Ditch The D Word! by Chloe Jon Paul

September 5, 2012 by thinkhappy

You’ve heard it all before… diet and exercise. But there’s a new way to look at both. Maintaining healthy eating habits is essential to aging well. We’re hearing a lot about ultra-metabolism these days. There is a substantial amount of literature that gives in-depth information but I’ll simply highlight a few major points. Ultra-metabolism essentially deals with weight loss. According to Dr Mark Hyman, author of Ultrametabolism, “By learning to work with our bodies instead of against them, we can ignite the natural fat-burning furnaces that lie dormant within us.” By eating the right foods, our bodies can be programmed to automatically burn fat and keep weight off for good based on our genetic needs. He says that what we eat directly determines the genetic messages our bodies receive and these messages control all the molecules that constitute our metabolism, telling the body to store or burn calories. In his book, Dr. Hyman develops seven keys to this new science of weight loss and provides an excellent guide on how to customize the Ultra-Metabolism plan to fit your own genetic needs.

Fast food, fried food, red meat, white bread, and gravy were crossed off my list long ago.  Chicken, turkey, and fish plus a salad loaded with grated carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, and tomatoes are at the top of my list.  I eat sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes.  A serving of pasta is permissible as long as it’s not loaded with sauce.

A Daily Dessert Loaded with Nutrition

What you will need:

1/2 banana (sliced), 2 tbsp.blueberries or strawberries, crushed pineapple

1/2c low-fat yogurt

1 tsp. flax meal

Arrange fruit at bottom of cereal bowl. Sprinkle flax meal and wheat bran on top of fruit. Add yogurt, granola, and sliced almonds. You can substitute cranberries, or diced dried apricots . Delicious and non-fattening!

This is just a sampling of what you can do to take charge of eating habits so go ahead!  Ditch the D-word and start thinking lifestyle!

One more thing… When it comes to portions, take a good look at the plate you’re using.  While a regular salad bowl is fine, your dinner plate should be a medium-sized one.  Eating a whole baked potato?  Try eating half of one.  Eating  chicken breast?  Cube it into small portions before you being your meal.  Veggies?  Eat as much as you want but hold off on the butter and use a minimum of salt.

Chloe JonPaul is a retired teacher-turned-writer who now has three published titles with another book coming out soon.  Chloe’s philosophy of life is: find a need and fill it.  This has been her guiding force in the many projects she has been involved in as a volunteer.  She was a lead facilitator for the Alternatives to Violence Project for many years; has worked with AIDS patients and veterans as a Hospice volunteer, and much more.  Chloe is a world traveler who has been on all 7 continents of the world. For her full bio, visit her web site at www.chloejonpaul.com.

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