1. Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce

BBQ is a weapon in any serious griller’s arsenal. Believe it or not, the bottle of barbeque sauce you pick up in your local supermarket can contain a whopping 25 grams of sugar in 2 tablespoons. That’s equivalent to a half of a can of coke!

Here’s a sugar-free BBQ sauce that cuts out the sugar but leaves in the smokey flavor:

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon Coke Zero
• 2 slices of cooked bacon, chopped
• 1 white onion, very finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar
• 1 can of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon of tomato purée

Instructions:

1. Caramelize the onion in a pan with olive oil.

2. Add all other ingredients into saucepan and mix with onion until warm.

2. Sugar-Free Teriyaki Sauce

Since coming over from Japan, teryiaki sauce has been adapted to western cooking-and it doesn’t get much more west than grilling meat!  Teriyaki has a sweetness and a “zing” factor than goes great with grilled foods.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 clove of freshly cut garlic
• 2 pinches of grated peeled ginger
• 1 tablespoon Splenda

Instructions:

1. Mix oil and soy sauce vigourously.

2. Add in other ingredients

3. Let sit for 1 hour, stirring before use.

3. Spicy, Sugar-Free Jerk

Jerk is a classic flavoring straight from the Caribbean. More of a rub than a marinade, it still adds a flavorful kick to meats like chicken and pork.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, combine all ingredients together.

2. Place meat or meat substitute in jerk seasoning, coating both sides.

4. Sugar-Free Vegetable Wine Glaze

This might be the most fun to make. Once you make the glaze, you mix it with vegetables in a Ziplock bag and shake like there’s no tomorrow! Fun is fun, but this marinade also helps bring out the natural flavor of the vegetables. Although this marinade works for almost any vegetable, it pairs best with cherry tomatoes, onions, and red bell peppers.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup white cooking wine
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients directly into Ziplock bag (saves a dish)

2. Add chopped vegetables and shake until coated.

5. Sugar-Free Vegetable Wine Glaze

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced green onions
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth

To get the most out of these marinades you should puncture your meat or tofu with a fork and let sit in the marinade for at least 1 hour. For fish and vegetables, you only need to marinate for 20 minutes.

If someone at your barbeque compliments your marinade and asks you what’s in it, you can reply: “not sugar!”.

Sweet Tooth And Evolution

Well before the days of Cinnabon, having a sweet tooth was a great evolutionary advantage. You see, when evaluating whether a plant was nutritious, energy dense, and (most importantly) not poisonous, our cavemen ancestors didn’t have a nutrition facts label to go by. The most accurate indicator at their disposal was their sense of taste.

Sweet foods tend to have a lot more calories than bitter foods. They also tend to have a lower likelihood of being poisonous. From you can see why our modern times tends to have a lot of people who love sweets. While our less genetically fortunate friends were keeling over and dying from eating from a poisonous bush, our ancestors were munching on yummy sweet berries.

Sweet Teeth Today

Even though we have a universal love for sweet tasting things, there is a very wide spectrum of what people consider “sweet”. Scientists have actually been able to identify genes that are responsible for that borderline obsession with sweet foods. Also, sweet foods activate pleasure centers in the brain-making addiction possible in our society of incredible sweet food availability.

The Dangers Of A Sweet Tooth

As any “sweet toothed” person will tell you, a sweet tooth is more of a curse than a blessing. Research shows that those with a higher affinity for the sweet stuff are much more likely to be overweight. Not surprisingly, these people also have mich higher rates of developing cavities.

In other words, a sweet tooth in our modern world is not the most desirable trait to have. The same thing that allowed us to survive in the wild is the same thing that is making us so fat.

Good News/Bad News For The Sweet Tooth

First, the bad news. Most of healthy foods are not sweet. Some bitter foods like tea, olive oil, and vegetables are about as far from sweet as you can get. Other foods like whole grains and beans ,which are are neither sweet or bitter, are also really good for you. In other words, if one were to eat based solely on sweet tastes, they would be missing out on some incredibly healthy foods.

