Choose Walnuts over Peanuts #DrKeithBerkowitz

Peanuts are actually a problematic legume (they are not even a nut). While they are easily available, they are high in omega-6, which can be pro-inflammatory. Chronic low-level inflammation contributes to seven out of ten leading causes of mortality in the United States (examples are diabetes, heart disease and cancer). Also, peanuts are often contaminated with aflatoxin (toxic chemical produced by molds), which can increase the risk of cancer and digestive issues.

Beware of Veggie Burgers

Soy-based burgers aren’t necessarily better for your health than animal protein. Unfortunately, most soy grown is genetically modified. Soy also contains goitrogens, substances that interfere with iodine metabolism and the synthesis of thyroid hormones. This can disrupt your ‘mother’ hormone and cause weight gain, temperature intolerance, and lower sex drive and lead to insomnia. Soy also contains isoflavones, a type of phytoestrogen, which can mimic and sometimes block estrogen. This can cause a hormone imbalance and disrupt a female menstruation cycle and negatively impact fertility.

What happens when you eat a meal high in refined carbohydrates?

Eating a meal that’s high in refined carbohydrates and low in fat and protein affects insulin and blood sugar the same way eating a candy bar does. It causes blood sugar to rise quickly, triggering your pancreas to pump out too much insulin. As insulin levels rise, and as your body ignores its signal, it directs more fat into fat cells and makes you feel hungry again, even if you have just eaten. 

Dealing with #Ketones #TheStubbornFatFix

As your body burns fat, it creates by-products called ketones. Your body can burn these for energy, but it can also release them through your urine, sweat, and breath. Unfortunately, they can sometimes be a little stinky.

Critics of low-carb diets claim that only this type of diet results in ketone-induced bad breath. This simply isn't true. If you are losing weight, then you are burning fat, and if you are burning fat, your body is making ketones. On a low-carb diet, you are likely burning more fat, so the ketone side effects are more noticeable. Try these remedies:

Drink a lot of water. It will dilute the ketones, reducing their smelly punch.

Chew on parsley, basil, or cilantro. Season your foods with these spices as well. They are all rich sources of chlorophyll, the green pigment in plants that enables photosynthesis. 

The Importance of Fat #TheStubbornFatFix

Fat is quite healthy for you, as long as you eat the right types of fat in the right balance. Some fatty acids are essential to life; your body cannot make them. They improve digestion and help us digest vitamins A, D, E, and K, and many fat-soluble minerals and antioxidants.

Not Soy Good #TheStubbornFatFix

We’re eating more soy than ever. This is not so good. In young girls, too much soy can trigger early puberty, causing fertility and hormonal problems later in life. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), early puberty can be seen in girls as young as 6. In grown women, too much estrogen causes breast tenderness, decreased sex drive, increased fat storage, fatigue, foggy thinking, and PMS. It may also raise the risk for estrogen-dependent cancers, such as breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancers. In men, it can cause breast tissue growth, prostate enlargement, weight gain, bloating, mood swings, irritability, headaches, fatigue, depression, and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). It can also lead to prostate, great, endometrial, and testicular cancers.

Create serving-size cues #TheStubbornFatFix #DrKeithBerkowitz

Research shows that we tend to eat food more quickly when we see more. In a study at the University of Rhode Island, women who were given a plate of pasta and a big spoon slurped down 646 calories of pasta in 9 minutes. When they were given a small serving of pasta and a small spoon, they took up to 30 minutes to eat and consumed fewer calories. You can use this research to provide yourself with extra control when it comes to the carbohydrate foods you love.