Natural Weight Loss and Physiology

Any natural weight loss program focuses on balancing nutrition with your own physiology. Here, Isabel De Los Rios, talks about how your own metabolism type affects your weight using the The Diet Solution Program.

Q: Do you think people can lose weight on a fat free diet?

A: Definitely not. The no-fat craze clearly made most Americans (and many other countries) gain more weight than ever before. Why? Because the right kind of fat is essential to the body and without it, your body can not metabolize the fat you don’t want. So unless you feed your body the fats that it needs, it literally holds on to all the fat you don’t need (and don’t want!). Eating a low fat or no fat meal plan is a huge mistake. Not only will you not lose weight but you may suffer from many conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease. This is usually one of the most eye-opening chapters for most of my readers. They can’t believe they need to eat fat to lose fat and are amazed when they see the results first hand. Now, of course, eating unhealthy fats (like the ones found in French fries and burgers) is not the right approach. You must focus on the healthy fats (again, as Mother Nature intended).

Q: After reading The Diet Solution I discovered that I am a serious 'Protein Type' - what the main thing I should do to increase my energy?

A: The main thing is not to be afraid of eating healthy fat and healthy proteins. Everyone thinks chicken breasts and egg whites is the only way to lose weight but, especially for a protein type, that is not the case. Actually a protein type may gain weight by only eating low fat proteins and a low fat meal plan. Someone like you needs whole eggs, dark meat poultry, beef, and healthy fats.

Q: What exactly is Metabolic Typing and why is it so important for each of us to know our metabolism type?

A: Metabolic typing is actually a very old science-based way to determine which foods respond best to your body. The best way to describe this method is: the foods that an Eskimo would eat are clearly different than the foods a native Hawaiian would eat. Why? Because their natural ancestors and their environment dictate how their bodies will process and digest food. So an Eskimo will need a meal plan higher in healthy fats to keep warm and a Hawaiian will need a meal plan higher in veggies and fruits to stay cool. Now, it is often not this simple. Each and every person’s metabolism responds very differently to all food and can vary greatly from person to person. For example, I feel my best and stay at my ideal weight when I eat higher fat proteins along with lots of vegetables where as many of my clients do better with higher amounts of natural carbohydrates and lower fat proteins. My book provides a detailed, easy to answer test to determine your own personal metabolism type and then tells you exactly which foods are the best fit for you.

Q: Can people lose weight by just starving themselves?

A: Back in the caveman days, there were periods of feast and famine. Our bodies have a natural ability to make sure we do not die of starvation. This mechanism in our bodies holds on to every bit of fat and every calorie possible to keep us from dying. This is obviously no longer a risk in most countries, but this mechanism is still present in our bodies. So when people starve themselves all day, the body sees this as a potential risk, and holds on to every calorie and fat gram it possibly can. This is why people become extremely frustrated when they “don’t eat all day” and still don’t lose weight. I know it seems counterproductive, but the only way to truly lose weight and keep it off is to start eating. But not processed unnatural foods. Your body will respond best to natural, wholesome foods and LOTS of them.

Q: How do companies get away with selling products with harmful chemicals in them?

A: I hate to say this but most food and pharmaceutical companies are really only concerned with one thing: money. So if they were to actually teach people the real truth behind how to lose weight and take control of their health, most of the food products, supplements and medications on the market today would be completely unnecessary. Let’s be honest. No one is going to get rich selling apples, you know? I think many of these companies are also feeding off people’s emotions. The more addicted they get people to their products and diet foods, the more money they will continue to make. But if you were to get someone to their ideal weight with natural foods like veggies, fruits and natural meats, there would be no food addictions to diet foods and chemicals, just good healthy eating.

Introducing pulses or dals to infants or toddlers ~ Tadka Dal!

