New GI Snack Cookbook, Healthy Skin Care, Sleep Position

Snacking is often our preferred way to eat – unless, of course it’s sitting down for a full Thanksgiving dinner. But then again, I know I snacked on Thursday, and perhaps you did, too. Finding and/or preparing healthy snacks is so challenging. To make this easier, I wrote a new cookbook, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Glycemic Index Snacks. It offers you recipes for over 250 low-glycemic snacks that are under 300 calories each. Available at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-Glycemic-Snacks/dp/1615640827/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322497481&sr=8-1 and also at Barnes and Noble. Yes, the recipes are varied and scrumptious. Enjoy!

In search of healthy and effective skin care: one of my favorite stores for discovering the newest and healthiest skin care is New Frontiers (a natural foods store) in Sedona, Arizona. If you’re in the area, check it out. In August I found two treatment lines with distinct advantages – they are inexpensive, totally affordable, and effective. The first is made in Hawaii from honey, beeswax, bee pollen, and royal jelly - Honey Girl Organics. I’m using the Face and Eye Cream and looking forward to ordering additional products online at www.honeygirlorganics.com.

Peak Scents and Super Salve Company offers an excellent Vitamin C repair solution, the best sunscreen I’ve ever found (Sierra Madre Sun Cream SPF 30), and a Power Repair Face Cream. I just reordered these online at www.supersalve.com. I once thought that it was cool to use very expensive skin care products. Today I know that price doesn’t imply better, more effective, or healthier. Read the labels on the department store brands and decide if you want unpronounceable chemicals on your skin.

And now about sleeping. Oh my gosh what an odd journey I’ve taken in the past 4 months. One morning in July, my right arm stopped working. Yes, I know this seems impossible, but this is a true story. My arm had no strength. It sort of hurt to move it. The feeling was, in a word, weird. Since I had absolutely no frame of reference for this and was scared, I cautiously drove myself to the chiropractor.

He said I had a herniated disc in the right side of my neck (C5-6) and that he could make it better in three weeks. Huh? I wanted to be a believer. And, sure enough within just a couple sessions, my arm worked well and the odd sensations abated. In addition to going to therapy three times a week for a grand total of 4.5 hours including drive time, I made serious lifestyle changes.

I raised my computer monitor so I didn't need to bend my neck forward. I used a lap desk for reading books and magazines, again so I didn't need to bend my neck forward. Rather than bend over my watercolor paper when painting, I set up a field easel in my studio and now stand when I paint. I stopped slouching as much as possible, even asking my husband to let me know when I slouched. At my chiropractic sessions, I did a series of neck-strengthening exercises, traction, and received adjustments to break up arthritis in my neck. Which I didn’t even know that I had.

Three weeks extended to three months and although my arm and neck were greatly improved, my situation was at a standstill. Seemed to me that something I was doing was somehow re-injuring my neck or at the least preventing it from healing. In other words was I doing this to myself?

When I asked some experts, no one had any substantive suggestions. Then I mentioned to a massage therapist friend that I have slept on my tummy all night long every night for as long as I can remember. Bingo!!! In order to avoid a face plant when sleeping on my tummy, I turned my neck sharply to the left. Night after night for 8 to 10 hours for years and years. Yes, this was truly a "DUH" moment.

That night, it was hard but I did it anyway. I slept on my side. I've have since taught myself how to sleep on my side. Hugging either a pillow or Patrick helps. And guess what? My neck is finally really healing. I've worked myself back up to all but one Bikram (hot) yoga pose. It's rabbit, for those of you familiar with Bikram.

During the past 4 months, though, I was unable to do my morning Tibetan exercises. And I noticed some undesired changes in my body. Without this wonderful metabolism-boosting daily treat, my waist began to expand. And

some clothes were getting tight. But, hurrah, I’m back to doing the Tibetans every morning and I’ve jump-started my metabolism into normal high gear. (You can find the 5 Tibetan exercises at my website, www.lucybeale.com .)

