Special Needs, Special Diets

Special Needs, Special Diets

Weight loss isn't the only reason for adopting a particular diet. Some people need to avoid certain ingredients; others simply desire greater well-being.

Whatever your dietary goal, there's a path that will work for you.

June 2010

by Lisa James

The Low-Carb Diet

From Atkins to South Beach, the idea of cutting carbohydrate intake to promote weight loss has increased in popularity as time has gone on. But it has become more refined over the years, with less of a "hello, bacon!" mindset and more of one in which green vegetables-an often-forgotten component of the original Atkins diet-have become more prominent.

Carbs are a problem for many people simply because the refined stuff-white sugar, flour and rice, to say nothing of the ever-popular French fry-has overwhelmed the standard American diet, driving up blood sugar and weight levels in tandem. In response, low-carb proponents advise cutting intake of such foods as bread, sweets, pasta and starchy vegetables in favor of lean proteins, low-starch veggies and moderate amounts of full-fat dairy. Most diets of this type have a very strict "intake" phase, after which small amounts of whole grains and other healthy carbs are reintroduced.

The Gluten-Free Diet

For some people, baked goods and pasta cause distress that goes beyond unwelcome numbers on the bathroom scale. These people are allergic to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and other grains. And it's not just the obvious foods they have to wary of; manufacturers use gluten in processed products ranging from condiments to ice cream.

The first step in going gluten-free is to not only get rid of foods that contain gluten but to also scrub down all cabinets, cutting boards, cookware and appliances such as toasters. The next step is to restock with gluten-free grains such as amaranth, quinoa, millet and buckwheat (don't let the name fool you), along with natural texturizing agents such as xanthan and guar gums. Gluten-free flour sources include garbanzos, corn, rice, soy, sorghum and tapioca, as well as potato starch.

The Vegan Diet

There are your typical milk-is-fine vegetarians-and then there are vegans, who steer clear of anything animal including eggs, dairy, fur and leather. Many of the roughly 1 million vegans in the US approach veganism less as a diet and more as a philosophy.

They see avoidance of resource-intensive animal products as an ethical issue with consequences for not just individual but also planetary health.

Often people ease into veganism, using an increasingly vegetarian diet as an entryway into meatless eating before cutting out eggs, butter and cheese. Plants can provide adequate protein as long as a variety of foods are eaten over the course of a day. But vegans do have to make sure they get enough vitamin B12 in their diets; this is especially true of children and pregnant or breastfeeding women.

The Raw Diet

We have come full circle, from raw food to cooked food to, for an increasing number of people, raw food.

The difference is that today's raw foodist is aided by modern technology including food processors, high-end blenders, juicers and dehydrators, all of which enliven the raw diet with a range of flavors and textures that would do a gourmet chef proud.

As with the vegan diet, the raw diet can adapted in stages. Growing herbs on a sunny windowsill and soaking seeds for sprouts is an easy first step; soaked seeds and nuts can also be processed into grain-like mixtures and further processed into milk substitutes.

Some raw foodists do consume dairy and meat, which should always be obtained from carefully screened suppliers (people with impaired immune systems should speak to a healthcare provider first).

Losing Weight Naturally

Weight loss may not be the only reason for adopting a different manner of eating, but it remains far and away the most popular. If that applies to you, blame Mother Nature. "The human body is designed to gain weight and keep it on at all costs," says Mark Hyman, MD, editor-in-chief of the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine and author of UltraMetabolism (Atria). He explains that because people spent thousands of years fighting off starvation, "the genes and molecules that control our eating behavior were shaped by those times."

Just because losing weight goes against your body's instincts doesn't make it impossible. First, find the diet that best suits your needs. Try an eating plan-low-carb, raw, whole-grain, etc.-for several months. If it doesn't work, don't kick yourself. Simply try another approach until you find the one that works. Don't forget exercise; physical activity helps trigger the kind of metabolic changes that lead to lasting weight loss.

Once your basic diet-and-exercise plan is in place, supplementation can help support your efforts. Green tea extract increases metabolism and fat-burning (International Journal of Obesity 9/09). Other metabolism-boosting herbs include rhodiola, which also fights fatigue; ashwaganda, which helps bring the body back into balance; and yerba maté, South America's answer to coffee.

Garcinia cambogia, a pumpkin-like fruit native to India, contains a substance called hydroxycitric acid (HCA), which inhibits an enzyme that helps turns excess carbohydrates into fat. This allows the extra carbs to be burned off. Coleus forskohlii, a relative of the common garden coleus, contains forskolin, a compound that increases levels of cyclic AMP. This results in not only increased fat metabolism but increased thyroid function as well. The thyroid, as the body's master energy controller, plays a key role in proper metabolism; alternative practitioners have long used kelp, a form of seaweed, to support healthy thyroid function. Flax seed, an omega-3 source, helps you feel satiated.

In addition to herbs, a number of nutrients help support weight loss. CoQ10 (now available as ubiquinol) is required for energy production, as is the amino acid L-carnitine. Resveratrol helps fight insulin resistance, allowing cells to burn fuel efficiently. And the green food spirulina provides a concentrated source of high-quality nutrition.

Reprinted from Energy Times Magazine, June 2010 Issue, pages 36-42

http://www.energytimes.com/pages/features/1006/diets.html