In the final Post of this Series, I discuss Dr Steele’s recommendations on Replacing foods, Snacks and Forebidden Foods:
Replace the following foods
Instead of:
- Sugar – use low calorie sweeteners
- Milk – use semi skimmed milk; 1pint/day allowed
- White bread – eat wholemeal bread; 3slices/day allowed
- Cheese – use low fat alternatives, e.g. cottage cheese
- Butter – use low fat spreads; use sparingly
- Soft drinks – drink low calorie drinks
- Fried food – eat grilled, poached, baked, steamed or boiled
My Comments:
- Low-calorie sweetners and soft drinks. Low-calorie sweetners are excito-toxins that kill brain cells. They have also been shown in research to increase the total amount of calories consumed and aid FAT GAIN! They have also been indicated to be related to several forms of brain disease.
- Semi-skimmed milk. You take the fat out of the milk and you’re left with lactose and water. Lactose is the sugar in milk. Sugar increases the release of insulin which increases uptake of calories into fat cells!
- Wholemeal breads has the same protein as white bread. So if you have a sensitivity to gluten, wholemeal will still cause major problems. Wholemeal will release sugar slower than white bread though.
- Low fat cheeses. Again you take out the fat, the release of sugar into the blood will increase and
the amount of insulin released will increase. In addition, fat slows down the release of sugar.
- Low fat spreads instead of butter. I wrote a whole blog post on this (January 2010). Suffice to say butter is full of nutrients, is stable under heat, whilst low-fat spreads are basically trans-fats with dyes and fragrances added to hide the fact that they are rancid unsaturated fats and are unstable under heat.
Snacks
- Ideally no eating between meals!
- If tempted, nibble on portions of carrots, apples, celery, radishes, pickled onions, melon and small portions of nuts and grains (unsalted).
- If thirsty, drink plenty of water and low calorie drinks.
- Remember that feelings of hunger can often be controlled by drinking fluids, and drinking plenty of water before and during a meal can add to that feeling of fullness and satisfaction.
My Comments:
- You should snack if you need to between meals. This prevents blood sugar fluctuations. Sugar fluctuations cause your body to go in survival mode, break down muscle for energy, which lowers metabolic rate and increases lipogenic enzymes, which help to store body fat to survive the
perceived famine. - Staying hydrated is a good recommendation, not just to reduce hunger, but to ensure that when you do eat your digestive system is hydrated enough to do its job.
Forbidden foods
- Avoid sweets, sugar, chocolate, jams, cakes, pastry and biscuits
- Avoid high fat foods, e.g. fat on meat, skin on poultry, butter and cream
- Avoid all fried food
- Avoid thick soups, thick sauces and mayonnaise
- Alcohol supplies calories with little nutrition
- Even when you’re on a diet, it’s good to have a treat every so often. If you’re sticking to this diet and are losing weight then you deserve a treat!
My Comments:
- I agree with all his forbidden foods except fatty foods (as long as they are from high quality
sources).
I think it would be great if Doctor’s realised the limitations of their training on nutrition and knew where they could refer people to for accurate information and advice.
My suggestion if you need advice on losing weight and nutrition would be find a professional who is in good shape (walks their talk) and has a pile of testimonials from satisfied healthy weight-loss clients.
I also suggest you say farewell to Dr Steele’s diet unless you want to put more weight on.