Oprah's Twin

Despite all her success and resources, Oprah struggles with the same demons many of us do - emotional eating and medical conditions preventing weight loss. Oprah opens up in January's issue of Oprah magazine, "How Did I Let This Happen Again." She describes the rollercoaster of feelings she has encountered with her weight loss battle. She went from being the expert on staying trim when she was down to 160, and now that she is up to 200, she feels like a hypocrit.

She is not a hypocrit, but merely a human being. We all struggle day to day, trying to juggle the stresses of life while maintaining our sanity, not to mention our health. Health is a huge undertaking and goal, and has many definitions. Modern medicine describes health as the absence of disease, but as dietitians we believe it is more than that. Our bodies have the ability to provide energy to live a dynamic lifestyle, where we have enough hop in our step to feel great. But most of us walk around feeling sluggish and barely manage to just get through the day. Surviving in a fog is not healthy. Wouldn't it be great to start the day off with some inspiration and zeal for life?

Understand that you are not alone in your struggle for health and weight loss. Even Oprah needs help! Go to the experts (EB Nutrition) who understand the biochemistry of the body and can help you sort our imbalances before they reach the symptomatic level. Plus, wouldn't it feel good to beat Oprah to the punch?

Party Proof Your Diet

by Melissa Bosslet, RD, LN

MSNBC offers advise on which foods to pick at the holiday dinner table. For example, they suggest opting for the mashed potatoes over the stuffing and picking ham over a turkey drumstick. The article is very helpful if these specific foods are at your holiday party, but if they aren't, how do we keep on track with our nutrition plan?

Refer to our December newsletter for more details, but these 3 tips are the essential to stay at the top of your game.

1. Get plenty of sleep- The number 1 problem we see when clients are not losing weight is lack of sleep. The body responds to inadequate sleep by producing cortisol, a stress hormone that leads to weight gain around the middle region.

2. Avoid backloading- Eat a consistent amount of calories throughout the day. If you wait until dinner and especially holiday meals to fill up, energy levels will suffer throughout the day. Your metabolism responds better to small meals spread out throughout the day. Keep healthy snacks convenient so while you are out and about, your blood sugars remain stable. Also, do not go to the party starving. It is more difficult to control choices when your body is deprived.

3. Get moving!- At EB, we say that, "Eating right is just the beginning." Part of what we mean by that is you can only stay so healthy by picking the right foods. You need to stay active during the holidays to burn calories, keep your metabolism functioning, keep muscle tone, and to stay energized. Next time you are feeling sluggish, head to the gym. I guarantee you will feel more energized afterwards.

Keep in mind that these concepts work all year round - not just with the holidays. Enjoy the holidays, but also keep in mind they do come once a year. You probably will survive without having two helpings of your Grandma's famous pie!

Here is a good recipe to bring to a party. Pile your plate with veggies, take about 2 tablespoons of dip, and step away from the appetizer table!


Sesame, Spinach, & Artichoke Dip
Makes 1 3/4 cups

1 bunch of fresh spinach
1 14.75-oz. (396 g) jar or can water-packed artichoke hearts, drained
2 sprigs fresh mint, leaves only
1/4 C. (60 ml) tahini, (sesame seed paste)
Juice of 1/2 lime 1/2 t. ground cumin
3/4 t. salt
1 T. nutritional yeast (optional)
1 t. toasted sesame seeds
Dash or two of paprika

1. Remove stems from spinach, wash thoroughly, and spin dry in a salad spinner. Put spinach leaves into the food processor with the steel blade, and pulse chop until finely chopped.
2. Add artichoke hearts, mint leaves, tahini, lime juice, cumin, salt, and nutritional yeast, and process to an almost smooth puree.
3. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and a dash of paprika.
   

Obese Children Risk Thyroid Damage

Last Wednesday, Italian researchers reported that excess weight in children may be causing thyroid damage. Before this research, obesity was often blamed on a slow metabolism and insufficient thyroid hormones, not the other way around. These results further prove that falling into the overweight category will make for a vicous cycle of weight gain and health problems.

The study evaluated 186 overweight children for a period of three years. Results showed 73 of these children had inflamed thyroids. Generally, thyroid inflammation is significant of Hashimoto's disease, an autoimmune disease where the body attacks the thyroid. But the antibodies necessary for this diagnosis were not present.

Obesity causes an increase in leptin, a hormone produced from fat cells that regulates appetite and metabolism. Leptin levels are proportional to adipose stores. Leptin plays a role in the inflammatory response of the immune system, so it makes sense that increased levels of leptin would cause an inflammed thyroid.

The thyroid controls the equilibrium of the body, from the metabolism to body heat control. Multiple hormones, including sex hormones, are also controlled by the thyroid. The thyroid gland also produces calcitonin, which helps regualte blood calcium levels. The good news with this breaking research is that thyroid health can be restored with weight loss. EB Nutrition already employs this principle. We work with patients to maximize metabolism, which inlcudes improving thyroid function, in order to lose weight. We focus on foods and exercise appropriate for thyroid health.

On a side not, this research is very close to home- the Endocrine Society (http://www.endo-society.org/), which publishes the Jounal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, is located in Chevy Chase, Maryland.