The New Optimum Nutrition Bible

by Patrick Holford

  Eat low-GL foods

  Low-carbohydrate diets limit the quantity of carbohydrate you eat. This tells you little to nothing about what the carbohydrate is doing to your blood sugar. Instead of avoiding carbohydrates, I recommend that you eat what are called low-GL (glycemic load) carbohydrates.

  As explained in chapter 10, the glycemic load of a food is derived from knowing both the quantity of the food that is carbohydrate and the quality of the carbohydrate—fast or slow releasing (which is determined by the “glycemic index” of the food). If you want to lose weight and feel great, eat no more than 40 GL units of carbohydrate a day, preferably with protein. This means roughly 10 points for breakfast, 10 for lunch, 10 for dinner, and 5 in each of two snacks, midmorning and midafternoon. If you choose the good, low-GL foods, you’ll be able to eat more food. If you choose the bad, high-GL foods, you’ll be able to eat much less. The chart in part 9 shows you which foods are the best.

  What diet works best? This chart shows weight change on high-GL and low-GL diets of equal calories and fat/protein/carbohydrate percentage.

  To understand how powerful controlling the GL of your diet is, consider this animal experiment: Two groups of rats were given an identical amount of calories with an identical balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrate. The only difference was in the type of carbohydrate. One group ate high-GL carbs, the other low-GL carbs. The high-GL carb group gained weight, while the low-GL group lost weight on the same calories.56 Similar results have been shown in human studies.57

  Serotonin controls your appetite

  One of the reasons why diets with balanced carbohydrates work better than very low-carbohydrate diets is that they promote serotonin. A particular amino acid called 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) is the daughter of tryptophan and the mother of serotonin, the brain’s “happy” neurotransmitter. Many people have low levels of this essential brain chemical and feel depressed as a result. This is especially true of people on weight-loss diets, which are notoriously low in tryptophan. But that isn’t all. Serotonin controls appetite. The more you have, the less you eat. Anyone who has taken Ecstasy, which causes a massive and dangerous release of serotonin, will tell you they had no desire to eat. Similarly, most people eat more when they are depressed (and low in serotonin). This may be why people eat more in the winter. The less light you get, the less serotonin you make.

  If you are low in serotonin, one of the quickest ways to restore normal levels, and normal mood, is to supplement 5-HTP. Two studies, one on non-insulin-dependent diabetics and the other on nondiabetic obese people, have clearly shown that supplementing 5-HTP causes an immediate reduction in appetite, and less craving for sugar and carbohydrates.58 (Animal studies have proven the same thing.)

  Why the reduced carving for carbohydrates? In front of you are two breakfast choices. One is Atkins-style bacon and eggs, high in protein. The other is cornflakes with chopped banana and a muffin. Which will give your serotonin a boost, thereby satisfying you the most? If you think about it logically, you’d say the protein-rich, hence tryptophan-rich, breakfast. But you’d be wrong. It’s the cornflakes, banana, and muffin breakfast. Why? Even though the bacon and eggs do contain tryptophan, it has a hard time getting from your blood into your brain—it just doesn’t compete well with all the other amino acids in these high-protein foods. However, it does get into the bloodstream. So, what drives it into your brain? The answer is insulin. It is released by a high-carbohydrate breakfast, carries tryptophan into the brain, and gives you a mood boost. What this means is that when you are feeling tired, hungry, and a little blue, you crave something sweet, not a sausage. Sound familiar?

  One great big secret of successful weight loss is to (a) ensure you that have enough serotonin, so you have less desire to eat in excess, and (b) keep your blood sugar level and insulin release even, so you don’t have increased appetite due to blood sugar dips. Remember, too much insulin drives blood sugar into body fat, but too little results in you not making serotonin, which controls your appetite.

