What could these rules be that haven't been heard of before? "There is no magic bullet, however you can eat everything as long as it is fresh food and that includes sweets," according to Annaliza Spiga, founder and owner of Dolce Baked Goods where the tag line, "All natural ingredients because your family deserves nature's best", makes it clear there's nothing artificial about their products. As obesity approaches epidemic proportion perhaps it is time to look beyond trendy fad diets and more at eating as a way of life. Currently 66% of all Americans are either overweight or obese and many of them are children. For the first time in American history type II diabetes and heart disease in children is not uncommon. In surveys Americans cite the biggest challenges to losing weight is finding time to exercise, too little willpower, poor eating habits and counting calories.
As many as 1 in 3 Americans are on a diet at any given time and 48% of Americans are trying to maintain their weight. The eating habits of the average American have made America the fattest country in the world. Perhaps a look at the habits of countries that are doing a better job at maintaining their weight is in order. The Japanese and Italians are the longest living people in the world and it's no coincidence their diets share eye-opening similarities. Both the Italian and Japanese diets are rich in complex carbohydrates, beans, fish, nuts, low in red meat, saturated fats and sugar and rich in powerful anti-oxidants such as seaweed and olive oil. "Eating whole grains, protein, fruits and vegetables daily fuel the body and give the feeling of fullness enabling people to maintain a satisfying eating regiment that's more likely to succeed in the long term. Our products consist of heart healthy fat, are rich in complex carbs, fiber and protein, low in sugar and are delicious so dieters feel like they are indulging when in fact our products help strengthen the arteries and heart." claims Spiga.
According to Spiga diets don't work and the only way to drop unnecessary weight is to "revolutionize your thinking." "If you are overweight you may want to think about establishing lifelong healthy habits and forget about a diet. Make sure your meals consist of a protein, multiple varieties of fresh vegetables or fruit and whole grains. When you incorporate the 3 "Cs" into your life your appetite for empty calorie foods decreases dramatically." She coined her recipe for success the 3 C's; which consists of following three rules in order to melt fat away and keep it off forever.
To solve the problem of obesity it's important to understand how it evolved. In the last 40 years people have moved away from home-cooked meals to packaged and processed meals containing salt, sugar, additives, thickeners, preservatives, trans fat, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and the list goes on. Spiga adds, "These ingredients are unhealthy and some are known to increase cholesterol, triglycerides, and the accumulation of hidden sugar and salt lead to serious health problems like high blood pressure and diabetes as well as weight gain. Couple double size portions with nutritionally deprived foods and you are in for some serious weight gain. In addition, people have stopped being active. Lives revolve around television, video games and watching sporting events whereas people need to be creating the action not watching it. It takes more discipline to make permanent changes in lifestyle than a temporary change in eating habits but at some point you have to face the music or fluctuations in weight will be a lifelong battle." Lastly, the stress factor is another critical component that promotes weight gain. Inordinate stress triggers hormones to go into overtime and the result is a fatigued mind and body that is out of balance storing fat and setting off a host of unhealthy chemical reactions. Spiga offers three rules to establish lifelong health habits that will control weight and drop unwanted pounds.
1.) Rule #1 - Common Sense Eating
Spiga advocates eliminating completely products with the aforementioned ingredients and switch to only fresh foods. Fresh food constitutes fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, eggs, low-fat dairy, whole grains, fish, white meats and small doses of red meats and only healthy fat like olive oil, canola oil and fat from nuts and avocados. Minimize fatty condiments and dressings and switch to spices, juice and olive oil to flavor food, eat only food that is made with fresh ingredients like soups, vegetable dishes, stews... When using "Common Sense eating" sweets don't need to be eliminated if they are healthy sweets. Sounds crazy but according to Spiga, her products will actually help to reduce cholesterol and build arterial health. All her products contain flax seed and other known ingredients that promote healthy arteries and aid in preventing hypertension and diabetes. Spiga states, "I created food that is made from health enhancing ingredients without sacrificing flavor or texture. Our products taste better than the traditional version only ours contain all the phytonutrients and vitamins intact. You can eat cookies, breads and sweets in moderation as long as they are preservative free, made from whole grains and healthy fat. If you don't have to give up your favorite food it doesn't feel like you are being deprived which means you are more likely to stick to a lifelong plan."
2.) Rule #2 - Control
The second rule is control portion size which means learning what one serving truly means. The only area where generous portions are acceptable is fresh, raw or steamed vegetables.
3.) Rule #3 - Consume
The third rule is to consume calories eaten by moving everyday. Plenty of prominent doctors have been espousing the important weight maintenance benefit of just 30 minutes of walking a day, but Spiga says, "That's a good start but it's not enough to counter the loss of muscle as the body moves forward in time. You must add resistance training. The older you are the more important it is to lift weight even if you have to arm curl a can of beans." She urges walking everyday, resistance train 30 minutes three days a week and add three 30 minute sessions of any form of cardio activity. "It's not difficult to dedicate three hours out of the week to maintain the strength of your body. If you can devote three hours to eating you can find three hours to move your body. Muscle is your best friend and the more you have the more calories you burn when your body is at rest."
The three C's may very well be a solution but it can only be successful if the approach is adopted as a lifelong commitment to a way of living. If immediate results are desired more drastic measures are available, however the truth is more than 90% of dieters gain the weight back. This is a long term solution to weight loss. According to Spiga the only way to keep weight off is to change the habits that put the weight on in the first place otherwise lifelong dieting is inevitable.
Annaliza Spiga has been an executive and consultant in the health and beauty industry for 15 years and is the founder and owner of Dolce Baked Goods. She is currently at work on a health and wellness lifestyle show for cable television. More information is available at:
http://www.dolcebakedgoods.comCalabasas, California (
PRWEB) May 7, 2007
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