“Dr. Hyman, I’ve
eliminated toxic foods, I exercise every day, and overall I live a healthy lifestyle,
yet I haven’t been able to get anywhere near my goal weight,” writes this
week’s house call. “What gives?”
I understand how
frustrating this can become, especially when you feel like you’ve tried
everything. You made a conscious decision to live ahealthier
lifestyle. You’ve cut out toxic
triggers, ditched sugar and you’re eating all the right types of foods. You’re
doing everything correctly, yet you can’t
lose weight.
Over the years, I’ve
had many patients complain about this problem. They feel like they’ve exhausted
every option, yet when we dig a bit deeper, we often find a hidden cause for
their weight loss resistance.
One big obstacle
becomes nutritional imbalances. After reviewing major nutritional research over
the last 40 years and doing nutritional testing with over 10,000 patients, I’ve
concluded that Americans suffer from massive nutritional deficiencies.
Studies show these deficiencies are more
widespread than you might imagine. Over 30 percent of American
diets fall short of
nutrients likemagnesium, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin A. Over 80 percent of Americans have
low Vitamin D levels. Nine out of 10 people are deficient
in omega-3 fatty acids which,
among other things, help cool inflammation and control blood sugar levels.
Simply put, Americans
have been overfed and undernourished for a very long time. In fact, most obese
children and adults are actually malnourished.
While that might sound
contradictory, an abundance of calories does not necessarily deliver the right
nutrients that your body needs. Actually, the very opposite is true: Overeating
can create nutrient deficiencies. You can eat too many calories and too
few nutrients. And guess what – you need vitamins and minerals to process all
those empty calories. Low nutrients = poorly functioning metabolism.
How does this happen
and why are we so undernourished? Simply put, food today is less nutritious. We
don’t eat enough whole, unprocessed, nutrient-dense foods. We do eat too
much high fructose corn syrup, refined flours, refined vegetable oils, trans
fats and overall fake
junky processed foods.
These foods (and I use
that term loosely) were not even in our diet as recent as 100 years ago. Our
processed, inflammatory modern diet – which is relatively inexpensive and
convenient because of government-subsidized crops like corn, soy and wheat –
crowds out more nutrient-dense foods.
We evolved eating
foods that were dramatically higher in vitamins, minerals and essential fats. We ate wild game, which contains higher levels of omega-3 fats and more nutrients than the factory-farmed animals we
consume today.
Our hunter-gatherer
ancestors also ate fresh
fish and meat that grazed from pristine sources, whereas our factory
farm-raised meats come loaded with hormones, antibiotics, pesticides,
preservatives like nitrates and higher levels of inflammatory omega-6 fats.
Industrial farming
practices also damage our soil, depleting important nutrients. As a result,
vegetables and other plant foods harvested today have fewer nutrients than
those picked from the ground just two generations ago.
Equally problematic,
the average American today consumes an average of 152 pounds of sugar and 146
pounds of flour (which converts to sugar) every year Altogether, that’s about a
pound of sugar every day! These pharmacological doses cause serious harm to our
metabolism and overall health.
At the same time,
healthy fat in our diets has decreased during the past decades because of poor
advice from so-called health experts and ourgovernment, The advice was based on flawed science and
conflict-of-interest studies funded by big food companies (I’ve discussed this
in-depth here).
Research also shows that since 1970, we have been
eating an average of 500 additional calories a day, mostly from high fructose corn syrup and other carbohydrates. These nutrient-poor,
calorie-dense, high-carbohydrate foods crowd out healthier choices while
creating nutritional deficiencies like omega-3 fats, magnesium,
zinc andvitamin D – negatively affecting our metabolism and our overall
health.
That low-fiber, highly
processed foods diet combined with other factors like environmental toxins
results in leaky gut syndrome and numerousother gut problems, which further inhibits nutrient absorption.
When deficiencies
become the underlying cause of weight loss resistance, I find nutrient-based
treatment can often help reset my patients’ metabolisms to balance out body chemistry. Getting the correct amount
of nutrients can help you burn fat, balance blood sugar, stabilize hormones and
build and maintain muscle mass.
To optimize nutrient levels and reach their goal weight, my patients often employ
these eight strategies.
1. Heal your gut. Focus on eating whole,
unprocessed foods such as
vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds that are rich in vitamins, minerals,
antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds, fiber andessential fatty acids. These foundation foods also eliminate the many triggers of
chronic illness. You are not only what you eat; you are what you
absorb.
2. Prioritize eating plant-based fats. Get
most of your healthy dietary fat from extra-virgin olive oil, coconut oil, nuts and seeds. Avoid refined vegetable oils like canola and soybean oils, as well as trans fats. You can get a
powerful 21-day plan to easily incorporate healthy fats in my new book, Eat Fat, Get Thin,
3. Get sufficient protein. At least four to
six ounces of lean protein at every meal stabilizes blood sugar and helps you
lose weight. Good sources include small, cold-water fish that don’t contain high
levels of metals and other contaminants. Wild game such as elk and deer are
other rich proteins sources that contain omega-3s and other healthy fats. Many
grocery stores now sell healthier protein options including bison, grass-fed beef pastured chicken and barnyard eggs.
4. Use gut-healing nutrients. Glutamine and zinc are
among the nutrients that help repair your gut lining. A
broad-spectrum digestive enzyme before meals can also help absorb nutrients optimally. And
a good probiotic helps rebuild the healthy bacteria essential for good gut
health. You’ll find these and other nutrientsin my store.
5. Work with a Functional Medicine
doctor. You may need to address deep-rooted issues like yeast overgrowth
or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). A Functional
Medicine practitioner can help
eliminate these and other issues that create weight loss resistance.
6. Manage stress levels. Chronic stress can deplete B vitamins and other nutrients like
crazy. You can do deep-breathing exercises or meditation nearly anywhere.
Get a massage, sweat in a sauna, take a stress-relieving bath with lavender and
Epsom salt or sea salt, relax with friends, listen to soothing music or read a
book. Simply do anything that creates calm and peace of mind. MyUltraMind
Solution program makes an
excellent way to help ease your mind and relieve stress. Many patients also
find myUltraCalm CD helps them manage stress.
7. Get adequate sleep. Proper sleep becomes
essential for optimal nourishment. Sleep patterns affect how your body detoxifies, as well as how it repairs and heals itself. Poor sleep
can increaseinflammation that contributes to chronic illness. Check out my 8 simple hacks for a better night’s sleep.
8. Exercise daily. Among its benefits, exercise is essential in order to sleep better, digest food
better, balance blood sugar, relieve stress, rid your body of toxins and balance hormones.
Just get moving, period. Find activities that you enjoy and do them daily. Even
30 minutes of walking each day does phenomenal things for your health.
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