With much advertised health concerns and rising disease risk due to corpulence, people have become more interested in effective ways to control weight in order to prevent health problems. Though I wrote earlier about the subject (Can’t Lose Weight: Trick your Metabolism, Nov 29, 2006, Arab News), I still feel it needs revisiting in order to convince those who fantasize about a “magic bullet” that makes fat melt away, while they overindulge in fatty junk food and sugar-laden sweets and drinks. There is no such miracle, but there are ways to stimulate the metabolism that does not respond to diet or exercise.
In my last column, I emphasized jumpstarting the metabolism with exercise and a copious breakfast. I spoke about eating wisely and moderately healthy food while avoiding disease-promoting junk food and refined sugar and carbohydrates. The discussion today is about health-busters and metabolism wreckers, toxins, which abort the most dedicated efforts.
Toxins disrupt the hormonal system and metabolism. They damage our ability to break down fat, handle glucose, and absorb nutrients. An impaired metabolism obstructs protein assimilation and fat breakdown. According to metabolism expert, Pamela Baillie-Hamilton, M.D., toxins make our systems incapable of burning excess calories. They abort protein efforts in jumpstarting the metabolism, stimulating energy output, creating fat burning muscles, and providing the bases of slimming hormones. Researches show that toxins obstruct the slimming process and prevent protein regeneration.
In order to restore a damaged metabolism and enhance our innate weight regulating system, we need to detoxify from heavy metals (mercury, lead) found in fatty fish, water, vaccines, and dental fillings. We should avoid meat, dairy products, and poultry treated with growth hormones, antibiotics, and steroids and chemically grown produce sprayed with pesticides and insecticides. We should also eliminate synthetic food additives, colorings, artificial sweeteners, and preservatives as well as plastic packaging that leaches into food and water.
How do artificial chemicals affect metabolism? Pesticide ingestion provokes the secretion of the fat-promoting hormones, insulin, estrogen, and steroids, suppressing the slimming hormone, catecholamine, resulting in obesity, diabetes, and hormonal imbalance.
Because our systems expend much energy to eliminate toxins, the body loses its fat-and-calorie-burning efficiency. Over-burdened and depleted, the metabolism becomes incapable of weight loss.
To stimulate the system, detoxify, and activate catecholamine production, Gloria Gilbere Ph.D., an expert and advocate of natural medicine and a victim of a chemically induced immune system disorder, recommends chemical-free fermented protein supplements from free-range goat milk.
Because they are rich in milk and whey proteins and active bacteria, they revive energy and fuel the fat-burning process. They contain active fermented culture to lower cholesterol and build bone. They also supply digestive enzymes: protease, amylase, lipase, and lactase and superior strains of probiotics.
In addition to fermented proteins, supplemental vitamin C detoxifies and reactivates the fat burning process.
The body recovers its weight-regulating system through intestinal cleansing, increased fiber intake, consumption of organic food and pure water, stress reduction with regular activity and yoga, and minimizing environmental pollutants (cleaning agents, car exhaust, toxic waste). Once a healthy metabolism is restored, digestion and nutrient uptake improve and immunity is boosted in order to burn calories and fight infections, carcinogens, and toxins. Only then do we control weight and disease.
Recent obesity prevalence in Saudi Arabia (women 43% and men 23%) has driven disease (diabetes, heart disease, cancer) to rise at an alarming rate. Because obesity was never an outstanding health hazard until the 1980s, we should look into its underlying causes like overconsumption of junk, fatty, and sweet foods, toxins, or stressful and sedentary lifestyles.
The time has come to promote awareness, especially among the youth, about healthy and wise eating habits through campaigns in schools, hospitals, and at work in order to fend off disease, save lives, raise productivity, and cut medical costs (billions of riyals).
Tips
• Eat five smaller meals instead of three big ones
• Eat more cooked and raw vegetables
• Change speed of walking every five minutes
• Eat fruit with cereal and sweets with meals to slow down sugar uptake
• Lower stress with deep breathing, prayers, soft music, and therapeutic exercises
Obesity-promoting factors:
• Late sleeping increases hunger and appetite and triggers hormonal changes
• Sleep after heavy meals and late dinners
• Prescription drugs (antidepressants, diabetes medication, antihistamines, contraceptives, steroids)
• Availability of fast unhealthy food
(Mariam Alireza is a holistic science specialist. Send comments to [email protected]. Log on to arabnews.com for previous articles.)