I know mothers with infants and toddlers will surely retort to this dal every other day. When my daughter was 6 months old, Dad said it was time to introduce dal to her diet. Since she was the first baby at home, we were all very apprehensive on her intake and the food we give. Of course the feeling never changes. But with the twins, I was able to fall back on our experience. As Amma was cooking my daughter's lunch most of time, she created her own dal which my daughter used to love very much. We started introducing the dal water or the water in which the lentils are cooked, at about 6 months. Then slowly we introduced well mashed dals mixed with ghee and rice together. This was her lunch for many months. Then carrots, potatoes and beans were introduced slowly.

With infants, you should first introduce a little, see if they like it and then make it a part of their meals. You can give it as a mixed vegetable or as a single one at a time.The dal that Amma used to make for Konda, the same one that we latter gave to the twins, was the Tadka dal. Its a simplest way of cooking the toor dal and then seasoning it with few other ingredients. The resultant one is a perfect one to introduce a baby too. One just has to start with the basic one and improvise on it as the baby grows. I can still remember the way Konda's dal evolved!

Amma introduced every spice in a span of few months. It was a gradually improvement, which gives you time to understand your baby's taste and preference. First you start with just plain rice, well mashed with ghee and dal water. Pressure cook the Toor dal with lots of water. Just take the water alone and mix with rice. This can be given for a week or so, based on the baby's preference.

Till my kids were almost 18 months, this is how we did this dal.

Pressure cook 1 cup of Toor dal with 3 cups of water with a pinch of Turmeric and Asafetida.
Heat a tsp of oil in a kadai, add a pinch of mustard, then add few chopped onions. Once they sautéed well, add half chopped tomatoes.
Then add the cooked dal with 1 cup water. Bring to boil, add salt to taste.

You can add little of Cumin seeds and then slowly include 1/2 tsp chili powder as the baby grows.

Now my sons are 26 months and pretty much eat most of the dishes that we make at home. Still we fall back on this dal at times. They also carry a packed lunch box.

Tadka dal gets its name by the process of doing the Tadka, which means seasoned dal.

Tadka Dal

Toor dal - 1 cup
Water - 3 cups
Turmeric a pinch
Asafetida a pinch

For Seasoning

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Onions - 1 small (very little)
Tomatoes - 1 small
Red Chili - 2 long
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tsp
Tamarind - 1 small piece.
Curry leaves - few

Method to prepare:

Pressure cook the dal till it is almost 90% cooked. Keep the dal aside and wash the cooker and heat with oil.

Splutter mustard, cumin seeds along with broken chilies, curry leaves. Sauté well. Then add the chopped onions, fry till its done. Then add the tomatoes. Cook for a minute.

Then add the cooked dal, enough water, along with salt and tamarind piece. Cover and pressure cooker for another 2 whistles or till the dal is well cooked.

Check to see if the dal is thin. When you serve the kids, remove the tamarind piece, chilies and mix with well mashed rice with ghee.

The way I normally do is, take the rice when its real hot, mash it with ghee. The aroma that comes out of this combo is awesome. Add the dal to the rice and mix well. The consistency should be thin, else the kids might have difficulty eating.

The above lunch box is what I sent my boys. I am planning to track and record what I send my kids so that it becomes easy for mothers with the same problem. Of course, this is a typical South Indian Lunch Box, but very suitable for any region!

It will be most interesting to know what you pack for your kid! Do share, I can have any many ideas as I can!

Sending this to Sunshinemon's FIC event, this month's being yellow!

Diabetes | What is Diabetes Mellitus? ~ An Introduction and a general note!

I would like to introduce my father Dr. Nagarathnam Jetty, MBBS,DPH,DIH,FIAOH.

He specialized in Public Health and Occupational medicine. Additionally, he has been in-charge for AIDS and other WHO activities in Central Government sector, India. He is also a social activist apart from leading many organizational activities. He is a recipient of many awards, including President award which he received from Dr. Abdul Kalam.

When I started this blog, one of my intentions was to share his ideas and experience in handling certain common aliments that can be prevented with care and good eating habits. So first on the list is to focus on Diabetes. Diabetes needs awareness and this series is aimed at bringing that to core. The focus will be taking care and living with Diabetes, with special recipes and menu to help tackle Diabetes.

