T-Day Tip: Reader Question & Answer

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I hope you enjoyed the holiday weekend, wherever you were! Here in NYC, the weather didn't turn out as badly as was predicted, and Saturday and Sunday were glorious.

I spent some time at the Met on Friday, exploring some of my favorite paintings from the permanent collections, as well as an exhibition of Garry Winogrand's stunning photography. To me, his photos capture this very specific feeling of nostalgia for a New York that I never knew, but yearn for, with a side of Americana. They're photos that make you smile and laugh; they elicit pure joy. If you're a local, or will be in the area anytime before September 21st, I highly recommend checking it out!

An iconic Garry Winogrand photograph from the New York
World's Fair, 1964

Besides spending time ambling around the Met, cooking, sitting in the sun, and catching up on reading, I spent a good amount of time programming for my clients, writing group fitness class programs and scheduling future Meetups, and answering some of my clients' and blog readers' questions. I frequently get asked either "What foods should I avoid to lose weight," or "What foods should I eat to lose weight?" This question may seem benign, but with recent research dispelling the belief that the one thing that affects weight is calories in and calories out, the answer becomes much more complicated.

What to eat and what to avoid? It's not always clear,
but it's almost always different for each person

I don't like to espouse one particular method of eating over another, partially because I am still trying to figure it out for myself, and because even if I had, no single thing works for everyone. We're all different from a physiological standpoint, and one food may affect me much differently than it affects someone else. I do, however, believe in the power of bio-hacking in its most simple form to figure out how particular foods affect you individually. For example, a reader told me recently that she was often bloated and her belly felt distended and uncomfortable at times. She confided that she put on 5 pounds over the past year and could not seem to get rid of the weight despite her best efforts to eat well and exercise.

Some of the, erm, unpleasant side effects
of belly bloat

I immediately suggested that she eliminate two things from her diet for at least two weeks and see what happens. Those two things are gluten and dairy. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Ugh! Not another health expert who drank the Paleo/Primal Kool-Aid." Before making any wild assumptions, allow me to explain my suggestion. First, many recent studies demonstrate that while approximately only one in 133 people has celiac disease--or a condition that causes your body to react severely whenever you ingest even a tiny amount of gluten--about 30-40% of the population has a gluten sensitivity. This means that their bodies cannot metabolize the protein, and a host of unpleasant side effects are the result: joint pain, brain fog, gastrointestinal problems (i.e. bloating, cramping, IBS-like symptoms, etc.) to name a few. I suggested to this reader that she eliminate gluten and see how she feels after the two weeks. I advised her to try rice or corn tortillas (making sure the labels read "gluten-free!") to replace bread, and rice or quinoa pasta to replace the standard.

These days, gluten-free options are ubiquitous

Dairy, particularly from cows, is a food group that causes an auto-immune response in a significant portion of the population. According to a recent article I read on Mensfitness.com, about 10% of the population has some level of lactose intolerance. "Dairy bloat" is a result of lactose passing through the small intestines undigested because the body lacks the enzyme needed to break the lactose down into smaller, digestible particles. Once the lactose makes it to your large intestine, the gut bacteria waiting there devour it, releasing gas that causes you to feel bloated and uncomfortable. Another contributing factor to bloat is that undigested lactose throws off the water balance in your organs, causing too much water to be stored in your large intestine, therefore contributing to that bloated sensation. This reader told me that she frequently eats greek yogurt and cream cheese on gluten-rich bagels. While I have yet to discover a worthy dairy-free yogurt replacement, not to mention cream cheese alternative, I encouraged her to ditch it temporarily and monitor how she feels.

This cheese plate may look irresistible, but if you're plagued by
belly bloat, it may be best to go without for awhile.

After going gluten-and-dairy free for at least two weeks, I asked her to report back. Then I told her that she can start reintroducing one of those foods slowly, tracking how she feels. If there is no digestive disruption, I said to go ahead and try reintroducing the other food. Chances are, she will experience some side effects from one or the other, and therefore be able to identify the culprit of the bloating. While this knowledge in and of itself will not necessarily result in weight loss, it will make her tummy feel tighter and more toned. When we feel good physically, we're more likely to make healthy eating choices, so this could be the catalyst she's looking for to drop those 5 pesky pounds!

I'll report back in a couple of weeks on her progress! Enjoy the week, everyone!