The goods news is that fruit, one of the best foods we can put in our bodies, is very sweet. Full of antioxidants and fiber, fruit can satisfy a sweet tooth and help our bodies.

Sweet Tooth Rehab

Even though you can’t change your sweet tooth genetics, you can make it work for you. When a craving hits, go for a some delicious sliced melon instead of a candy bar. As the old saying goes, when life gives you a lemon-eat it.

Brian Dean MS, RD is a registered dietitian and researcher. After years of research, Brian has set his sights on helping those with lower back pain.  He serves on the Medical Nutrition Committee for The American Society for Nutrition and is a professional member of numerous research organizations including the International Association for The Study of Pain, American Chronic Pain Society, and The American Dietetic Association. He recently created a research-based lower back pain treatment program called The Back Pain Diet which is available from his website Stop Lower Back Pain.

Cabbage Soup Diet

Seeing Diet Clearly

The eyes you are using to read this sentence are made up of the food you eat. Emerging research is showing that what you eat has the profound ability to influence how well your eyes function.

Not Just Carrots For Seeing In The Dark

My mom always used to tell me that I should eat lots of carrots because they would help me see in the dark. She was right on with this piece of advice. Carrots have a ton of Vitamin A-the vitamin that helps your eyes see in dark conditions. However, we are learning that the nutrition and eyesight connection is not confined to carrots and darkness.

Slow Your Eyes From Aging

Whether you’ve heard of it or not, macular degeneration (MD) is the #1 cause of blindness in the US. It turns out that the best way to prevent this debilitating condition is to eat certain foods.

The reason carrots aid in eyesight is because Vitamin A forms a pigment, beta-carotene, that’s necessary for seeing in dark conditions. Your eye actually has a number of important pigments that it needs to function best. Your body cannot make these, so it relies on getting them from food.

The most important is lutein. Lutein doesn’t get a lot of press, but it should-not getting enough lutein is a  sure fire way to get MD. Lutein is a pigment that gives vegetables an orange color. This pigment literally gets absorbed into our bodies and gets planted into our eyes. Lutein acts as a bullet-proof vest, taking the brunt of light damage for our vulnerable eyes.

Where can you find lutein?

• Leafy Greens
• Egg Yolks
• Corn
• Brussel Sprouts
• Peas

Get Fish Eyes

Add eyesight protection to the amazing properties of Omega-3 fatty acids. Those that eat 2 or more servings per week of fatty fish are much less likely to develop MD.

It appears that omega-3s actually protect the retina from damage and help the eyes flush out waste. Also, just like your heart, your eyes have arteries that are prone to inflammation and plaque build up. Omega-3s are well known inflammation fighters, and this effect applies to your eyes as well.

If high cholesterol or blood pressure hasn’t motivated you to eat more vegetables and omega-3s, perhaps the inctenvie of a lifetime of crystal clear eyesight will.

cabbage soup diet

Brian Dean MS, RD is a registered dietitian and researcher. After years of research, Brian has set his sights on helping those with lower back pain.  He serves on the Medical Nutrition Committee for The American Society for Nutrition and is a professional member of numerous research organizations including the International Association for The Study of Pain, American Chronic Pain Society, and The American Dietetic Association. He recently created a research-based lower back pain treatment program called The Back Pain Diet which is available from his website Stop Lower Back Pain.

Myths abound when it comes to losing weight, eating right, and living a healthy life. Most diet myths tend to stick around because they tend to speak directly to our inherent desire to eat the right way. Some of these develop from “common knowledge’, personal experience, one flawed research study. Others are just made up.

How many of these common diet myths do you still hang your hat on?

Low-Fat Diets Are Healthy

Back in what now seems like the dark ages of nutrition, every dietitian and doctor within earshot was touting the benefits of a low-fat diet.  The USDA even went as far as to design its now maligned food guide pyramid around this concept.  A mountain of research and an obesity epidemic later, we now know that fat is not the enemy. In fact, omega-3 fats are practically a health miracle-not something to be avoided.