It’s now the Monday after Thanksgiving and I’m back to work after 4 days of enjoying our semi-marathon feasting, snowshoeing, and museum hopping. I hope your Holiday was satisfying and fun. I also want to thank you for reading my newsletter, for sending your comments, and for your encouragement. I appreciate you.

The Three Machines

Yes, these 3 machines have saved us money and improved my health and sense of wellbeing. And, they are NOT kitchen appliances. In other words, no juicers or dehydrators.

Ten years ago, a dentist in Fort Collins, CO said he wouldn’t be my dentist unless I used a Waterpik every day. Within 6 months, those annoying gum pockets were history for both Pat and me. For Christmas that year, all of our terrifically fortunate children received – guess what? – Waterpiks.

We’re still using the Waterpik successfully – in fact, we’ve worn out the first and are now on our second. It’s so nice to not pay for special gum scraping and such.

Last year one of our sons (this must run in the family!) raved about his electric toothbrush. Not to be outdone, I purchased the Oral B Braun from my dentist. Pat and I use it morning and evening. It’s heaven – my teeth never felt cleaner. Or looked brighter.

But ah, the moment of truth arrived at my recent checkup. Poke and prod as much as he could, my dentist failed to elicit even a slight twitch or ouch. All of my sensitive spots were gone. Gone. Amazing. This is the first time ever in as long as I can remember that I earned an “A Plus” for a dental exam. Which means no –absolutely no – out of pocket charges.

The next big surprise found me while browsing at Nordstrom’s cosmetic counter. I wandered in to purchase lipstick and was greeted by a brilliantly smiling enthusiastic young woman who was clearly on commission. By the time I walked out of the store I had purchased a Clarisonic face brush machine. Not inexpensive since I purchased the model that included a larger brush head for use on my body. Hand held. Just add some soap or cleanser and run the gently whirling brush for a minute or so over my face and neck before rinsing. Stephanie promised a plethora of beautifying results: exfoliation, clearer skin, smoother skin, better absorption of face cream and moisturizer. Everything a gal could possibly want.

I felt so much like a guppy escaping a shark tank that I couldn’t tell Pat about this purchase. I couldn’t much hide it either, as it was whirring on my face as I prepared for bed that night. I still can’t tell him what it cost. But I sure can see visible obvious results. I’m not kidding. This gizmo makes my skin look like I just had an hour-long facial that costs upwards of a hundred dollars or so. The difference between the facial and the Clarisonic is that I can look that good every single day. If I were to put the results into one word it’s “brighter.” Next would be baby-skin smooth. Is it saving me money yet? Not exactly. But if I were to pay for monthly hour-long facials, it definitely is saving money. (My husband insists this is not the correct way to apply any accounting principle he knows.)

A special note to our children: most likely you won’t receive a Clarisonic under the tree this year. But an electric toothbrush? Perhaps.

I highly recommend all three machines. If they fit your needs. Let me know how you like them.

Have a terrific month. All the best,

Lucy

The Big C

I’m writing this to you especially if you’ve reached the age of 50 or over. A friend asked me to write this for you. Said it could save many lives – because this information saved her life. When I first heard about her situation as second hand news – she’d had 27 polyps removed from her colon. Oh, my gosh.

Later that week Pat and I ran into her and her husband at the theater. She corrected the offhand rumor, her situation was different, but just as dire. Having put off getting her much dreaded first colonoscopy, she finally gave in to her husband’s increasingly urgent requests. The doctor found cancer and removed 9 inches of her colon. Good news – she’s healthy and thriving. Doc said she wouldn’t have lasted 2 more years.

As I listened to her story, I felt fleetingly guilty because I had been so reluctant to get one. Most insurances pay for the procedure. A couple days later at lunch with some girlfriends, the C subject came up. Half had already undergone the procedure, half of us hadn’t. Oh, my gosh – in simple words, I was truly taken to task. How could I be avoiding this simple procedure when I wrote books on HEALTH? Cause I’m a chicken, that’s how.