  The modern approach to fat burning

  The trick to losing weight is to eat a diet that keeps your blood sugar level even, not to overeat, and to exercise more. While this all sounds very familiar, there have been some important scientific developments that, in combination, provide a much more effective way to lose weight and regain weight control. In practical terms, this boils down to five key steps:

  Eat the right kind of carbohydrates to achieve a better blood sugar balance. This means selecting foods that have little effect on raising blood sugar levels, such as fresh vegetables, beans, lentils, whole grains, and fish. You should also avoid refined foods, fruit juices, and other sugary, sweet foods. The best single measure of a food’s effect on your blood sugar and hence weight is the GL of a food (see the chart, in part 9). My book The Holford Diet limits your carbohydrate intake to no more than 40 GL points.

  Eat only low-GL carbohydrates and eat them only with protein-rich foods. This reduces hunger as well as your tendency to store fat. This means eating fish with rice, tofu with vegetables, or beans with pasta.

  Increase the amount of essential fats you eat, but keep down your saturated-fat intake. Yes, the right fats actually help you burn fat. One of the greatest myths in conventional weight control is that “a calorie is a calorie.” This is untrue. A calorie of saturated fat has a very different outcome from a calorie of an essential fat that is used by the brain, immune system, skin, hormone system, and cardiovascular system. Moreover, omega-3 essential fats, principally from fish and flaxseeds, actually counteract some of the negative effects of insulin resistance. Therefore, dieting strategies that incorporate significant amounts of omega-3 fats help promote weight loss. In practical terms, this means eating a 4 oz. serving of fish three times a week and a tablespoonful of flaxseed a day, or supplementing omega-3 fats every day. You should also reduce your intake of cream, high-fat cheese, and red meat.

  Cut down on stimulants such as tea, coffee, chocolate, cigarettes, and alcohol. Sugar and refined carbohydrates aren’t the only substances that disturb blood sugar control. So do stimulants that affect both energy and weight control. This means minimizing alcohol and caffeine intake.

  Eat three meals a day, especially breakfast—and snack on fruit. Snacks are a big no-no on many diets that try to curb people’s eating patterns by focusing on consuming fewer calories. Yet one of the most effective ways to stabilize blood sugar and control weight and appetite is to eat the right kind of foods little and often. The easiest way keep your blood sugar level stable is to have three meals a day, never miss breakfast, and have a midmorning and midafternoon fruit snack with some almonds. It shouldn’t be just any fruit. Apples, pears, and berries have a much lower glycemic index than other fruit, and, if you eat them with twelve almonds, your blood sugar level won’t peak.

  If you don’t need a snack, don’t have one—but don’t fool yourself. If you are hungry, it’s better to have some fruit (but not bananas, grapes, raisins, or dates) than pig out because your blood sugar has dipped so low that your cravings become stronger than your common sense.

  How to do all this exactly is explained in my book The Holford Diet, which suggests simple breakfasts, lunches, and dinners to help you lose weight without getting hungry. I lost fourteen pounds in less than two months when I did this. I haven’t gained (or lost) more than three pounds in the twenty years since. When you find your perfect fat-burning diet, you can eat plenty, feel satisfied, lose weight when you need to, and keep your weight stable if you don’t.

  Fat-burning vitamins and minerals

  The ability to turn food efficiently into energy instead of fat depends upon hundreds of enzymes which, in turn, depend upon vitamins and minerals. To tune up your metabolism for fat burning, it is essential to consume optimal amounts of these nutrients. For example, your body needs zinc and vitamin B6 to make insulin, while insulin’s ability to control blood sugar levels is helped by chromium, an essential mineral that in helping t
o stabilize blood sugar levels helps control weight. Finally, to turn glucose into energy rather than fat, you need the B vitamins, vitamin C, and magnesium.

  Unfortunately, most people don’t get enough of these fat-burning nutrients from their diet. In addition to supplementing with these specific nutrients, you should strive to increase your intake of foods rich in them. For example, most seeds contain high amounts of zinc and magnesium, and almost all fruits and vegetables are rich sources of B vitamins and vitamin C. Chromium is found in whole wheat flour, bread, or pasta, as well as in asparagus, mushrooms, beans, nuts, and seeds.

