Contents:

Featured Client

Hooray For Rene!

by Elizabeth Fergason

Our featured client, René Blanco, was already on the right track when she first arrived at Lite for Life. 

As a librarian, René is diligent about doing her research before starting any new project.  This project was special though, because it was her own body and her personal health that she was working on! 

“The first thing I learned from my reading was that the most successful diet plans involve one-on-one counseling,” says René.  Looking online for a local counselor, René found over 600,000 weight loss counseling links for the Bay Area alone!  Many programs seemed simply too good to be true, promising extreme weight loss practically overnight.

Not wanting to be duped, René turned to another source: the Diamond Certified Directory, a consumer advocacy directory from the American Ratings Corporation.  Suddenly, René’s choice was easy.  She immediately made an appointment with Maureen Sullivan in Burlingame.

Maureen recalls, “When René came in I was impressed at how knowledgeable she was about nutrition.  She already knew to limit her starches.  She’d cut back on rice, pasta and bread.  She was eating more fruits and vegetables too.”

Problem was, she was still gaining weight.  René’s scale registered the exact same number she weighed when she was nine months pregnant with her daughter, who is now sixteen!

One thing that attracted René to Lite For Life was the program’s emphasis on controlling blood sugar.  “I knew so much of weight control has to do with blood sugar but I wasn’t certain how to manage it,” René says.  When Maureen explained how blood sugar levels fluctuate throughout the day and that low blood sugar produces cravings, René had an ‘aha’ moment.  Suddenly, it all made sense.

Even though she understood the logic, there were still hurdles to overcome. “The biggest challenge for me was remembering to take my supplements and stick to a frequent eating schedule.”  Then René came up with a little idea that made a big difference.  She set a kitchen timer to go off every few hours to remind her to eat.  “This works on the computer too,” she says, “so you can do it at the office.  Just set your day scheduler to beep when it’s time to snack or take a supplement.”

“Once I started eating small meals regularly, I was motivated to stick with the program because I had a lot more energy and felt better, meaning I was no longer cranky,” says René.  “And, oh, by the way, I was finally losing weight!”

René went on to lose 30 pounds and 30 inches.  She even lost inches in her wrists and had to get a new watch! 

René is now an expert on losing weight and controlling blood sugar, so much so that she is ready to be a resource for new dieters.

“My advice to new dieters is to be sure to prepare food ahead of time so you always have healthy snacks around, like cut up red bell pepper strips or apple slices,” she says.  “I also like to have a whey protein drink in the afternoon around 4:00 because it’s the time of day when my blood sugar really begins to drop.” 

“I check nutrition labels and look for foods that are low in sugar and, of course, I eat more fruits and veggies than ever before.  I’ve noticed the old treats I used to like now  taste too sweet, so I’m less tempted to eat them.  I don’t even like the taste of white bread or pastries any more.”
   
René has dropped three sizes in jeans.  At the library, she’s getting plenty of compliments from patrons and friends who say she looks younger.  “I feel pretty now, not matronly,” René declares. 

We say, hurray for René who did her research, found and followed the Lite for Life Program and ended up a Diamond Certified Success!

Elizabeth Fergason is a Counselor at Lite for Life in Palo Alto

Nutrition in the News:

Coffee: Not a Health Food

by Lynn Bruno

Is coffee good for you?  Recent headlines suggest that it is, with one even going so far as to herald coffee as a health food and another proclaiming that it is good for diabetics.  But don’t rush out to celebrate with a caramel latte just yet.  These headlines are deceiving.

It is far from clear whether it’s coffee specifically or the antioxidants, potassium and magnesium found in coffee that produce the good effects these studies tout.  Coffee is now the number one source of antioxidants in the American diet, not because it is a nutritional powerhouse, but simply because it has some antioxidants and half of all Americans drink it daily.  Many other foods are higher in antioxidants and provide better overall nutrition, but people simply don’t eat enough of them.  If it’s antioxidants you’re after, you’d do much better to spend your latté money on a cup of fresh blueberries every day. 

Coffee also provides a fair amount of magnesium and potassium, minerals in which most people with insulin resistance and diabetes are deficient.  Even the authors of the study showing coffee benefits for diabetics commented that further research is needed to determine whether it was simply the increased intake of these two minerals that accounted for coffee’s positive effects.

