Natalie Cassidy Loses Weight

Natalie Cassidy lost about 56 pounds recently. She's got five new habits that led to her weight loss. See her tips here.

The French Paradox

According to the World Health Organization, 82 out of every 100,000 French men between ages 35 and 74 died as a result of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the year 2000. In that same year, 216 out of 100,000 men between the same ages in the U.S. succumbed to the same disease.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, during roughly the same time period, the average French person ate slightly more total fat and almost three times more animal fat than the average American. Animal fats came from dairy, lard, red meats, fish and poultry, and contributed to a much higher overall saturated fat intake in the French. This has been called the "French paradox", the paradox being that saturated fat is supposed to cause CVD.

Researchers have been scrambling to identify the factor that is protecting French hearts from the toxic onslaught of saturated fat. What could possibly be preventing the buttery sludge coursing through their arteries from killing them on the spot? One hypothesis is that wine is protective. Although the modern French don't actually drink much more alcohol than Americans on average, wine contains a number of molecules that are potentially protective.

One of these that has gotten a lot of attention is resveratrol, an activator of SIRT1, a deacetylase enzyme that is involved in stress resistance and lifespan regulation. But lo and behold, it turns out that there isn't enough of it in wine to be helpful. Now researchers are turning their attention to a class of molecules called procyanidins, but I suspect that this will turn up negative as well. The protective molecule is probably ethanol, but no one wants to hear that because it doesn't resolve the paradox.

As a person with a French background who has spent quite a bit of time in France, the notion of a French paradox is insulting. It implies that the French are eating an unhealthy diet, but are somehow miraculously protected by a compound they're ingesting by accident. Any French person will tell you there is no paradox. When you make a commitment to seek out the freshest, most delicious ingredients available and cook them yourself, your diet will be healthier than if you count the grams of this and that on your TV dinner.

There's more. Americans consume almost twice the amount of sugar as the average French person. I find this surprising, given the large amount of sugar I've seen on French tables, but I think it speaks to the huge amount of sugar we consume in the US. Much of it probably comes from the high-fructose corn syrup in soda. I'll save my rant about that for another time.

Another thing that stands out about French food habits is the absence of snacking. Mealtimes in France tend to be well-defined, and grazing is looked down upon. I think this is probably essential for maintaining adequate insulin sensitivity in the face of (delicious) refined carbohydrates like baguette.

And finally, the French enjoy their food more than the average nation. I wouldn't underestimate the value of this for health and overall well-being.

So what was the paradox again? I can't remember. Maybe a more parsimonious explanation of the data is that saturated fat isn't so bad after all, and enjoying wholesome food and limiting sugar is the true prescription for health.

Thanks to Gaetan Lee for the creative commons photo.

This Moaning

Not that I am really moaning or anything, but I am still 16 stone 5 pounds today. I think that's pretty cool, but I had hoped maybe just to edge it down, say, half a pound or so by today.

Nevermind.

I know that next weeks weigh in might be a little awry because of the dreaded curse... So we shall see.

Hello to LIBSMOM who left a comment. Great to know you are reading, and I shall be dropping by your blog too definitely! Its great to spur each other on.

Right, today's food has been...

1/2 apple
1 nutrigrain bar
some pasta, 3 meatballs and tomato sauce
Spanish Tortilla (like omelette with potato in it) and salad

I have no idea what the calories were for that little lot, but like I said its a LITTLE lot! Gotta be under 1000 for sure.

I remember once trying to eat less than 1000 calories a day for a while... This was eons ago... it was sheer torture. I still wonder how its possible that I only eat this small amount! I am so in lurve with my band - its the Business!

Reaching Goal Weight

Even though she's 'a mom to the screaming masses' Carmen has now reached her goal weight.

She weighed 206 pounds after her sixth pregnancy but has since lost 75 to 80 pounds. She did this by exercising regularly and eating what she calls the ELFF diet. ELFF stands for eat less fatty foods. See her story and before and after photos here.

Star Jones - Weight of Marriage is Over

The National Enquirer is reporting that Star Jones and Al Reynolds are separating. They've been married for three years.

Star Jones has lost a lot of weight and changed her appearance drastically since she met Al Reynolds. Apparently she wants a divorce as she thinks her husband was taking advantage of her success and she did all the work. "Deep down, Star is a very old-fashioned woman who believes a man should support her emotionally, physically and financially. She now believes Al failed her.”

Real Food II: Vinaigrette

Store-bought salad dressing is a crime against humanity.

'Ranch', '1000 Island' and other industrial monstrosities are a good way to put yourself underground in a hurry. From bottom-rung oils to artificial preservatives, they contain some of the most frightening ingredients you're likely to see in a grocery store.

Homemade salad dressing is one of the simplest, tastiest and healthiest recipes I know. If made properly, it's creamy, light and flavorful. I consider it my civic duty to spread the word about homemade salad dressing, also known as vinaigrette.

For a medium-sized salad, put two tablespoons of vinegar into your empty salad bowl. Add a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of dijon mustard. Add three tablespoons of olive oil and stir until it's creamy and homogenous. That's it! Add your salad, toss and enjoy. The tossing is essential.

I always use extra-virgin olive oil. My favorite vinegar is unpasteurized, unfiltered apple cider vinegar. You may add garlic, tarragon, mint, basil, green onions or miso to your dressing for extra flavor.

How tight are you?

Oh man oh man!
I am SO tight today. My band has not been very friendly today AT ALL.
This morning I took my tablets and had a coffee, then on the way to the meeting I ate a banana. It didn't feel too good and I thought I might pb, but I didn't. We had lunch at the hall and I could only eat 1 forkful of food. Went out afterwards for an hour with Janet which was great and when I got home I thought I would try and finish the lunch. Na! I had a coffee and then started on my lunch again and 1 forkful later... I was all over and had to pb. Well strange.

There is not a blockage or anything because I can swallow liquids fine... I don't feel choked or anything and I was feeling hungry, so I thought I would be ok. Obviously I was hungry so goodness knows what was going on in there.

I then took Ds and the girls skating. I was feeling really weak having only had a banana and 2 mouthfuls of food and I succumbed to the torturous mars bar. However, by the time I got back I had to pb on that too! I cannot believe I couldn't even eat the mars bar.

So stuff dinner tonight. Its not worth the effort. I feel a little bit raw to be honest and I am gonna stick with liquids for the rest of the day. I cant face another pb today.

I wonder why I am so tight today? I have absolutely no idea.

Anyway, our Spanish lodgers are fitting right in to family life. DS, Xandra and Maria were all on the sofa watching a film - so cute!

Today's food:

1 banana

2 spoons of couscous

1 olive

1 mars bar

half litre of orange juice

Ho hum.