I went home and made an appointment. My fear and terror grew and grew as my appointment approached. “What if’s” rattled through my brain. The one-day prep was, in a word, unpleasant but doable. The morning of my procedure, Pat drove me to the surgery center and entertained me for a couple hours as we waited. The procedure took all of 15 minutes before I was back in the recovery room wide awake chatting with Pat and my best girlfriend.

The doc came by and whew! remarked that I had the insides of a 12 year-old. Let me tell you, my results are somewhat the result of eating basically well and getting plenty of exercise. But mostly, luck and good genes.

I want luck to be on your side, as it was for me, and my friends. Yes, one friend needed serious surgery, but today she’s enjoying her two granddaughters, a doting and relieved husband, and a terrific and exciting career. So luck was on her side, as was a pushy and devoted husband.

Having a colonoscopy is important. So Just do it. Everyone you know will be glad you did.

Lucy Beale, author

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss Version 2

The Complete Idiot's Guide Glycemic Index Cookbook

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Well on a Budget

www.Lucybeale.com, http://lucybeale-weight-loss.blogspot.com/

801-501-8240

In Search of the Mediterranean Diet

The much touted Mediterranean Diet – which sounds positively delicious and enticing – both for its culinary delights and it’s weight-loss potential may be a mere fabrication. After all, who wouldn’t want to be sitting at a café in a warm sunny clime eating succulent tomatoes flavored with basil or oregano, knowing that what’s sensational for your taste buds is great for your heart and your waistline?

I need to tell you, I searched for this enticing food on our recent vacation to Italy. We ate near Naples, in Rome, in Florence, in Siena, and in the Chianti countryside. We all – our whole family - loved the food. It was quite Americanized as you would guess, it being that we saw far more American tourists than we did genuine Italians. Our grown children raved about the pizzas and pastas. I passed on their high-carb choices, and instead, when I could, ordered main courses with meat or fish, which oddly enough, seldom included a side vegetable.

Our entire 10 days in Italy, we never saw ristorante menus that included the famed Mediterranean ingredients: whole grains, abundant olive oil, balsamic vinegar, heavy breads rich in whole grains, polenta, abundant fresh vegetables, or fruit. We did see fabulous fresh fish. I wasn’t quite sure how to interpret these results.

Was the Mediterranean Diet a mere fabrication? Someone’s good idea for a healthy eating regime? Or were the ristorantes truly catering to American food tastes – I mean we did see plenty of bready pasta with virtually no healthful toppings on every street corner – kind of like you could in New York.

Upon returning home and after sorting through many emails, bills, and advertising fliers, I found a tiny research item on the Mediterranean Diet. Turns out the Italian town on which this diet was modeled, Pioppi, has abandoned their past way of eating. For a couple reasons: the young folk don’t want to eat as their parents, but instead prefer to imitate the American way of eating – yes, they’re gaining weight and having health issues, and because the cost of the healthy vegetables, fish, and fruit is too high for many budgets.

When Pat I were in Rome for our honeymoon 10 years ago, the ristorante food was different – more authentic - and much more aligned to the “Mediterranean Diet.” Of course, I report this with very fond memories of our romantic time in Rome which could be clouded by time and wistfulness.

What’s a person to do? Keep on eating the healthy foods. Find ways to pay for those vegetables and fruit which keep you healthy. If you occasionally cheat on your eating plan, you can make up for it by eating those 7-10 servings of vegetables and fruit daily while never overeating anything.

I need to tell you how I survived the high-carb overload potential of the ristorantes. Before the trip, I packed 12 packages of tuna, and 12 small serving-size tubs of peanut butter. I ate the tuna instead of the pastry at the continental breakfasts offered by our hotels, and I ate the peanut butter in emergency snack situations when I needed real food. And asked whoever in our group walked by a fruit stand to pick me up an apple or two.

