The eyeball method of creating a meal

First popularized by the creator of the Zone Diet Barry Sears the eyeball method of eating is a quick and simple method of achieving a proper macronutrient profile for meals. I use this with clients all the time when first putting together an understanding of meal selection as it is so easy to use. Unlike the zone diet I use a paleo diet food selection when creating the meal choices.

Use the steps below to put together proper portion sizes and food selections when creating your next meal.

Step #1 – Choose a protein – make the protein a soul and face protein, which means it should be from an animal source (beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish, seafood, eggs, etc). Choose a leaner source of meat over a processed or fatty choice (pork loin vs. bacon, chicken thighs vs. sun dried chicken luncheon meat). Select a fist sized portion of meat for your meal (clenched fist).

Step #2 – Choose a vegetable – make your vegetable selection from low starch, low glycemic index and load foods. This is when the paleo food selection lists come in handy;

Choose one or any combination of the vegetables listed above for the remainder of your plate (2-3 fist sizes). The vegetables with (*) should only be chosen once a day. Preferably for better blood sugar and insulin management (along with weight loss) one would only allow these foods in 1-3x/week. Your best choices are greens and other low glycemic index vegetable.

Step #3 – Choose a fat – this is the easy part, if your meat selection was of a higher fat content (ground beef, ribs, etc) there is no need to add fat to your meal, but if your meat selection was a lower fat meat (chicken breast, white fish, etc) then you will need to add a liberal amount of fat in some way to your meal. Choose a small portion of any of the following to add to your meal (1-4 tbsp for most)

Step #4 – Choose a fruit – once a day choose a fruit to add to your meals or as a dessert. Best choices are berries over higher carb load fruits such as bananas and pineapples. Choose a fist sized fruit for dessert once a day. If choosing a fruit for snacks always couple it with a protein or a fat source.

Eating in this simplistic manner will do most people wonders in body composition and mental acuity – look for increased energy, weight loss, and better performance in the gym by following these simple steps.

Chad

HCL Challenge;

One of the first steps in the Bio-Signature Modulation (Bio-sig) process with all clients is to test their stomach hydrochloric acid (HCL) levels. This is of utmost importance within bio-sig as HCL is needed in the initial breakdown of proteins we ingest by activating the production of pepsinogen to pepsin, it assists the body in fighting orally ingested pathogens by keeping the stomach sterile, it helps prevent bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine, and it also triggers the flow of bile from the gall bladder as well as pancreatic digestive enzymes. HCL has multiple roles one more of which is facilitating the proper absorption of multiple nutrients (zinc, folic acid, beta-carotene, ascorbic acid, iron, calcium, selenium, chromium, copper, vanadium, cobalt, magnesium, and B vitamins). Low levels of stomach HCL due to the poor absorption of nutrients can of course contribute to a host of other health issues because of the potential for nutrient deficiency (asthma, allergies, skin conditions, diabetes, anemia, and arthritis). You can eat salmon and broccoli every day, but if you can not assimilate it – it is of little use to you.

Luckily testing of proper levels of HCL is quite easy (will get to later), but the physical symptoms of low stomach acid are;

- Belching, bloating, and gas after meals

- Feeling of nausea after taking supplements

- Heartburn or Reflux

- Undigested food in stool

- Skin rashes (acne rosacea, eczema, psoriasis)

- Vertical ridges in the nails

- Bad breath

- Stomach pain

- Depression

- Estrogen build-up

- Loss of taste for meat

The condition of low stomach acid is known as hypochlorhydria, and numbers vary, but many holistic health care practitioners state that 60-99% of North Americans suffer from hypochlorhdria. Our experiences at Synergy show that the numbers are much higher than 60% as most people tested show low levels of HCL initially. One thing to consider with regard to lower HCL production and nutrient absorption is your ability to recover from workouts and repair tissues. Leg and foot cramps have been linked to low HCL due to the low level absorption of nutrients – in order to improve digestion and recovery ability testing your HCL levels is a must.

Most people ask what might cause lowered HCL levels. The biggest causative factor is stress, as Charles Poliquin always says “We are under 100 times more stress than our grandparents” – do you have a smart phone, email address, deadlines, toxic food supply, toxins and chemicals surrounding you everyday… of course you do. We are all exposed to high levels of stress everyday which will raise our levels of cortisol and lower our levels of HCL. Other factors of lowered HCL are age (we lose 1%/year after the age of 20), poor diet (excess carbohydrate consumption), H. Pylori infection, food sensitivities, high toxicity, and the use of certain medications such as corticosteroids, antibiotics, and antacids.

So, how does one test this?

Step one – consume one Digest Force (HCL + pepsin) tab with your first meal of the day in the middle of the meal

o You are looking for a warm sensation in your stomach, which can not be missed as it feels like a very warm tea or coffee in your stomach. If the warmth is high simply drink a glass of water to alleviate it.

o Do not drink a lot of water with your meals as it will dilute the digestive enzymes

Step two – if no burning sensation if felt than take two Digest Force tabs with your next meal (not the same meal, but the following meal). If still no burning sensation continue on to step three.

Step Three – take three tabs Digest Force with your next meal (this is meal #3). Continue this process until you have reached 7 total Digest Force tabs at meal 7. If you reach the 7^th meal then you have failed the HCL challenge test. Do not fret – this simply means that you are a great candidate for HCL supplementation (talk to a coach).

