THE CRONIN NUTRITIONAL EATING PLAN FOR WEIGHT LOSS AND HEALTH.

PART THREE

Rule 4:- WHATEVER ALCOHOL YOU ARE CURRENTLY DRINKING YOU MUST AT LEAST HALVE IT.

Alcohol is in our lives to a lesser or greater extent.  We use it in celebration or when we are depressed, to reward ourselves, to put us in the mood or to fit in with our friends.  Taken in moderation, alcohol still has a physical effect on our bodies.  Certainly some has a mildly therapeutic effect but red grape juice has as many Bioflavonoids as red wine.

Our liver is the organ that takes the full brunt of any alcohol intake that we indulge in, and as the liver is such a vital organ in the elimination of toxins and waste, it is vital that it is protected throughout our lifetime.  A healthy liver can determine much of our overall general health and longevity so respecting it makes very good sense.

The liver is not the only part of our body that is affected by drinking too much alcohol. Liver cirrhosis as a result of alcohol is one of the ten leading causes of death in the United States and I would assume on a similar level in parts of the UK.  Excessive drinking can be responsible for altering brain activity affecting your concentration and reflexes.  This is very evident in drink driving.   Mild symptoms may be insomnia, heartburn and slightly raised blood pressure.

The more dangerous side effects however can be fatal.  Alcohol can raise levels of triglycerides in the blood causing arterial and heart disease.  It affects the levels of calcium in the body leading to osteoporosis.  Obesity is very common with all of its complications and there are indications that there is a serious increase in the risks of many cancers including in the mouth, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, liver and breast.

I am not intending to blackmail you into giving up alcohol, but like any toxin that we choose to take into our body, we should do so fully informed and not with our head stuck in the sand.  We now are fully informed of the dangers of smoking and over the last few months there has been an emphasis on the dangers of excessive or binge drinking.  Hopefully this will save lives over the next few years.

I don’t expect anyone to give up alcohol altogether but you will notice an amazing difference in your energy levels and the way that you feel if you do. But at least by halving your intake you will see some benefit. Do think about this carefully however and if you can manage with just one glass of wine with your dinner each night that would be tremendous.  Take a close look at how much you are actually consuming at present and multiply each glass of wine by 100 calories and see how these invisible calories are impacting not just your weight but your health.  One half bottle of wine per night represents 36lbs or 17kilos in excess body fat a year.  If you only need to lose 14lbs or 6 kilos you can do that by reducing your intake to half.

Rule 5: - HAVE A LITTLE PROTEIN WITH EACH MEAL

You don’t have to eat 100 of grams. But one chicken breast – 5 oz of salmon – light cream cheese spread – semi skimmed milk – 1 oz of cheddar etc. Give yourself a couple of meat free days per week and have a meal using half an avocado which is good source of vitamins and minerals but also of healthy fat. You will find the essential and non-essential amino acids that the body needs in a wide variety of plant based foods including lentils, peanuts, broad beans, kidney beans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts and vegetables.

We are made of protein and proteins are essential to the structure, function, and regulation of the body including the systems that produce hormones, enzymes, and antibodies. If you are considering becoming a vegetarian or you are already one then do make sure that you are taking in sufficient protein in your diet to satisfy your body’s needs.

Clients who have come to me with various health problems have accused me of being anti-vegetarianism in the past. This is not the case.  I am firmly against starvation diets, which is a different matter altogether.  Most of the clients I have worked with who have chosen to give up animal products have done so without thought to the alternatives they needed to substitute to give them the essential nutrients required to be healthy.  They have in some case simply reduced the amount of food and variety that they eat every day.  It has been an emotional decision not a considered one.  You can have a wonderfully healthy diet without animal protein and if you need help in designing that programme contact a Nutritional therapist and get their assistance.