So I guess it’s up to us as health-seeking, in-the-know folks to keep the vision of the Mediterranean
Diet alive. Good health is its own reward.

Let me tell you how. You know I exercise almost daily both aerobics, Pilates, yoga, and some strength training. Well, a couple weeks after we returned my right arm stopped working. And it really hurt. I had a hernia in my cervical spine brought on my years of lying on the sofa reading books or working puzzles with the book or puzzle propped in my lap. I actually did this to myself. I have hated sitting up straight when I could more comfortably slouch. The good news: it seems to be healing really fast. Most likely because I am a terrifically compliant patient, because I work with a stellar chiropractor, and because I’m in good physical shape and otherwise healthy. The bad and good news : I MUST sit up straight and totally stop slouching or else.

So now it’s time for watermelon, cherries, and fresh basil, garlic, and pine nut pesto. Long live the Mediterranean Diet.

Lucy Beale, author
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss Version 2
The Complete Idiot's Guide Glycemic Index Cookbook
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Well on a Budget
www.Lucybeale.com, http://lucybeale-weight-loss.blogspot.com/

The Benevolent Boring Basics

Just like you I wish there were a pill that would solve all of my inclinations towards being, well, basically, a slug. I know you’ve wished for one of these, too. You know – the pill that does your exercise for you, that lets you eat whatever you want whenever you want with no undesired side effects, the one that keeps your muscles toned, that fends off the ill effects of not enough sleep, and of too much stress. And while we’re still wishing, the one that instantly changes gloomy days into ones filled with sunshine.


Please, now is NOT the time to send me information on the latest greatest nutritional supplement you sell that promises to makes my slug-ness dreams come true. Alas, the slug pill doesn’t exist. I already know I’m going to be running away from entropy the rest of my life. For those of you who aren’t familiar with entropy and the second law of thermodynamics, it basically states that systems in order tend to go into disorder. Toned muscles today mean less toned muscles tomorrow, unless you exercise tomorrow and the next day and the next day. A clean desk today breeds a messy desk within a week. That is entropy. On this planet, it’s a law of nature.

A dear friend of mine recently had a blood test in which her cholesterol lowered to healthy levels – yeah! But those darn triglycerides are so high she’s at high risk for diabetes. She MUST do aerobic exercise often to run away from this malady. Alas, she’ll be running away from it the rest of her life. I just returned from checking out stationary bikes with her at Sears. I scream inside me – this is so unfair. For a wonderful happy mostly sedentary person to be told that she needs to start doing heavy-duty exercise and, oh, yeah, by the way, cut out all the fats she’s loved eating for a lifetime – cheese and butter and ice cream. French fries and steak. But, no it’s not unfair. Life hasn’t singled her out. We are all in this together and totally alone.

Alone because no one can do your exercise for you. Right now I have assumed responsibility for making sure that 2 people I dearly love get enough exercise. Neither will exercise by themselves – so, yes, I do it with them. This should indicate that I do twice as much as I need to. Perhaps this is actually good for me and some of my slug-ness problem is solved through my concern for loved ones.

I’ve been missing sleep lately because it’s so much fun to stay up late with my husband. But I’ve noticed that my usually friendly moods are more likely to unravel around the edges by dinnertime. My new “rule” (at which Pat merely rolls his eyes) is that I need to be in my jammies getting ready for bed by 10:15 pm except on evenings out. Hey, come on, it’s worked one night so far.

And need it tell you how much I love sugar and chocolate? I found a super brownie pan that looks like a maze such that every brownie comes out with 2 baked edges. Yum, so delicious. But with two people living here, what happens to all those brownies? I usually have Pat take them to share at the office on Monday mornings so I’m spared their annoying chatter as they talk on and on throughout my work days about how good they’ll taste. I’m not even sure I want a pill that takes away my enjoyment of these 2 non-nutritional foods. Yes, I know chocolate is supposed to contain nutrition, but I probably have enough stored up in me to last for the next 5 years.