  Hydroxycitric add

  Although it isn’t a vitamin, hydroxycitric acid (HCA) could help you lose weight. Originally developed by the pharmaceutical giant Hoffmann-LaRoche, HCA has proven to slow down the production of fat and reduce appetite. HCA has no apparent toxicity or safety concerns. It is extracted from the dried rind of the Malabar tamarind (Garcinia Cambogia) fruit, which has been used as a spice and preservative in Asia for hundreds of years and is thought to be the richest source of HCA. HCA works by inhibiting the enzyme ATP citrate lyase that converts sugar into fat.

  In one study, half the participants were given 750 mg of HCA, while the others received a placebo. Those on HCA reported an average weight loss of more than eleven pounds per person, compared with just over four pounds per person in the placebo group.59 HCA is likely to prove a useful addition to reduced-calorie diets rich in slow-releasing carbohydrates and low in saturated fat. It is widely available as a supplement, often found in combination with chromium. If you are interested in using HCA—it’s available in any health food store—I recommend taking 750 mg a day.

  Fat-burning exercises

  The good news about exercise is that you really do not have to be fanatically fit to lose weight. The reason why, once again, is not calories but metabolism. According to calorie theory, exercise does little to promote weight loss. After all, running a mile burns up only three hundred calories—equivalent to two slices of toast or a piece of apple pie. But this argument misses a number of key points.

  The first is that the effects of exercise are cumulative. Running a mile may burn up only three hundred calories, but if you do that three days a week for a year, that makes twenty-two thousand calories, equivalent to a weight loss of eleven pounds! Also, the amount of calories you burn up depends on how fat or fit you are to start with. The more fat and unfit you are, the more benefit you will derive from small amounts of exercise.

  Contrary to popular belief, moderate exercise also decreases your appetite. It appears that a degree of physical activity is necessary for appetite mechanisms to work properly. People who take no exercise have exaggerated appetites, so the pounds pile on.

  The most important reason why exercise is a key to weight loss is its effect on your metabolic rate. According to Professor William D. McArdle, exercise physiologist at City University, New York, “Most people can generate metabolic rates that are eight to ten times above their resting value during sustained cycling, running, or swimming. Complementing this increased metabolic rate is the observation that vigorous exercise will raise metabolic rate for up to fifteen hours after exercise.” Surveys do show that leaner people tend to exercise more.

  Benefits of my Fatburner Diet compared with high-protein diets

  As opposed to conventional low-fat diets—which emphasize low calorie intake and as little fat as possible—the Fatburner Diet emphasizes a radical move away from fast-releasing carbohydrates such as sugar and white bread, toward slow-releasing carbohydrates such as oats and whole rye bread, and less saturated fat, but more essential fats from seeds and fish.

  Thanks to recent trials published in top medical journals, we can make a comparison. To compare like with like, the studies featured here all involved people who, given the diets to follow, said they followed them “as best they can.”

  Let’s first look at high-protein diets versus conventional low-calorie, low-fat diets. Two trials carried out at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center showed that after six months, those on the high-protein diets had lost between 10 lb. and 12.7 lb., versus 4 lb. to 4.5 lb. on a conventional low-fat diet. However, after twelve months there was no significant difference in weight loss in either diet in either study.60

  Why do Atkins-type diets lead to short-term weight loss? A review of all studies to date on low-carbohydrate diets concludes that “weight loss was principally associated with decreased calorie intake.”61 So although the research in these studies implies that high-protein diets work, it finds the results aren’t that spectacular and are probably due simply to eating less.