Losing X Pounds Is The Goal

If you are overweight, losing weight is a no brainer for your health and well-being. However, all weight is not created equal. Getting to a healthy BMI is great, but how you get there is almost as important. A little thing called body composition changes the game significantly. Research shows that maintaining as much muscle as possible during weight loss is more vital to optimal health.

Weight Loss Supplements Work

It may be a hard thing to accept, but weight loss really boils down to calories in vs. calories out. How you eat those calories makes a tremendous difference, but calories are the name of the game. Certain supplements can help with weight loss, but are the equivilant of having a spare tire on your car for a cross-country trip. It can help you for a while, but it’s definitely dangerous for long-term use.

Low-Fat Diets Are Effective For Weight Loss

I have to come back and take another shot at low-fat diets because my profession is partly responsible for creating this myth. In theory, it makes sense: fat has twice as many calories than carbs and protein. Therefore, if you eat less of it, you are essentially halving your calories. Wow, have we learned a ton since that concept was first developed. Your body isn’t stupid. It knows it needs fat. Fat actually helps curb appetite and may even increase metabolism-two crucial factors for succesfull weight loss.

Brian Dean MS, RD is a registered dietitian and researcher. After years of research, Brian has set his sights on helping those with lower back pain.  He serves on the Medical Nutrition Committee for The American Society for Nutrition and is a professional member of numerous research organizations including the International Association for The Study of Pain, American Chronic Pain Society, and The American Dietetic Association. He recently created a research-based lower back pain treatment program called The Back Pain Diet which is available from his website Stop Lower Back Pain.

cabbage soup diet

The best method on eating right didn’t come from a PhD, a brand new scientific study, or a hyped-up diet “guru”.

The method is so powerful and simple that I wish I could take the person who started it out to dinner. Unfortunately, the last person to eat this way died thousands of years ago.

I often get asked by people: “how should I eat?” or its even harder to answer cousin: “what should I eat?”.  Until recently, all the countless of hours of lectures I’ve attended and piles of research studies I’ve read would  bounce around in my brain until I would fumble and try to say something enlightening. What would end up coming out of my mouth would be something along the lines of: “its a bit too complicated to answer a question like that, it really takes many sessions with a dietitian to figure all that out”.

Turns out I was wrong.

I’ve since realized that our bodies are designed for a very particular environment-the wilderness. Over millions of years, the human body has adapted perfectly for that environment. The environment we all now live in couldn’t be more different. This is why we have such alarming rates of chronic disease.

Were like polar bears in the desert.

This paradigm, that we should eat like cavemen and cavewomen, makes eating so, so much easier.

When deciding between two foods, think: WWCE? What would a caveman eat?

To put this into practice, this is what our ancestor’s diet consisted of :

1. Fruits

2. Vegetables

3. Nuts

4. Whole Grains

5. Meat (very seldom)

6. Eggs

7. Seafood

8. Insects (yes, it’s true)

Anthropology by it’s very nature is not a perfect science. However, the evidence is fairly clear that the foods on the list above were the cornerstone of the hunter-gatherer diet.

The latest scientific research supports the fact that eating more foods from the list above improves health and longevity.

Now of course, there are exceptions to this rule. Agriculture did propel us into our modern age of health and prosperity. Unfortunately, we have deviated too far from how our bodies our designed.

So if you are every overwhelmed by the dizzying array of food options, picture yourself in a loincloth in the middle of the forest and think: “What Would a Caveman Eat?”

It’s so simple, a caveman could do it.

Brian Dean MS, RD is a registered dietitian and researcher. After years of research, Brian has set his sights on helping those with lower back pain.  He serves on the Medical Nutrition Committee for The American Society for Nutrition and is a professional member of numerous research organizations including the International Association for The Study of Pain, American Chronic Pain Society, and The American Dietetic Association. He recently created a research-based lower back pain treatment program called The Back Pain Diet which is available from his website Stop Lower Back Pain.

“There’s just no way”.

“How can sushi be bad for you?”

Despite my friends persistence, I refused to believe it: how could innocent, delicious sushi really be the nutritional equivalent of a cheeseburger?