You may be wondering how I stay thin with all this slug-ness going on inside me. It’s simple. Good genes, never overeating, keeping my metabolism really high through exercise, and not eating the toss away foods I could care less about. I mean, I think of sandwich bread as a wrapping that’s supposed to be tossed, pasta as sticky goo, and dairy products as being made by nature for baby cows and not humans. Just so you know that I’m no health food angel, I love Mexican food, steak, butter, vegetables, fruit, pate, sardines, anchovies, and other foods that may seem in-palatable to you. In-palatable being another word for disgusting.

So the bottom line is that those boring basics are one’s wellness salvation: doing challenging exercise almost daily, never overeating, enjoying the most pleasurable foods in small amounts, sleeping 7-8 hours in a darkened room, and doing the best you can in this increasingly stressful world.

My advice: take those slug pills in tiny doses all day long – exercise, eat enough and not too much, laugh as often as you can, luxuriate in sleep, and find two friends who need an exercise buddy.

Love, light, laughter.

Lucy Beale, author
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss Version 2
The Complete Idiot's Guide Glycemic Index Cookbook
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Well on a Budget
www.Lucybeale.com, http://lucybeale-weight-loss.blogspot.com/

The Exercise Problem

I’m fascinated with all the current exercise choices. How does a person determine which modality is right for his or her body? At my local rec center, the choices are Power Pump, Water Aerobics, Zumba, Jazzercise, Yoga, Spin, Core Fusion, Pilates, Flow, Step Interval, Pilates Beam Fit, and Intro to Step. Choices at other clubs include Boot Camp, Sun Salutations, Power Yoga, and Power Pilates. Most exercise facilities offer a full weight room filled with elliptical trainers, treadmills, stationary bikes, and a plethora of weight machines. At home we have a fitness rider (collecting dust), a Pilates reformer, a stationary bike (not collecting dust), fitness balls, an inversion table, flex bands, workout DVDs, and hand weights.

But wait, there’s more: My iPhone lets me download the wonderful Tara Stiles yoga podcasts which I rate as 5 stars. I can also download dozens of exercise podcasts. YouTube has 18,600,000 – that’s over eighteen million – exercise routines.

Personally, I divide my exercise time among several favorites: 2 sessions of Bikram (hot) yoga per week (at a studio up the street), Pilates mat class, weight training for posture and Madonna-style upper arms (I wish!!!), snowshoeing in winter, and hiking in summer. Most days I do the Five Tibetan exercises in the morning (print from my website at www.lucybeale.com). On days I’m not at the gym or studio, I do 10 Sun Salutations (these are so hard) or ride the stationary bike for a mere 15 minutes while reading a magazine (easy).

I need to tell you a bit about my personal motivation for exercising. I started exercising at age 23 by taking a killer aerobics class at the YMCA in Denver. I stopped exercising after several years and discovered I had high levels of anxiety. Since I prefer natural healing modalities, when given the choice by a therapist between taking “happy” pills or doing daily exercise to manage depression and anxiety, I opted for the exercise and have been faithful ever since.

I’m really NOT an exercise junkie, I just try to stay fit - mentally and physically. For the most part, my days are quite sedentary. After all, writing, coaching, and watercolor painting are not what anyone would deem aerobic activities.

So, here’s my question to you. With all these great modalities to choose from, how many people do you think are actually exercising? Not that many. I think most folks prefer the sofa. Actually, I do, too. I’m convinced we’re all biologically programmed and hard-wired to prefer the sofa.

How many folks do you know who exercise 3 or 4 times a week? What makes the difference between a person who exercises faithfully and one that doesn’t? My quandary is how to get my clients, newsletter readers, and blog readers to exercise faithfully day after day, year after year. I know they’ll feel better. I know they’ll have happier moods. I know they’ll look better. They’ll have fewer medical concerns, more energy, and more fun. They’ll sleep better. They may or may not lose weight, but the rest of their lives will work better.