Feedback and suggestions are most welcome!

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An Introduction:

With the advent of Modern Medicine, mankind has seen many things in progress. This includes eradication and control of certain diseases, relief of pain and suffering (reduction of morbidity), prevention of diseases and premature death and increased longevity.

Once a creature including man, is born, it has to die, but with medicine, we want to give a healthy life in between, devoid of disease and morbidity. Scientists and doctors from the beginning have been doing research, experiments and discoveries and inventions towards this goal. and they have been greatly successful.

With the vast improvements in the field of medicine, we could now eradicate certain diseases and achieve control over some. Addition of new drugs, techniques and biomedical equipments can now provide better health.

From a mere 37 years of Life expectancy at the time of Independency of India, we have come a long way to achieve the present level of 66 years. There are developed countries like Japan, where we have 85 years of life expectancy. If you consider the situation in India, out of the 66 years of life expectancy, the healthy life expectancy is only 53 years, which means that a period of 13 years a man has to make visit to the hospitals for medical care.

As we are living longer we many develop chronic diseases which can also be called life style diseases, like Diabetes, Hypertension, Heart Disease, Cancer and psychiatric problems. The major contributing factors for all the above diseases can be Obesity, lack of exercise, stress, food habits, smoking, pollution etc.

Diabetes and Hypertension has been increasing all over the world and India is definitely leading in the incidence. Food and food habits have a definite role in the process. In most of the developed and developing countries, the food availability has improved and consumption pattern has also changed. The incidence of obesity is increasing in all societies and it has reached almost 30% in certain society.

Food habits have changed and are continuously changing through the world. Junk foods are made available easily. With the improvement in Television and print media, we find habits and variety of foods traveling far and wide. Today it has become a fascination to know and try the diet and recipes of other societies and countries. Every magazine is seen publishing articles on new recipes and most TV Channels are broadcasting separate programs on cooking.

Today eating places, hotels and restaurants have become more and eating habits are fast changing. New recipes are introduced at hotels and at homes everyday. Recipes of all cultures are available in all countries. When a new recipe is introduced either at a eatery joint or at home, the medically important factors like calorie content, fat content, vitamins, minerals are neither considered nor thought to be important. Only the tastes and appearance and acceptability to customers and in case of house it is captive guinea pigs only matters.

In the coming weeks, the topics will cover How to diagnose. To take precautions, Dietary habits, Life style practices.

Isabel De Los Rios Talks About Misconceptions With Food

Q: You clearly state that soy is NOT a health food. Does this go for everyone including those people who want to gain muscle?

A: This goes for absolutely everyone, but especially for those who want to build muscle. I would even say the effects of eating soy will contribute to the exact OPPOSITE hormonal changes in your body that you want if building muscle is your goal. This is because most soy products on the market today contain phytoestrogens. These phytoestrogens mimic the effects of estrogen in the body and have been shown to decrease the testosterone levels of rats, monkeys and other animals, including humans. It has been known for quite some time that soy lowers testosterone to the point that there is an old Japanese wives’ tale that says women punish straying husbands by feeding them a lot of tofu. Now what do you think that means?

If building muscle is your goal, definitely stay away from any protein powder or protein bar that contains soy or soy protein isolate. Make sure to read labels carefully as it is in more products than you think.

Q: When choosing a protein powder, should I really be concerned about artificial sweeteners harming my body?

A: Artificial sweeteners have been found to be one of the most toxic substances we can put inside our bodies. Besides the fact that it causes brain and metabolism dysfunction, they clog up your liver to a point where it can not fully function.

Why is your liver so important? Your liver is not only responsible for eliminating toxins from your body but it is also responsible for metabolizing fat. If it is so busy processing through artificial sweeteners (a harmful toxin), it will not spend a sufficient amount of time processing through the unwanted fat you are trying to lose.