Love it or hate it, sushi is one of the most popular dishes in the world. I’m a sushi fanatic myself, even though I can’t ever adequately explain how the thought of raw fish wrapped in dried seaweed makes my mouth water.

Deliciousness aside, sushi is a nutritional mystery. When I first broke sushi down part-by-part, it seems to pass the test for nutritious dishes:

Fish-Passes with flying colors

Seaweed-Basically a vegetable

Rice (brown or white)-A healthy grain

Soy Sauce-Lots of sodium, but otherwise OK

Wasabi-Hmm, what exactly is that stuff made of?

Besides wasabi, which was a question mark, sushi appeared to be what I always saw it as: a healthy and tasty meal.

After doing extensive research, I came to this conclusion: sushi is healthy after all (for the most part).

To illustrate this, let’s look at the most popular roll: The California Roll.

The USDA actually has nutrition facts available for sushi (your tax dollars at work). According to them, 1 California Roll has 255 calories, 7 grams of fat, 6 grams of fiber, and 9 grams of protein.  Considering a good portion of that fat comes in the form of omega-3s, sushi is looking good.

There were similar, or even better, nutrition profiles for other popuar rolls. Spicy tuna, salmon,avacado, and cucumber rolls were all nutritionally stellar. Anything with the word “tempura”, also known as fried, was not quite as favorable to your waistline-but still better than a steak.

Oh, and the green goo called wasabi. Wasabi is a member of the family of plants that produce all sorts of pungent spreads like mustard and horseradish. In terms of nutrition, it’s very low calorie.

There you have it, sushi is officially sanctioned by me as a healthy choice for dining out.

So the next time you plop a piece of sushi into your mouth, I hope it’s guilt-free.

Brian Dean MS, RD is a registered dietitian and researcher. After years of research, Brian has set his sights on helping those with lower back pain.  He serves on the Medical Nutrition Committee for The American Society for Nutrition and is a professional member of numerous research organizations including the International Association for The Study of Pain, American Chronic Pain Society, and The American Dietetic Association. He recently created a research-based lower back pain treatment program , ‘The Back Pain Diet’ which is available from his website Stop Lower Back Pain.

It’s about time the FDA stepped up to the supplement companies who produce and market supplements without regulation.  The multi-billion dollar supplement industry has influenced federal regulators to give them a “free ride” when it comes to producing supplements. Currently, supplements in the market don’t have to prove that they are safe or effective-or even whether they contain the ingredients they claim. mayo clinic diet

In case you don’t know the story of how supplement companies have literally getting way with murder since 1994, here is the quick and dirty version:

Orinn Hatch, the Utah senator, with huge backing from the supplement industry (which is largely based in Utah), fought against forcing supplement manufacturers to prove that their produtcs were safe. It’s bad enough to put the bottom line of corporations in your state in front of the health of the entire country. What’s even worse was that Senator Hatch’s son was a lobbyist for these same supplement companies at the same time that this law was put into effect. Can you say conflict of interest?

The situation is so out of control that even though the FDA has banned Hydroxycut, it doesn’t even know what ingredient may be causing the problem. This is due the fact that the supplement manufacturer isn’t obligated to provide the ingredient list.

Large scale, pharmactical grade safety regulations aren’t needed for supplements-which are generally safe. But to let the supplement makers get away with putting contaminated products and misleading claims on the shelves without an ounce of liability is downright criminal.

Brian Dean MS, RD is a registered dietitian and researcher. After years of research, Brian has set his sights on helping those with lower back pain.  He serves on the Medical Nutrition Committee for The American Society for Nutrition and is a professional member of numerous research organizations including the International Association for The Study of Pain, American Chronic Pain Society, and The American Dietetic Association. He recently created a research-based lower back pain treatment program , ‘The Back Pain Diet’ which is available from his website Stop Lower Back Pain.

In the realm of weight loss, we all would rather lose weight quickly vs. lose weight slowly. However, most dietitians and physicians will tell you that losing weight slowly and consistently is the best approach.