So let me know. What would you do to convince another person to adopt the habit of regular exercise? How do you keep yourself motivated to get to class or to put on the running shoes and hit the pavement? Why are there so many fitness modalities and why do so few folks actually work out?

Desperately seeking solutions,

Lucy Beale, author
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss Version 2
The Complete Idiot's Guide Glycemic Index Cookbook
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Well on a Budget
http://www.lucybeale.com/, http://lucybeale-weight-loss.blogspot.com/

The Importance of Gut Bacteria

The research coming in on gut bacteria is startling and very important for your health. Gut bacteria is the good bacteria that helps properly digest your food, makes important B vitamins, and enables your body to absorb minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients. It’s the same bacteria that gets killed off every time you take antibiotics. Here’s what new research has found:

1. People who are overweight or obese have different types of gut bacteria than people who are thin. If you want to lose weight, take a good probiotic supplement and don’t rely on yogurt. Why? Because it’s probiotic count isn’t reliable. Yogurt often has added sugar or sweeteners, which can kill off good bacteria. I suspect we’ll soon be able to purchase “thin gut bacteria” probiotic supplements.

2. For dental health, your mouth needs three specific probiotic strains. With a strong colony in your mouth, you can say goodbye to tooth decay, periodontal disease, and bad breath AND have naturally whiter teeth. No, I am not kidding. These strains are sold under the brand name, Evora, which is available at Walgreens. It comes as a good-tasting lozenge you let dissolve in your mouth after brushing your teeth. I know this because after I needed three rounds of ever stronger antibiotics last fall for what started out as a mere cold, I had to repopulate my entire body.

3. You are gifted your gut bacteria in utero by your mother. Also, the foods she favored when she was pregnant are the foods you prefer during your life. I inherited a sweet tooth.

4. People who have IBS – irritable bowel syndrome - find relief when they repopulate their gut bacteria with Bifidobacterium infantis. Now sold as Align brand at drugstores.

5. It isn’t easy to repopulate gut bacteria. Our modern processed food diets can easily kill off the good bacteria. Gut bacteria needs to be fed. Just like your garden soil needs fertilizer, gut bacteria needs nutrients to help them grow and colonize. They love a diet of vegetables and fruit. The name of nutrients that do this are called, fruit ogliosaccharides, which are as you now know, found in vegetables and fruit. Sorry, all those Cheetos and malted milk balls can destroy them.

6. Symptoms that can disappear with healthy gut bacteria are eczema, diahrrea, anxiety, depression, constipation, being overweight, candida overgrowth, and some forms of autoimmune disorders. Yes, this gut bacteria is important. Oh, and it can reduce or eliminate sugar cravings.

7. Mice who didn’t have a strong colony of gut bacteria (they’d been given mouse antibiotics) were way more susceptible to the influenza virus than mice with good gut bacteria.

8. Researchers were looking for the difference between babies who thrived in subsistence-level living in Malawi, and those who didn’t. The difference? The healthy babies had gut bacteria that enabled digestion and assimilation of minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients. The babies who had the distended stomachs of starvation didn’t have healthy gut bacteria.

This research is just the start. Now reports are coming out every week. I’ll keep you updated. But for now, take a good probiotic with multiple strains once or twice a day. More often if you have been on antibiotics. I personally like the brand, PB8. because it’s affordable and works well. As well as Evora. Who doesn’t want whiter teeth and happier dental check ups?

The size of your fist

There are so many “recommended” ways to eat for weight loss. I’ve spoken with folks who eat no carb, or no meat, or just soy shakes. Some swear by “raw” foods, or by eating no fat. When you think of following a somewhat nutritionally unbalanced regime as all of these are, go back to the basics before you make your life more complicated.


The most important “basic” is to never overeat. Eat as much food as the size of your fist at each meal. Make a fist and look at the size of your fist. Eat that much food 3 times a day, perhaps 4. One of my coaching clients has an ideal weight of 250 pounds, which is twice what I weigh. And his fist is twice the size of my fist. This is not a coincidence.