Believe it or not, I have had clients give up Diet Coke and lose up to 10 lbs in 2 weeks!

Q: Why are artificial sweeteners so bad if they supposedly have "zero calories"?

A: Zero sugar foods are actually much worse than sugar containing foods. Artificial sweeteners (like aspartame, sucrolose, and saccharin) are poison to our bodies. Whenever the body reads an ingested food as a potential danger, your liver comes to the rescue to help ward off any danger these foreign substances may cause. People who eat and drink “diet” foods and “diet drinks all day, are overwhelming and taxing their livers. Your liver is crucial in the weight loss/fat burning process. So if your liver is taxed and not working at optimum, it becomes near impossible to lose any weight. This is why I give my readers many alternatives to sugar free foods and sugar containing foods. There are natural alternatives that are ideal replacements for any of these diet foods, without the potential harm to the liver.

Q: In your program, you talk about good dairy and bad dairy. Any tip you can provide before I buy any more dairy?

A: Dairy is one of the leading reasons most people can not lose weight or, worse yet, are constantly gaining weight. The shocking truth about dairy is that it is only healthy in its raw form. All of the pasteurized dairy in the supermarkets today are really keeping people fat and making them fatter. Besides the countless amount of research that has been done showing us how healthy raw dairy is, the proof is really in the thousands of people and children that are overweight or obese and drinking several glasses of pasteurized milk each day.

Q: Eating organic food is really expensive. Is it worth the extra cost or completely over rated? Will it really make a difference in building muscle faster and losing fat quicker?

A: The answer to this question takes us back to the function of the liver. The pesticides, antibiotics and hormones that are being added to most foods are clogging up our livers. Again, a clogged up liver can not burn fat. And worse yet, will continue to store fat. Yes, organic food may be a bit more expensive. But most of my clients notice their grocery bill is the same once they eliminate the expensive cereals and “so called” expensive diet foods they were eating before.

Q: Do you think fat burning pills are helpful in the weight loss process?

A: I think people really don’t realize the severe damage they are causing their bodies with fat burning pills. Whenever you attempt to artificially spark your metabolism with harmful pills, you are essentially creating a “lazy” metabolism. When you go off these pills, your metabolism is too lazy to do anything. Almost every person I know who has taken fat burning pills complains of gaining even more weight when they attempt to get off of them. Of course this happens. Their metabolism is now "on vacation" and not sure if it will ever come back as strong as it was before. The best way to spark your metabolism is to eat good amounts of healthy protein, fat and carbohydrates all day long. This is what your metabolism was designed to do: metabolize healthy food into energy and muscle for the body to utilize.

Q: Are there really certain foods that are toxic to our bodies? How do we know which foods to look for?

A: The amount of toxic chemicals that are now added to our foods is actually quite frightening. The same pesticides that are designed to kill bugs are all over conventional produce and these pesticides go into our bloodstream when we eat these sprayed fruits and vegetables. The 2 worst forms of chemicals are hydrogenated oil and high fructose corn syrup. Hydrogenated oil is a toxic change in oil to make it more shelf stable, hence keeping foods like packaged cookies, cakes and most processed foods in the stores longer to make maximum profit by these companies. My program teaches people exactly which chemicals they must stay away from if they want to finally lose their excess weight (and often times, these chemicals are exactly what’s keeping them from achieving their desired goals).

Activities for Kids ~ Doll Dresses!

I remembered my childhood days when I made dresses for my dolls and wanted to make them for my daughter. It was some months ago that I thought that I should do. But Konda's vacation got over and another one has also come. Now I thought I should surely make else the vacations would go waste without me not teaching her anything.

I finally came around making them for her Barbie dolls. Since almost a week she has been asking me. Every evening when I get back home, the first thing she asks me is to make those dresses. And every time I tell her Saturday! So I thought I will be able to make only if I take off a day and when morning came, She was ready with the question.

I finally sat down making these. Gosh I really wondered how I managed to make so many all those years ago!