Fruit is a wonderful way to take in many of the vitamins and anti-oxidants that you need on a daily basis. In our supermarkets today there is an amazing array of European and tropical fruit that is fresh and tastes wonderful.  We will take a close look at oranges as part of the superfoods articles but any fruit that you eat is a 'superfood' in my book.  This is a very simple recipe but you can substitute any fruits that are your particular favourites.  For dinner parties splash out on the more exotic fruits such as mango and papaya and serve with home made ice cream.  Your guests will love it.

Use unsweetened apple juice and take 2 red apples, 2 large pears – half a melon – half a fresh pineapple – 2 large plums. Substitute your favourite fruit and alternate on a weekly basis so that you get plenty of variety.

Cut all the fruit up and store in a large airtight container in the fridge and this will last you at least three days – that is if you can keep the rest of the family out of it. However, just think how much good it will do them – especially if they eat this instead of a high sugar or fat snack.

If you don’t like plain you can serve with a live yoghurt.

Rules sound a little draconian but to be honest when it comes to your health you cannot afford to be half hearted.  This applies to rule 7 of the plan and some of you might be quite shocked at my insistence that you either stop drinking or severely restrict your intake of canned soft drinks.  I think that when you see the reasoning behind my concerns you will agree that it is unlikely that these drinks are actually doing you any good and in many cases maybe doing you harm.

Rule 7:- WHATEVER ELSE YOU DRINK, DO NOT TOUCH DIET DRINKS OR CANNED DRINKS AND IF YOU DO RESTRICT TO ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK.

In a nutshell, drinking carbonated or even still soft drinks exposes you to additives and colourings that could be extremely harmful to your health.  There are some quite frightening statistics that show how our children and young adults are consuming gallons of these drinks and the long-term effects are staggering. 

1.       The American Soft Drink Association proudly announced that the average American consumes over 600, 12oz (large) servings per year.  They estimate that the average teenager is drinking 160 gallons of soft drinks per year until their late 20’s.

2.       Researchers have determined that the average child and teenager during the critical growth and development phase is getting over 10% of their calorie requirement from processed soft drinks instead of milk.

3.       Scientific studies have shown that drinking as little as one or two soft drinks a day can increase your risk of developing obesity, diabetes, tooth decay, osteoporosis, nutritional deficiencies, heart disease and neurological problems.

4.       Most of the calories in soft drinks are in the form of refined sugars or artificial sugars that have absolutely no nutritional value.  In one study it was shown that teenagers who drank too many of these sodas are at risk of developing cirrhosis of the liver which we normally associate with chronic alcoholism.

5.       The drinks increase acid levels throughout the body, which suppresses immune system, provides a thriving environment for bacteria and viruses and additionally affects most of the operational systems within the body. The worst offenders are Coke and Pepsi and it takes over 30 glasses of pure alkaline water to neutralise one glass of Coke.

6.       Heavy consumption of these soft drinks can lead to stomach ulcers and the high levels of sugar, carbon dioxide and phosphoric acid remove nutritious minerals such as calcium from the bone making them weak and brittle.  I have seen the x-rays of a 16-year-old with the bone density of an 80-year-old.

7.       Caffeine in most soft drinks is a mild drug and can cause elevated blood pressure in adults.  In children it acts as a stimulant leading to behavioural problems, insomnia, anxiety, irritability and irregular heart beats.  Caffeine is addictive, which is why someone who drinks sodas can never stop at just one and is as addicted as a smoker.

8.       There are additives and colourings in diet drinks that produce that lovely dark brown colour.  Polyethylene glycol is an anti-freeze that could be carcinogenic.

Drinking fresh fruit juices diluted with water is fine as long as you clean your teeth twice a day at least to prevent fruit sugars from contributing to dental decay.  This applies of course to your children.  Milk is an important source of calcium for children and the sad fact is that more and more children are substituting soft drinks for this rich source of nutrients.  Use fresh fruit to make them milk shakes and smoothies to encourage them to keep milk in their diet and limit their access to the fizzy drinks.

Next time we will look at the last two rules that deal with the exercise levels you need to incorporate into your eating plan to firm up your body and help build muscle and bone mass.