Weight Loss After The New Year

January 6, 2017January 11, 2017 / Thomas Cohn, MD

The new year is here, and for many people, now is a time of a renewed attitude towards weight loss. For years, there have been countless pages of advice written about weight loss and dieting. There are more experts than one could believe, and everyone is willing to dish out advice. As our knowledge has grown more recently, weight gain and loss just seems to have become more complex. The advice used to be simple, calories in vs. calories out, and you could determine weight changes. If life were only so simple.

Weight Loss In Today’s Society

A recent article in the newspaper thankfully sheds more light on weight loss. The best advice may be simple – go see a doctor of medicine that specializes in weight loss. The reason for such advice is there are so many issues that can affect a person’s weight and a comprehensive analysis is often necessary. The more we try to help people with weight loss, the more factors we find that affect weight. No two people are alike. Some people will gain weight on low calorie diets, and we all know people who can eat just about anything and not gain weight. We do know that there are many factors and genes in the body that contribute to our body shape and metabolism.

Obesity can be caused by many things, and what we eat is just part of the story. Medications from various heart drugs, to antidepressants and even some pain drugs can contribute to weight issues. Medical conditions such as diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, heart and lung disease, as well as abdominal conditions and depression all may affect our weight. Since many medical conditions directly affect our weight as well as the drugs we take, having a medical expert on obesity help design a program to control medical problems associated with obesity is often a first step.

Weight Loss Steps

The next most important step is probably taking a close look at oneself, and trying to understand personal factors that may be contributing to weight. These factors include the obvious, like our diet, especially what we eat, when we eat and how much we eat. Activity level is also a crucial factor. An inactive body does burn some calories, but being more active does increase the amount of energy used. Soft factors also contribute to weight, such as stress, anxiety, and how much we sleep.

Once we identify factors contributing to our weight, we need to make changes that are sustainable. Many diets fall into the category that are unsustainable, since they rely on one eating only packaged food from a special company. Changes do not need to all happen at once, as slow implementation fives the body time to make adjustments. Simple things like getting a good night of sleep, eating regular meals and taking a few minutes to exercise can make a big difference. Also, find a way to be accountable to either oneself or to another person. Being accountable tends to make a person more responsible.

Weight loss is extremely complex. There are many factors that contribute to a person’s weight. It takes a degree of dedication and the ability to understand what is happening in your body to facilitate weight loss. For the lucky, weight control is just a small amount of effort, while for others it often becomes a life long challenge. Seeking good medical advice is beneficial for any person looking to drop a few pounds.

The Importance of An Anti-Inflammatory Diet, Part 1

February 2, 2016 / Thomas Cohn, MD

The diet we eat appears to have more and more significant influence on how healthy we are overall. Diet crazes come and go, but more research is showing that the food we eat does affect many aspects of our life. The main problem is that it is easier to eat whatever foods are available than to choose things that are healthy and helpful to us.

Furthermore the food we eat is processed differently at least initially in each and every person depending on our own genetics and the bacteria that happens to be in our gastrointestinal tract. Lastly, if we are overweight, the fat in our body may be contributing to inflammation. Losing excessive fat, exercising and eating healthy foods are all part of controlling inflammation in our bodies, and that too can contribute to a healthy lifestyle.

Researchers have identified certain foods and diet characteristics that seem to help control inflammation. Below are some suggestions with regards to a diet to control inflammation.

Anti-Inflammatory Diet

1. Start eating fish regularly – At least two meals a week should contain fish that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are the ones that are good for you by reducing C-reactive protein and interlukin-6, two proteins that enhance inflammation in the body. Eating a portion of fish like salmon, tuna, sardines, or other cold water fish is ideal.

2. Eat more fruit and vegetables because they are packed with antioxidants – These are compounds that support your immune system and help protect it from dangerous compounds in the environment. They also may help prevent inflammation by protecting compounds in the body from breaking down and needing to be removed and destroyed. The best sources are fresh fruit and vegetables, and when cooking vegetables, just lightly steam or cook them, keeping them crisp. The daily amount should be at 2-3 cups of each a day, that would likely equal at least 2-3 pieces of fresh fruit plus your vegetables. This could also include your salads.

3. Try eating nuts and seeds more often – They are great to substitute for snacks instead of empty calories like sweets. Nuts are full of anti-inflammatory monosaturated fats and are high in protein and fiber. Nuts also tend to fill you up and decrease the desire for more calories. A quarter cup of nuts, such as almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds or pecans are great for snacks. Keep a jar available and take a few when hunger strikes. Stay away from coated or salted nuts.

4. Beans are often known as the “magical” fruit – They have some unwelcomed properties for some people, producing gas since they may be hard for some to fully digest, but beans have several anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds. They are also a low cost source of protein, packed with minerals like magnesium, iron and zinc and are high in fiber. Cooked beans can serve as a substitute for meat in sauces, and can be used as a main protein source if properly balanced in a diet. Many vegetarians use beans as their main source of dietary protein and extensive recipes are available in how to incorporate them into meals.

5. Use olive oil as one of your main monounsaturated sources of heart healthy fats – This compound is rich in antioxidants and oleocanthal, a compound that can lower inflammation and pain. The Mediterranean region uses olive oil in most of its cooking, and many use it for salad dressing. It is fine for coating hot pans, but do not try to fry foods with this oil.