Konda was patiently sitting with me, watching me cutting and hand stitching these. I even gave her a piece and asked her to complete. I still have some frocks and shirt in mind.

I had another type in mind, but taking a needle after almost many years, I was struggling to get going. This took me some 3 hours of labour! I guess most experts would get this done in 10 minutes time. But well I was happy remembering all those years back when I had made similar dresses and I was happy I could make these again for my daughter.

As I thought about not letting our kids experimenting with scissors, i think if you explain and show them how one should handle, they will do fine. I have overcome the fear that she might hurt herself.

As far as activities for girls, there is nothing more interesting than playing with Dolls. Will have to see what to plan when it comes to my boys!

Infact I showed her how to get the needle going. Anyway long way to go for us to learn each other!

Gooseberry Rice ~ Usirikai Annam!

I have been wanting to post some good recipes that are healthy and recommended for people who suffer from diabetes mellitus, but never seem to come around them. So when we made this rice, I thought yes, this is the chance I was waiting for. I have even roped in my Dad to help me with the project of getting a good exposure and awareness on Diabetics and how one has to handle it. Will be out with the notes soon!

Meanwhile here's the first in the series of dishes that are suitable for people diabetic. This is a simple rice dish made with Gooseberry which is a rich source of vitamin C and mostly recommended to be consumed.

Ingredients needed:

Rice - 100 gms
Gooseberry - 1 big
Garlic - 4 pods
Green Chillies - 4
Turmeric a pinch
Oil- 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

For Seasoning

Bengal Gram - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urud Dal - 1/2 tsp
Ground Nuts - Hand full
Cashew Nuts - 5 - 10
Green Chillies - 1 slit
Curry Leaves a few

Method to prepare:

Soak rice for 10 mins and pressure cook it Once its done, transfer to a bowl and let it cool. The grains should be separate.

Meanwhile take Gooseberry, chillies, garlic and run it in a mixie to get coarse paste.

Heat oil, add all seasoning items, fry till they are light brown in colour. Add the gooseberry paste and Turmeric. Add salt and cook till the raw smell goes away.

Finally add the rice to the pan and mix well. Adjust the seasonings according to your taste.

Udhi Bonda ~ Urad Dal Bondas!

It all started when we had gone to Tirumala for Darshan along with both my sils families, for the twins tonsure function. The kids had a great time with so many of them and they even didn't bother much about us being with them. They simply went off with their uncles and aunts. During one such event, Peddu went off happily with his uncle to the shop and ended up eating Bonds. When hubby dear went in search of them, he saw Peddu, happily gobbling away bondas without qualms. Since then whenever he thinks of them, he says Booonda Boonda. Last night, when I was trying to make them sleep, he suddenly remembered those tasty bondas and wanted them right away. I somehow convinced him otherwise. He finally went off to sleep.

He infact kept saying boonda for a while.

This evening when I came home, I saw Athamma being very busy. On asking her, she said Peddu has been after her to make boondas. As she couldn't make anything right away, she had soaked some Urad dal as its very healthy. Finally we made the bondas and much to Peddu's merry, the boys enjoyed the bondas. They came out very tasty and simple to make.

Ingredients Needed:

Urad dal - 1 cup ( small cup)
Ginger garlic - 1/4 tsp
Green Chillies - 2 nos
Thick Curds - 2 tsp
Salt to taste

You can use coriander leaves, curry leaves as per taste. Use your judgment for the chili spice

Method to prepare:

Soak Urad dal for 30 mins, grind along with green chilies to a smooth paste without adding water.

Then mix in the ginger garlic paste, salt, thick curds and set it aside for 5 to 10 mins. You can add coriander leaves, chopped coconut pieces as per taste. But since this is for 2 year old kids, I didn't add anything.

Heat a kadai with oil enough to fit small bondas. Scoop spoonful of batter and gently drop into the hot oil. Cook on both sides and drain to kitchen towels.

Adjust the spice as these are small kids. But the kids simply loved these and they disappeared within minutes of making them!