And then there’s the question of caffeine.  Clear and compelling evidence links caffeine to increased insulin resistance, a condition that has been conclusively associated with obesity and Type II diabetes.  Caffeine has been shown in several studies to decrease insulin sensitivity, resulting in greater insulin resistance which makes weight and blood sugar control more difficult.

As you become resistant to insulin, it becomes harder and harder for the insulin you make to normalize your blood sugar levels by burning glucose for energy.  As your body begins to lose its ability to convert glucose to energy, that glucose has to go somewhere so it instead begins turning it to fat, especially belly fat.  Unchecked, insulin resistance eventually develops into Type II diabetes.  A daily dose of caffeine helps speed this process.

For those already suffering from Type II diabetes, simply eliminating caffeine has been found to have the same blood sugar control benefits as a dose of oral blood sugar lowering medication.

So far, it appears that there is nothing healthy in coffee that you cannot get either from a better food source or from supplements, and without the caffeine downside.  Decaffeinated coffee still has all those coffee antioxidants and minerals, so if you do drink coffee, make it decaf and hold the cream, sugar and flavor syrups.  That’s the only way coffee can even remotely be considered good for you.

Lynn Bruno is General Manager of Lite For Life Stores

Featured Product:

Coffee Taste without Caffeine

  Teecino herbal coffee is a delicious, nutritious option for weaning yourself from caffeinated coffee.  It is a rich combination of roasted herbs, grains, fruits and nuts, and is brewed exactly the same ways you can brew coffee.  It comes in many flavors, just like coffee, and gives off a tantalizing aroma while brewing.

Teecino also has beneficial health properties, with no caffeine downside. It contains 65 mg of potassium per cup and is rich in soluble fiber.

Maureen's Tips

Quit Caffeine the Easy Way

Even though we know caffeine makes weight and blood sugar control more difficult and may have other negative health consequences as well, many of us still can’t imagine life without our morning cup of java.  While the benefits of decaffeinating yourself are many, doing it seems hard.  And it can be, if you try to do it all at once.

Caffeine is a drug that acts on the central nervous system, and as with any drug you will experience withdrawal symptoms when you don’t have it.  Symptoms include increased hunger, headache, irritability, anxiety, insomnia and abnormal heart rhythms.  People joke about not being ready to greet the day until they’ve had their coffee, but the truth is they feel miserable physically and mentally without it.  And who wants to feel that crummy all day long if they can help it?

Fortunately, you can quit with a minimum of discomfort by taking a gradual approach.

The Preparation phase of the Lite For Life Program focuses on blood sugar stabilization.  During this time, you will be transitioning off refined sugar and alcohol.  Do not try to decaffeinate yourself at this time or you will be miserable!  Wait until your blood sugar stabilizes and then it will be much easier.  This usually takes about a week.

Once you have achieved stable blood sugar, begin by replacing about 1/3 of your coffee with decaf or a coffee substitute such as Teecino, Pero or Rocamojo.  After a couple of days, replace ½ of your coffee, and so on, until you are completely decaffeinated. 

Maureen Sullivan, MA, CNC is the founder of Lite For Life.

Recipe of the Month:

Mocha Almond Mousse

This makes an elegant dessert served in a champagne coupe or sherbet glass.  No one will ever know it’s good for them.

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 packets plain unflavored gelatin
• 1 cup brewed Almond Amaretto Teecino, still hot
• 16 oz soft tofu
• 4 scoops Jay Robb Chocolate Protein powder
• 2 droppers full Dark Chocolate liquid stevia
• 1 T unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
• Fresh mint leaves for garnish

Preparation

Brew Teecino, following instructions on canister

• Place tofu in a colander in sink and let excess moisture drain out.
• Pour water into blender.  Sprinkle gelatin on top to moisten.  Pour hot Teecino into blender and cover.  Blend on low until gelatin dissolves (about 15 seconds).  Put remaining ingredients into blender and process until smooth.
• Pour into eight 8 oz dessert dishes
• Chill for one hour or until set. 

• Garnish with a sprig of mint and serve immediately.

Yield:  Eight 4 oz. servings

Counts as:  1 protein, ½ scoop free protein powder

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