Even so, most patients tell me: “I want to lose weight quickly”. They admit: “I know that slow is better for my health, but if I don’t lose some quick weight I’m not going to look good for my wedding/vacation/20 year reunion.” Doctors and dietitians are all instinctively trained to slow that person down and look at the big picture: “it’s best to take your time with weight loss”.

Who is right? Today’s article is an investigation into whether it is ultimately harmful or helpful to lose weight quickly.

Should You Lose Weight Quick or Slow?

Losing Weight Quickly Is NOT The Way to Go

Because having a lot of extra weight can be detrimental to overall health, it might seem like trying to lose weight quickly would be the best approach: the faster it comes off, the faster you will be at a healthy weight. However, as anyone who has struggled with their weight will tell you: if you lose weight quickly, you will also gain the weight back very quickly.

So what does the research say is the better weight loss approach: losing weight quickly or taking your time? The research is pretty clear: trying to lose a bunch of quick weight is not only bad for your waistline but also may be dangerous.

Quick Weight Loss Danger #1

Decreased testosterone: Male or female, quick weight loss will do a number on your hormonal balance-especially in the area of testosterone.

Quick Weight Loss Danger #2

Dehydration: Many quick weight loss cures are only effective because they have some chemical compound in them that’s a diuretic. The weight is unfortunately not body fat, but simply water.

Quick Weight Loss Danger #3

Gallstones: Up to 25% of people who drop a bunch of quick weight end up will gallstones-a very painful condition that you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy.

Quick Weight Loss Danger #4

Electrolyte imbalances: the dehydration and semi-starvation from quick weight loss diets can combine for a life threatening dehydration effect.

As you can see, as tempting as quick weight loss can be, it doesn’t come without its risks.

Brian Dean MS, RD is a registered dietitian and researcher. After years of research, Brian has set his sights on helping those with lower back pain.  He serves on the Medical Nutrition Committee for The American Society for Nutrition and is a professional member of numerous research organizations including the International Association for The Study of Pain, American Chronic Pain Society, and The American Dietetic Association. He recently created a research-based lower back pain treatment program , ‘The Back Pain Diet’ which is available from his website Stop Lower Back Pain.

Cabbage Soup Diet

If you were to compare the kitchen and pantry of two people: one is struggling everyday to lose weight while the other person seems to effortlessly keep the weight off-you would find some drastic differences.

One of the most surprising differences is that people at a healthy weight actually have more food in their kitchen-not less. This reflects the fact that people who cook their own food tend to weigh less than those that eat out. Even with the best intentions, dining out more than once or twice a week is a nutritional minefield.

The differences don’t end there. People who can lose weight and keep it off tend to have 5 items at their disposal that gives them the most important weapon in the weight loss battle-making it convenient and easy. These are tremendously powerful fat fighting foods. Our grandiose plans for preparing a 3 course dinner every night of the week can dissolve faster than you can say: “my kid has the flu”.

Consider these 5 fat fighting foods your safety net for when life gets in the way of your weight loss plans.

Fat Fighting Food #1-Frozen Broccoli

Vegetables have huge upside: they are great for weight loss and have a ton of antioxidants. The downside is that they can also take the most time to prepare. Put frozen broccoli in a bowl, cover, and microwave for 5 minutes and you have an easy and healthy side dish.

Fat Fighting Food #2-Canned Salmon

I could write a dissertation on the health benefits of salmon. Besides being a healthy source of protein, salmond has a boatload of omega-3s which can help with fat burning. Salmon in a can is easy to make and always there for you in a pinch.

Fat Fighting Food #3-Frozen Berries

Another frozen winner. Frozen berries are delicious, convenient, and have a ton of fat and appetite fighting fiber. With frozen berries, you can make a smoothie, plop some over your oatmeal, or even throw a handful in your mouth.

Fat Fighting Food #4-Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce

Adding flavor to bland food also often means adding a bunch of calories. Reduced sodium soy sauce can turn bland food into a flavor filled masterpiece-by adding about 5 calories.

Fat Fighting Food #5-Salsa

Salsa is another low calorie way to add flavoring to food. After you start to use salsa as a topping to fish or as part of a side dish, you will see that salsa is much more than something to dip a tortilla chip into.

