60,000,000 calories….think about it – what if we were born with a calorie debit card? You’re account starts with 60,000,000 calorie dollars – once you withdraw (or should I say eat) it all, you sign out…of calorie influenced disease such as heart disease, diabetes or weight related (actually like more like body composition related….i.e., you soft “normal weight” slugs are not off the hook – you’re likely less well off than an overweight person who briskly exercises regularly) cancer such as breast, colon or prostate cancer.
Well, more strong evidence leads to a conclusion that the most consistent phenomena that leads to increased odds at longevity is calorie reduction with adequate vitamin, mineral, essential fatty acid and protein. In the world respected journal, Science, an article was released in 2009 on a 2 decade long study on almost 80 rhesus monkeys. One group, half, were fed 30% less calories a rhesus in captivity typically would and the control group as usual.
20 years later and the results were nothing short, in my mind, of definitive to as much a degree as necessary to assume the exact effect can be applied in humans. 50% of the higher calorie monkeys were already dead and only 20% of the lower calorie were. Specifically, almost 40% of the higher calorie monkey were already dead of heart disease, diabetes or cancer and less than 15% of the lower calorie group were dead of these calorie influenced disorders.
There is a human study, called the CALERIE (Comprehensive Assessment of the Long-term Effects of Restricting Intake of Energy) trial, currently underway to study whether calorie reduction leads to increased odds at longevity. The study has been reporting its findings as it progresses and has found that participants who lost a greater percentage of body weight are giving in to their cravings less frequently.
Allowing yourself to have the foods you crave, but less frequently may be one of the most important keys to successful weight control according to findings from the first six-month phase of CALERIE conducted at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University.
“Cravings are really normal; almost everyone has them,” said corresponding author Susan Roberts, PhD, director of the USDA HNRCA’s Energy Metabolism Laboratory. At the start of the study, 91 percent of the participants reported having food cravings, which are defined as an intense desire to eat a specific food. “Most people feel guilty about having food cravings,” says Roberts, “but the results of this study indicate that they are so normal that nobody needs to feel they are unusual in this respect.”
In addition, the results indicate that cravings don’t go away during dieting. “In fact, 94 percent of the study participants reported cravings after six months of dieting”, Roberts says. So it seems, deal with the fact that all you need to do is get the indulgences out of your atmosphere. And let’s just say that means no more than 2 or 3 foods in the house that have a calorie density (the calories per gram of food) >2.0 and that those 2 or 3 should be VERY low in saturated fat and sodium (e.g., Post’s Shredded Wheat ‘n Bran or any similar plain whole shredded wheat bisquits). But you’ll still allow yourself to indulgences, it’s just that they’ll happen less frequently largely since you’ve accepted to not have high calorie density, low protein, less purposeful foods in your house (or close to you at work, if possible).
So set up a healthier environment (i.e., home especially) full of vegetables, whole fruits, low sodium beans/lentils, skim or low calorie (hopefully lower sodium) dairy, and a reasonable, but careful, amount of whole grains (remember, while whole grains are better than bleached white grains, they are still calorie dense and aren’t helpful if they are largely displaying vegetables and whole fruits. 2 whole pita bread slices INSTEAD of a bowl of mixed vegetables will not be helpful due to bread’s higher calorie density, acidity (promoting osteoporosis…add to the fact that most whole wheat breads are cooked with salt) versus the alkaline (acid-neutralizing and bone preserving) nature of vegetables and whole fruits (beans/lentils are pretty much neutral – not acidic nor too basic/alkaline).
Hopefully these tips will help you stretch out your 60,000,000 calories so that you can enjoy a healthier, higher quality and longer life …. that is, as long as you wear your safety belt! So, enjoy life! But NOT so much that you sign out early!
I give my program’s metabolic nutrition and weight control seminars are every Tuesday night (630p-8p) at St Joseph Mercy Oakland hospital, on the border of Bloomfield Hills and Pontiac, Michigan for the month of January. In February, the seminars will move to the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month. Please call my office at 248 858 2475 for more info. I promise not to disappoint