  A study in Ireland compared my Fatburner Diet with a conventional low-calorie, low-fat diet with support group meetings. The average weight loss after three months was 13.7 lb. on the Fatburner Diet, versus 2 lb. on the conventional low-calorie diet, despite the extra support.62

  Not only do Fatburner dieters appear to lose more weight in half the time of the average high-protein dieters, but also they feel better and have none of the risks of bone63 or kidney problems64 or cancer associated with high-protein diets, or the risks of dry skin and essential fat deficiency associated with low-fat diets.

  How to lose weight without suffering

  Follow a low- to medium-calorie diet (1,000 to 1,500 calories), high in fiber, low in fat, and balanced for fat, protein, and carbohydrate.

  Eat no more than 40 GLs of carbohydrates a day, preferably with protein

  Avoid sugar, sweetened foods, coffee, tea, cigarettes, and alcohol, or at least reduce your intake of them as much as possible.

  Take aerobic exercise at least twice a week—running, swimming, brisk walking, low-impact aerobics, dance classes, and so on.

  Supplement your diet with vitamins and minerals. Most important are the B vitamins, vitamin C, and the minerals zinc and chromium. Also consider taking a daily 750 mg of HCA, often found in supplements together with chromium, and/or 100 mg of 5-HTP if you crave sweet foods.

  Learn more about healthy weight loss in my book The Holford Diet.

  37

  Solving the Riddle of Eating Disorders

  Eating disorders are complex mental health conditions characterized by a “definite disturbance of eating habits or weight-control behavior.”65 Figures from the Eating Disorders Association estimate that eating disorders may affect as many as 1.5 million people in the U.S. Eating disorders rank fifteenth among the top twenty causes of disability in women.66 The average length of time for recovery is five to six years.

  Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are probably the best known of the conditions. While both involve restricted food intake, anorexia is characterized by extreme weight loss, while bulimia is characterized by episodes of binge eating and purging to control weight. There is also a further category, “eating disorder not otherwise specified” (EDNOS). This is something of a catchall term for situations where someone has many of the features of an eating disorder, but either not severely enough, or not for long enough, to justify a diagnosis of anorexia or bulimia. Many people with eating problems probably fall into this category

  Eating disorders often feature prominently in the media and are surrounded by many myths, having been described as dieting diseases, developmental teenage fads, attempts to avoid growing up, obsessions with food and weight, and so on. Anorexia nervosa was first described as a separate disorder by Dr. William Gull in 1874. It has the highest mortality rate for any psychiatric condition, from the effects of starvation or from suicide. Bulimia nervosa was first categorized as a distinct condition by Dr. Gerald Russell in 1979. It is perhaps the most common of the disorders, although it is also the easiest to hide.

  Isn’t anorexia just about zinc deficiency?

  In the 1970s, a number of researchers noticed that the symptoms of anorexia were similar in some respects to those of zinc deficiency, giving rise to a hypothesis that zinc supplementation might be useful for treating anorexia and possibly also bulim
ia. During the 1980s and 1990s, a number of small trials were carried out to supplement zinc for patients with anorexia as they started to eat and gain weight. There were some positive results, with improvements in weight gain, mood, emotional state, and menstrual function. The researchers concluded that individuals with anorexia and bulimia may have zinc deficiency. However, the complexity of treating eating disorders clearly indicates that while zinc deficiency may be a contributing factor in the conditions, it is neither the whole story nor the root cause.67

  Biochemical and physiological imbalances

  People with eating disorders often eat nutrient-poor food, skip meals, or eat very erratically. This may result in a number of underlying biochemical and physiological imbalances that can contribute to many of the associated symptoms. The following are important areas to consider:

  Blood sugar imbalance and insulin resistance: Dieting, skipping meals, and bingeing on foods high in sugar and refined carbohydrates disrupt blood sugar leading to low blood sugar levels, cravings, and desensitization of cells to insulin.68 Chromium, an important mineral for blood sugar control, is also excreted when the diet is high in sugars. Reliance on caffeine to boost energy blocks the production of both serotonin and melatonin and can result in tiredness, irritability, and feelings of anxiety and depression. The solution is to follow the kind of diet recommended in this book.