No matter what the diet gurus say, losing weight and keeping it off is hard.  By having these 5 items stocked in your kitchen you can make it easy-no matter what life throws at you.

Brian Dean MS, RD is a registered dietitian and researcher. After years of research, Brian has set his sights on helping those with lower back pain.  He serves on the Medical Nutrition Committee for The American Society for Nutrition and is a professional member of numerous cabbage soup diet research organizations including the International Association for The Study of Pain, American Chronic Pain Society, and The American Dietetic Association. He recently created a research-based lower back pain treatment program , ‘The Back Pain Diet’ which is available from his website Stop Lower Back Pain.

Nutrition information is notorious for being confusing, contradictory, and not exactly “user friendly”. Actually, the US government not only provides general guidelines for healthy eating but goes as as far as to actually recommend specific amounts of nutrients.

I’ll never forget this very interesting situation that happened during my undergraduate years as a dietetics student at The University of Rhode Island. My senior year, I was doing some house painting to help pay for school. During my lunch break for the day, I pulled out my bad of strawberries. My boss spontaneously asked me: “how much potassium is in a strawberry”? My response (I’ve edited it for this article-metabolism.com is a family friendly site): “I have no clue”. My boss was shocked that I didn’t know, as if I was spending all my time in college memorizing nutrition facts for every food on planet earth.

What I told him was that, not only is memorizing the nutrients of all foods impossible, it’s truly not necessary to eat healthy. In fact, you don’t even need to pay attention to the recommended amounts of nutrients that are on food labels-with 5 crucial exceptions.

10

10 is for the servings of colorful fruit and vegetables to eat everyday. This recommendation is not only based on the drastic reduction in chronic disease risk for those that eat 10 servings, but it most accurately reflects the way our ancestors used to eat.

Unfortunately, most Americans fall far short of this amount. For many, it takes a giant shift in eating patterns to reach 5 servings (the old recommendation), never mind 10.  Trust me, that “giant shift” is well worth it. It will likely not only help your body fight disease, but you will have more energy as well.

3

3 is for the servings of fatty fish to be eaten on a weekly basis. Fatty fish provides a boatload of omega-3 fats. The omega-3 fats found in fish are incredibly good at decreasing inflammation-the underlying cause of chronic disease. Besides the long-term health benefits, there is some very interesting research that suggests eating fatty fish can actually boost memory and mood.

0

0 is for the amount of trans fat that you should allow into your body. A consistent intake of trans fat drastically increases chronic inflammation. The increase in chronic disease in people who eat trans fat is so strongly documented that certain cities (New York City) and countries (Denmark) have either set limits or outright banned trans fat altogether.

25

25 is the minimum grams of fiber that should be consumed daily. Fiber regulates appetite, reduces colon cancer risk, and even aids in weight control. If you eat 10 colorful fruits and veggies everyday, you will be well on your way to achieving this. It’s important to note that it’s preferable to get fiber from food sources such as produce and whole grains as opposed to fiber supplements. But however you get it-make sure you are getting at least 25 grams!

2000

2000 is the amount (in international units, or IUs) of vitamin D you need everyday. Vitamin D’s role in human health cannot be understated. A deficiency in vitamin D negatively impacts your entire body. Despite this, most Americans are vitamin D deficient.  This is because getting 2000 IUs everyday can be a real challenge. Most of our vitamin D comes from sunlight-something that is difficult to get considering that nowadays we spend most of our time indoors. Diet is no help-there are very few foods that contain significant amounts of vitamin D. Taking a daily vitamin D supplement can make this a sinch.

10, 3, 25, 0, 2000: the 5 most important numbers you may ever learn.

Brian Dean MS, RD is a registered dietitian and researcher. After years of research, Brian has set his sights on helping those with lower back pain.  He serves on the Medical Nutrition Committee for The American Society for Nutrition and is a professional member of numerous research organizations including the International Association for The Study of Pain, American Chronic Pain Society, and The American Dietetic Association. He recently created a research-based lower back pain treatment program called The Back Pain Diet which is available from his website Stop Lower Back Pain.