Looking for the “Perfect Meal” this holiday season?
The “Weight” is Over
by Lorin Shields-Michel - Healthy Living Article

Perhaps it’s a little clichéd, but controlling weight, especially during the heavy-eating, heavy-partying holiday season, can be hard. Unless you indulge in the Perfect Meal.

Hear that? That jingling, jangling sound you think is sleigh bells is actually the sound of your bathroom scale as it works overtime to keep up with your fluctuating weight. Welcome to the holidays and your post-holiday—what was I thinking? was I thinking at all?—weight gain bloated blues where eating and drinking too much can make both you and your scale a bundle of nerves as you watch the numbers climb. It’s enough to knock the holiday spirit for a loop. Well, cheer up. There’s an easy way to keep your weight in check during this season and beyond, and it involves high protein, high fiber and a controlled insulin response.

Sugar, Sugar

Of all the foods consumed today, refined sugar is considered to be one of the most harmful. On average, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that each American consumes his or her weight in sugar, plus more than 20 pounds in corn syrup, each year.

Vital organs can be damaged by extreme amounts of refined sugar, which is actually a refined carbohydrate and contains no fiber, minerals, proteins, fats or enzymes. When you eat sugar, your body borrows vital nutrients like calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium from healthy cells to metabolize the sugar. This metabolism can also have an effect on blood glucose levels.

Glucose and the Glycemic Index

Glucose is the primary source of energy for the body’s cells. Blood glucose levels rise after meals and are usually lowest in the morning, before the first meal of the day.

To keep your blood glucose levels, and consequently your energy levels stable, you need understand a little thing called the glycemic index, which ranks carbohydrates according to their effect on blood glucose levels. Low glycemic index carbs, which produce only small fluctuations in blood glucose and insulin levels, are the secret to long-term health. They help reduce incidents of heart disease and diabetes and are also key to sustainable weight loss.

Nutrition experts often debate the ideal combination of protein, carbohydrates, fats and fiber people should consume in a regular diet in order to maintain or reduce weight. There is, however, research that explains how a moderately high protein diet may be the best for losing weight.

In an article published in the February 2003 issue of the Journal of Nutrition, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign tested 24 mid-life, overweight women who consumed 1,700 calories a day for 10 weeks. During this time, the amount of protein consumed was increased to 0.73 grams per pound of body weight per day. At the same time, their intake of carbohydrates was reduced to 0.95 grams per pound of body weight. A control group consumed approximately 0.36 grams of protein and 1.3 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight each day. Both groups lost approximately 16 pounds, but the study group lost more body fat and less muscle mass. These women were less hungry between meals, and also experienced more stable blood glucose levels and reduced insulin response following meals.

“When we eat a carbohydrate-rich meal, blood sugar levels increase as the carbohydrates are broken down into their base molecules, or sugar,” explains Dr. Joseph Brasco, a board certified gastroenterologist. “As blood sugar levels increase, insulin is released in response. Insulin is a hormone that moves glucose (sugar) from the blood into the muscles and fat cells for storage. This insulin response, if it’s too big, can actually lead to fatigue, a condition known as hypoglycemia. To blunt this release of sugar, it’s best to compensate with proteins and fiber.”

Fiber also slows down digestive and absorption processes, which slows the glucose release, which in turn slows the insulin release to compensate.

A Fiber Idea in Weight Loss

Modern medicine recognizes fiber—the edible parts of plants that are resistant to digestion and absorption in the human small intestine—to be an essential component in maintaining a healthy body. Fiber is also being studied for its ability to help reduce caloric intake and thus maintain a healthy weight.

Modern science confirms that fiber can help maintain normal body weight by reducing food intake at each meal. The body processes a fiber-rich meal more slowly, which promotes feelings of fullness. Fiber-rich food is also typically lower in calories, fat, and added sugars, and is less energy-dense than other dietary choices. All of which can be beneficial in preventing or correcting undesirable weight gain, like what occurs during the holidays.

While weight loss is associated with health and longevity, one potentially negative effect is that it often reduces bone mass and increases the risk of fracture. In fact, researchers have hypothesized that during periods of weight loss, the body’s calcium requirement increases. So diets rich in protein and calcium may protect against bone loss during weight reduction.

An added plus: Calcium can actually increase the rate of weight and fat loss. In a 24-week study of obese adults on a calorie-restricted diet, those on a diet high in calcium or dairy foods lost more weight and body fat, including abdominal fat, than those on a standard diet. (Recommendation: Living Multi Calcium by Garden of Life provides a whole-food source of calcium).

Fiber’s positive effects on blood glucose and insulin are most evident in people with diabetes. In a randomized study, researchers compared the effects of a diet high in fiber (50 grams/day) to those of a moderate-fiber diet (24 grams/day). They found that a high intake of dietary fiber, particularly soluble fiber, significantly improves glycemic control, decreases hyperinsulinemia (a disorder associated with aberrant blood sugar control), and lowers plasma lipid concentrations in diabetic patients.

According to a German study published in 2004, different sources of dietary fiber confer various benefits. Food sources of dietary fiber like whole-grain bread, vegetables, and fruit are particularly useful in preventing and treating colon conditions and cancers. Purified dietary fibers such as cellulose, guar gum, psyllium, and beta-glucan help promote healthy blood sugar levels. All water-soluble fibers help maintain normal blood lipid levels, according to the study authors, but oat bran is especially effective.

Now imagine that this holiday, you have a shiny new weight loss/weight control package—that promises high fiber and high protein—to unwrap. Like a little kid, you tear away the bow and the paper, and inside? The Perfect Meal by Garden of Life. This nutritional “gift” from Garden of Life is a high protein and high fiber drink (available in creamy vanilla and milk chocolate) that is designed to be used as a meal supplement. As part of a healthy diet and exercise program, Perfect Meal will help you successfully manage your weight by naturally curbing your appetite.

Perfect Meal by Garden of Life

Perfect Meal provides a multi-faceted approach to healthy weight management with the proprietary Fibertrol along with Native Whey to help you consume fewer calories between meals. Each glass also includes a Glycemic Balance Blend, slowing the digestion of carbohydrates while helping to maintain already healthy blood sugar metabolism and glycemic response for balanced energy.

Garden of Life also includes a probiotic blend to support the digestive system. Through a unique fermentation process known as Poten-Zyme, this formula uses living probiotic organisms and their enzymes to transform nutrients into bioactive forms that are more easily absorbed into the intestinal tract, thus supporting a stronger, healthier digestive system.

As for Fibertrol, this proprietary fiber blend includes glucomannan derived from Konjac root, a traditional Japanese food. It helps you feel full longer, reducing unnecessary food cravings that can lead to overeating during meals and overindulging on unhealthy snacks between meals. By eating less and decreasing your caloric intake, your weight management goals are within reach. In addition, Fibertrol contains nutrients that help maintain cholesterol levels already in the healthy range, including organic oat beta glucan to support a healthy heart.

Each serving of Perfect Meal also includes calcium, vitamin C and 19 grams of protein.

Perfect Holiday

During the holidays, and anytime you’re looking to lose weight, the hardest thing to do is maintain moderation in your eating and drinking habits.

“Moderation can be harder than abstinence,” explains Dr. Brasco. “Mastering moderation is key, especially during the holidays. Eat a good breakfast and lunch and drink plenty of fluids. Workout. This way, your metabolism will be better able to handle any dietary indiscretion, like those that happen at parties.”

In other words, that piece of pie isn’t going to kill you. And neither is that cup of eggnog. As long as you approach both from a healthy standpoint, and keep a healthier supplement near by.

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For more information on Perfect Meal Chocolate and Vanilla, click here.