Another way to not overeat requires mindfulness. Eat 0-5 on a hunger scale. The scale ranges from 0 to 10. Zero is empty, 5 is comfortable, 7 is full, and 10 is stuffed. You’ll need mindfulness to pay attention to your stomach’s hunger numbers before, during, and after eating. It’s a very elegant and certain system and one I’ve used for almost 30 years. Mindfulness offers other advantages. You’ll find yourself eating the most appealing foods, slowing down to savor every bite, enjoying better digestion, and probably sleeping better.

The best way to follow either one of these plans is to keep a food diary and record when, what, and how much you eat. Also record beginning and ending hunger numbers so you can start the process of eating mindfully.

And as to unbalanced diets, they may seem glamorous and exotic at first, but may not have a glamorous ending if your eating is out of balance for years. You could encounter low energy, hormonal imbalances, and emotional challenges. So eat balanced – meaning high quality protein, good fats, and vegetables/ fruit - as best you can.

And if you really want to lose weight, eat 0-5 and only eat foods that you prepare from scratch. That means no processed foods. I do this often and as much as possible, but not 100%, otherwise, I wouldn’t be writing this blog to you, I’d be in the kitchen wearing an apron.

All the best,

About that Apple

When told by a physician/nutritionist years ago that I had to give up fruit on his "healthy" diet, I rebelled. "You mean one apple a day could be harmful to me? What's wrong with an apple?" When confronted he backed down and agreed that one apple a day would be OK. Huh? I love apples. Any kind of apples. They seem to be a perfect food, just like an egg is a perfect food.

And now Weight Watchers has changed their diet recommendations to account for the glycemic index. Finally. I mean, you know that the glycemic index has hit the big time if the bastion of weight loss changes up all their point counts. Now 100 calories of starchy and sugary-foods has more points than 100 calories of fruit and/or vegetables. In fact, on their program you can eat basically lots of produce. And you'll still lose weight.

But if you choose this path, the fruit/vegetables can't be juiced or made into a shake. Eat them raw or lightly cooked. They offer natural antioxidants, high fiber, natural sweetness. By their very nature, the amount you can eat is self limiting. I mean, ever try overeating apples? It's almost impossible. Those vegetables and fruit have a self-limiting quality.

So, go ahead. Eat well. Eat that apple, pear, or watermelon. They were designed to be enjoyed.

why animals are gaining weight, too

If you’re even thinking of losing weight this year, you need to read this. Based on very recent research, the old “formula” of calories in vs. calories burned  - once again - doesn’t work.

Here’s why: Researchers noticed that animals are growing larger – both wild animals, domesticated animals (pets), and laboratory animals. With certainty the researchers knew that the animals weren’t eating too many doughnuts, and they certainly weren’t guilty of missing their exercise sessions. But they were sure getting larger than ever before. The researchers were stumped. Was there something in the environment that was causing this? Could it be air pollution, toxic chemicals, or something else? Another possibility was light pollution. The animals daily circadian rhythms could be being disrupted by the amount of light they were exposed to at night – when they were sleeping.

Another set of researchers did a rather simple experiment. One group of lab animals slept with all lights out and another group slept with “light” pollution. Guess who gained weight? Right, the ones who experienced “light” pollution. The details aren’t yet available on what body systems react to sleeping at night with a room with some light. But this early research offers clues for your weight management.

Make sure that you’re not gaining weight because you sleep with too much light. Get at least 8 hours of sleep in total darkness. Even the light from a street lamp may be too much, let alone the light from all sorts of media – television, alarm clocks, laptop screens, and more. Even an innocent night-light could be disrupting your weight.

At our house, I think we do pretty well but probably not well enough. I’m planning to purchase heavier window coverings to block the street-lamp lights. What can you do to eliminate light during your sleeping hours?

Happy New Year,