By supplementing HCL levels one can drastically improve digestion, nutrient absorption, immune function, and any of the listed symptoms above. This might be one of the simplest, but most profound tests one can do to look at digestion processes and overall health as your stomach acid levels influence much more than your protein and upper digestive tract health.

** If you have peptic ulcers please do not complete the HCL challenge test.

** Most assume that acid reflux is a symptom of high HCL levels, but it has been found that most subjects who suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) improve dramatically with HCL supplementation. At Synergy we have helped multiple individuals suffering GERD with HCL supplementation rather than the opposite (doctor recommended antacids, which have been shown to increase the chance of osteoporosis and bone fractures) of decreasing HCL levels.

 Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease in which the ingestion of gluten induces enteropathy, or inflammation of the gut, in genetically susceptible individuals. This destruction of the gut means that nutrients cannot be absorbed, leading to a variety of clinical symptoms: anemia due to the lack of iron, atherosclerosis due to the lack of calcium, failure to thrive in children, and GI stress, among others.

To continue reading more go HERE.

Now I am not saying that Bacon is a good diet food or even a food that should be in the everyday rotation as a main protein source but the demonizing of this food is a bit over the top, which made me laugh when I saw this video of a kid giving it to a diet expert.

The Nine Habits of Highly Healthy People

by Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS

For years, business and motivational gurus have known that there are basic habits that seem to predict professional success and excellence. Books like
“The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”, by motivational speaker and business guru Stephen Covey, PhD has sold over 15 million copies alone, to people hungry for the secrets of success.

We don’t yet have the perfect formula for long life, happiness and physical health, but a little careful distillation of the massive amount of research on health and longevity reveals that cultivating nine basic habits will significantly increase the odds of your living long, well and happily, in a robust, healthy, weight-appropriate body.

1. Eat your vegetables. No kidding. And I’m talking at least 9 servings a day.. Unless you’re following the most stringent first stage of the Atkins Diet, you should be able to consume 60-120 grams of carbs a day (depending on your weight and exercise level), and you’d have to eat a stockyard full of spinach to get to that amount. Every major study of long-lived, healthy people shows that they eat a ton of plant foods. Nothing delivers antioxidants, fiber, flavonoids, indoles, and the entire pharmacopia of disease fighting phytochemicals like stuff that grows.
2. Eat fish and/or take fish oil. The Omega-3’s found in cold-water fish like salmon deserve the title of “wellness molecule of the century”. They lower the risk of heart disease, they lower blood pressure, they improve mood and they’re good for the brain. And if you’re pregnant, they may make your kid smarter!
3. Connect. And I’m not talking about the internet. In virtually every study of people who are healthy and happy into their 9th and 10th decade, social connections are one of the “prime movers” in their life. Whether church, family, volunteer work or community, finding something you care about that’s bigger than you that you can connect with and that involves other people (or animals) will extend your life, increase your energy, and make you happier. Only always.
4. Get some sun. At least 10-15 minutes three times a week. Interestingly, a recent study of four places in the globe where people lived the longest and were the healthiest noted that all four places were in sunny climates. Sun improves your mood and boosts levels of cancer-fighting, performance-enhancing, bone-strengthening vitamin D, a vitamin most people don’t get nearly enough of.
5. Sleep Well. If you’re low in energy, gaining weight, grumpy and looking haggard, guess what?- chances are you’re not sleeping nearly long enough nor well enough. By sleeping “well”, I mean uninterrupted sleep, in the dark, without the television on, in a relaxing environment. Nothing nourishes, replenishes and restarts the system like 7-9 hours sleep. Hint: start by going to bed an hour early. And if you’ve got a computer in the bedroom, banish it.
6. Exercise every day. Forget this 20 minutes three times a week stuff. Long lived people are doing things like farm chores at 4:30 in the morning! Our Paleolithic ancestors traveled an average of 20 miles per day. Our bodies were designed to move on a regular basis. New studies show that merely 30 minutes a day of walking not only reduces the risk of most serious diseases, but can even grow new brain cells!
7. Practice Gratitude. By making a list of things you’re grateful for, you focus the brain on positive energy. Gratitude is incompatable with anger and stress. Practice using your under-utilized “right brain” and spread some love. Focusing on what you’re grateful for- even for five minutes a day- has the added benefit of being one of the best stress-reduction techniques on the planet.
8. Drink red wine or eat grapes. The resveratrol in dark grapes is being studied for its effect on extending life, which it seems to do for almost every species studied. (So does eating about 1/3 less food, by the way.) If you’ve got a problem with alcohol, you can get resveratrol from grapes, peanuts or supplements. (And if you’re a woman, and you choose the alcohol option, make sure you’re getting folic acid every day.)
9. Get the sugar out. The number one enemy of vitality, health and longevity is not fat, it’s sugar. Sugar’s effect on hormones, moods, immunity, weight and possibly even cancer cells is enormous, and it’s all negative. To the extent that you can remove it from your diet, you will be adding years to your life and life to your years.

This list may not be perfect and it may not be complete, but it’s a start. As my dear grandmother used to say, “Couldn’t hurt”. Not one of these “habits” will hurt you, all will benefit you, and some may make the difference between life and death.

And it’s never too late to start cultivating them.

Enjoy the journey!