part0007

When I had a final list of foods that would likely allow me to lose weight, and keep that weight for years, I decided to Google all of them to check all their benefits and make sure that I’d get all necessary vitamins and minerals from them. I wanted to avoid any supplements (if possible) and I wanted to check whether I’d have any side effects due to a lack of missing minerals or vitamins. I also wanted to check whether or not I should exclude some of them because of something bad. I learned that goitrogens ( substances that suppress the function of the thyroid gland) found in raw, cruciferous veggies are bad for those with a low thyroid if eaten in excess and if iodine intake is low at the same time, because a goiter might result. I also learned that nightshade veggies cause arthritis problems for some people, and that legumes can cause stomach problems.

After meticulously checking each food on my list, I decided to call this diet a Clean Foods Superfoods Smart Carbs diet. Most people associate the term Superfoods with some sort of exotic berries, like the Acai berry, the Goji berry, or the Noni berry. These berries are great – they’re full of antioxidants – but you can’t live on them. So when you hear me say “Superfoods,” think regular Superfoods, like spinach, broccoli, quinoa, olive oil, garlic, kale, and salmon… basically foods that have nothing bad in them and have many health benefits.

I mentioned earlier that I wanted to have a diet that would keep my appetite and cravings under control. Some people might think that counting calories is all that matters, but they don't take appetite and cravings into equation and I wanted to make sure that I didn’t have any cravings. Think about it: What chances you have to shed successfully off some pounds if you're hungry all the time and you can't take pizza and chocolate bars off your mind? Zero! It is much easier to be on a diet when you're not hungry all the time and when you don't have cravings. How can this be achieved? By switching to Superfoods!! Switching to Superfoods will change your palate, it will clean your body of toxins, and it will stabilize your insulin sensitivity and blood sugar level. That is half of the job!!

Glucose drives insulin. Insulin drives fat. Fatty acids will not be released into the bloodstream to be used as energy if your glucose level is high. If you eat a diet that causes your blood sugar to be frequently high, all energy you consume that is not immediately needed will be stored in your fat cells and will not be released. You will not get to use all of the 700 calories you eat at one meal, only the 100 or so you need immediately, and thus you will soon be hungry again, and will over-eat. But if your blood sugar is stable and you can access that stored energy you will not be hungry and you won't over-eat. It doesn't matter if you are eating fat or glucose; your body will convert what it’s got to what it needs. Every major nutritional philosophy pegs sugar as being a major problem. Circulating saturated fatty acids found in the blood (known as triglycerides in the lipid panel), are indeed a major risk factor in heart disease, but the majority of these saturated fatty acids are almost without exception the result of liver secretions, and are the consequence of a diet that is high in refined carbohydrates.

Some people are more sensitive to the hormonal effects of insulin and cortisol than other people are. The more sensitive you are, the more you're likely to get fat. Insulin is the primary hormone that fixes fat in the fat cells. This is why Type I diabetics lose weight: they're not producing enough insulin. Since insulin is manufactured in direct response to carbohydrates, if you don't eat carbohydrates, you won't have a mechanism by which to store fat .

Since Superfoods are whole foods and completely opposite of processed foods, switching to Superfoods will have a double effect on your body. You will stop eating processed foods, meaning you’ll have zero intake of any chemicals, additives, food colorings, flavor enhancers and all other nastiness found in processed food. You will also stop ingesting chemicals found in processed foods and their packaging. Think about how bad plastic can be for your health! Bisphenol-A ( BPA ) is found in can linings. At the same time, you’ll be eating Superfoods which do not contain any chemicals found in processed food, but contain phytonutrients and antioxidants. These Superfoods will detox your body. That detox will regulate your blood sugar level and insulin sensitivity, which will lower your sugar cravings. After 10-15 days all these changes will result in a palate change and you won’t crave processed food with flavor enhancers. You will learn to appreciate natural taste of the whole foods. That is half of the job on your path to a healthier you!

After that change, you will feel great and energetic. Your body won't crave the salty and fatty food you used to snack on, or the sweet and fatty food you used to gobble up a daily basis. The 280 calories from a chocolate bar and the 280 calories from a lean protein meat with fiber-loaded salad are not the same. More water and more fiber in your diet translates into a larger amount of food that will offer you more stretch; you will get fuller faster and you’ll stay fuller much longer, and benefit from the antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and phytonutrients you’ll get from these Superfoods.

When you choose the right foods, and understand how these foods react with your body, you will not have cravings for processed foods anymore. When I started this diet for the first time, I sometimes thought, Hey, I have lost some weight, I deserve a treat, so I'll have pizza for lunch or I’ll have a small chocolate bar for dessert , but after a few weeks I realized that I didn’t want these foods, and that I was not craving them at all. I simply stopped eating them, and I felt much prouder of myself for it.

After 8-9 months on the Superfoods diet, I went from 275 pounds (125 kg) to 195 pounds (89 kg). This was in the beginning of 2010. I felt great, looked decent, and decided that any additional weight loss would have to wait for a while. Since then, my weight went from 195 pounds (89 kg) to 210 pounds (95 kg) and back.

In March 2014,I decided to try to go under 195 pounds and describe that effort in a blog. But because I wanted to share everything about Superfoods diet, my investigation turned into a book. I’m writing this in June 2014 and I’m at 180 pounds (82 kg) and looking to go under 180 pounds in the following months.

When I mentioned that switching to Superfoods will have a double effect on your body, you can look at that fact from another perspective: your ability to avoid health problems. Basically, there are really only 2 health problems, toxicity and deficiency. These conditions can lead to vast array of diseases (actually symptoms of toxicity or deficiency).

Toxicity is a bigger problem than deficiency with modern American diets. Processed food is toxic. Toxicity is a state of being infested and overwhelmed with materials that are known to cause problems in the body, specifically to the central nervous system. The body has filtering systems that enable it to deal with the toxins that it is exposed to. However, when these systems become overloaded, toxins can accumulate in the body and cause hundreds of different symptoms that lead to chronic disease. Toxicity combined with nutritional deficiency is a recipe for disaster. Our bodies need good nutrition to be able to rebuild and repair properly.

If the body has the right supplies or materials it can heal itself of almost anything. If you are toxic, you can cleanse. If you are deficient, you can replenish. Processed food is toxic. Superfoods cleanse. Superfoods replenish any deficiencies. Clearly, Superfoods are the solution.