phytonutrients.

Mae Zaydan, daughter of 2, mother of 1, sister of 5, friends of many and founder of http://www.organicbeautyworld.com Committed to nourishing the whole person inside and out with mother nature's ingredients. And empowering people through jargon free practical tools and techniques to BE creator's of their own lives.