On Thursday, we’ll share part 2 which includes five more tips on how an anti-inflammatory diet can help prevent chronic pain.

5 Ways to Eat Better in the New Year

January 25, 2016 / Thomas Cohn, MD

It is a New Year and a lot of people have made resolutions to eat better and lose weight. There are countless diets one could follow and everywhere you turn someone has a suggestion on what to do to become healthier. In reality, as science becomes more involved in understanding obesity and weight, the more complex the whole subject becomes. People originally thought taking in fewer calories than you burned was all you needed for weight loss, but unfortunately it is now much more complex. However there are some simple rules that may improve your diet and health.

Diet Rules To Remember

1. Eat more plants – As your mother said, eat your vegetables, especially fresh vegetables. Add in more whole grains, fresh fruit, and beans. Maintain a variety of these items in your daily intake. All these plants have essential nutrients and many contain compounds that bolster the immune system, improve digestion, fill you due to fiber and contain healthier varieties of carbohydrates that foster less weight gain. From the wide variety of plants and vegetables available, there should be a number of things that are tasty to eat.

2. Don’t eat more calories than you need – If you fill full at a meal, stop eating, even if your plate is not empty. Wait a little time after you eat before deciding on a dessert, since it takes time for the signals from your stomach to get to the brain and to tell it you did eat enough. Along the same line, slow down your eating, this will also give the brain time to determine it has had enough nutrients. Drinking more fluids also gives the stomach a feeling of fullness and may decrease the need for more food. Lastly, track your weight on a weekly basis (daily monitoring is deceptive and can vary) and if it is trending up, decrease the food intake. Tracking your exercise also may be helpful, a fitness tracker will give you a baseline level, if you are not moving you will not burn the calories you take in.

3. Eat less junk – This is food that is full of empty calories with no nutritional value. Start easy by eliminating candy, cookies, and things like energy drinks, or sugary donuts, pastries or desserts. These foods all are high in calories and carbohydrates. Yes they give you a quick dose of energy, but they are all easily converted to fat in the body. An occasional reward is ok, but small amount is more beneficial. The one exception may be to have a small piece of dark chocolate, this actually does have health benefits.

4. Eat a variety of foods you enjoy – Look at your current diet and determine what foods are healthy, and what you enjoy. Increase the amount of food that is healthy such as fish, chicken, turkey, and lean meats as well as vegetables, fruits and grains. Lower the amount of refined carbohydrates like white rice and pastas. Control the total portion size you eat, but you do not have to rid yourself of anything bad. The most important thing is increase healthy food you like,

5. Learn to cook yourself – Prepared meals and restaurant food is often not the healthiest. Most commercially made meals have high sodium amounts, refined carbohydrates, high calories from fats, and are not particularly good besides the taste. Restaurant meals and fast food is often high in fat, carbohydrates, and calories with few nutrients for the portion size. Cooking at home teaches one to use fresh ingredients, and it is much easier to institute healthier choices. Choosing fruits and vegetables, small portions of whole grain carbohydrates, and leaner cuts of meat or fish becomes much easier. Taste of the food may also improve, and cooking can be extremely relaxing and a time to interact with others.

In the New Year take a step forward toward a healthier lifestyle. Make some changes in your life and enjoy the changes you see in yourself. If you keep everything the same, your life will be the same. If you make some changes toward a healthier lifestyle, eating better, and exercising, the results over time should be evident.

The Benefits Of Changing Your Diet

July 13, 2015August 25, 2016 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Most people struggle with their diets. Eating healthy is always a challenge. With the typical American diet, the food is tasty, quick, and unfortunately, not the best for our bodies. The typical diet is high in carbohydrates, the wrong fats and not enough protein. The diet leads to obesity, anxiety, depression, heart disease, stroke, cancer and mental decline. If we could change our diet slightly, we may be much more healthy. Our diet only became bad over the last 100 years when switched from whole grains, vegetables, and meats to highly processed food.

Diet Options

The Mediterranean diet has been one of the better choices recently. The diet is high in fish oils, nuts and grains. Vegetable proteins are also a large part of the diet. It has been shown to be good for weight loss and to reduce cardiovascular disease. Recently it has also found to be beneficial for depression and anxiety control.

The paleo diet is another diet that earned praise of late. This diet was said to mimic the food choices of our hominid ancestors. The diet concentrates on nuts, berries, and meat. The protein may be red meat or seafood. A lot of the seafood is high in Omega 3 fats that are also good for the brain.

Healthy brain food includes seafood, greens, nuts, and beans, with some dark chocolate and wine. The healthier diets improve brain focus, energy and often lead to weight loss. Seafood is packed with protein and Omega 3 fatty acids, the latter is beneficial to maintain neuronal membrane structure. Seafood also has vitamin D and trace nutrients including iodine and chromium. Leafy greens are sources of fiber, folate, and multiple vitamins. Nuts provide protein, fiber, minerals, and healthy fats, and legumes can provide a healthy alternative source of protein.

Eating a healthier diet has many benefits. Combine a good diet with exercise, and one will move toward a better life with less disease, controlled weight and a brighter outlook with more energy. Change is difficult, but has many benefits.