Weight Loss and Grape Seed Extract

By Bonnie Jenkins, Advanced Natural Medicine

Yesterday, when I was grocery shopping, I couldn’t help but notice all of the new low-carb convenience foods littering the shelves of my local Albertsons. They seemed to be everywhere – salad dressings, pasta sauce, bread, even ice cream! Since label reading is second nature to me, of course I started to scan the nutritional labels – and what I found was utterly amazing. What most of these products lacked in carbohydrates, they more than made up for in . . . fat! Lots of it.

Carb Crazy

Admittedly, there are some good things about low-carb, high protein diets. The South Beach Diet, in particular, promotes lots of vegetables with moderate amounts of lean meat, fish and cheese during the first two weeks. Beginning the third week, South Beachers can add fruits and whole grains.

Maybe the most important thing we can glean from low carb diets is that you should get your carbs from natural sources – fruits, vegetables and whole grains. We should all be eating more of these foods. At the same time, these diets can teach us to ban refined carbs like white flour and sugar.

But some low-carb diets make all carbs evil. The Atkins plan, for instance, can make dieters obsessed with bunless burgers and overpriced low-carb convenience foods. And the produce aisle? Forget it! This type of extreme diet, practiced on a long-term basis, can expose dieters to unhealthy levels of saturated fats. And because the diet focuses so heavily on meat, fiber intake is often so low that constipation becomes a problem.

Personally, I have a problem with any diet that focuses on one food group or nutrient at the expense of others. Carbohydrates are essential to the body, and severely restricting carb-intake for more than a brief period can result in nausea and fatigue, and poses a risk to kidney function.

Of course, if you’re insulin resistant, have diabetes or some other blood sugar control challenge, it’s important to manage your carbohydrate intake. But, for most of us, there’s more to choosing healthy foods than their carbohydrate count. Research shows that a diet rich in whole foods like fruits, vegetables and complex carbohydrates (whole grains and legumes) are the best choices for long, healthy lives at healthy weights.

Caught in the Net

If you have tried one of the low-carb diets, you already know that another problem with shopping for low-carb foods is the new jargon that leaves many consumers more than challenged. What does ‘net carbs’ actually mean? How about ‘Effective Carb Count’ and ‘Net Impact Carbs?’

Since there is no official definition for ‘net carbs,’ it’s hard to come up with a true definition. But in general, they’re defined as total carbohydrates minus the carbohydrates used in the product that don’t affect blood sugar – like fiber or sugar alcohols. Indeed, these terms were originally coined as a way that diabetics could distinguish carb-containing foods that have less impact on blood sugars.

After we eat carbohydrates like starch or sugar, blood sugar (glucose) rises as insulin is released to move the glucose into the cell (a necessary process to produce energy to run the body, by the way). But when starch and/or sugar are replaced with fiber, glycerine, sugar alcohols like sorbitol or xylitol, or sugar substitutes, the product contains fewer carbohydrates that affect blood sugar. To get the net carbohydrate value, manufacturers subtract the grams of fiber, sugar alcohols and glycerine from the product’s grams of total carbohydrates.

Here’s how a popular low carb candy bar figures its net carbohydrates:

25 g. total carbohydrate minus 11 g. fiber, 3 g. sugar alcohol and 9 g. glycerine = 2 net carbs.

Keep in mind, however, that just because something is lower in carbs doesn’t mean it’s lower in calories. As I said earlier, carbs are often are replaced with fat, which may actually increase the calorie content. The low carbohydrate candy bar above contains 220 calories, only 10 calories less than a similar, regular (and better-tasting, in my opinion) candy bar!

Not that low-fat convenience foods are any better. Many replace the fat with sugar. Snackwell’s low-fat cream-filled sandwich cookies are 55 calories each and boast 10.5 g. carbs. But an Oreo – a real one – is only 47 calories and 6.7 g. carbs! Another ploy of low-fat snack foods is the inclusion of phony fats like olestra that can send your gastrointestinal tract into a tizzy, causing abdominal cramps and diarrhea.

One of the biggest pitfalls of ‘diet’ foods – whether low-carb or low-fat – is the mindset that they’re ‘free.’ But, as we’ve seen, many of these prepared foods actually contain more calories than the original, and if they’re high in sugar alcohols like sorbitol and mannitol, they can have a laxative effect when eaten in large quantities.

Back to Basics

So what’s a dieter to do? Surprisingly, the answer is the same as it was 20 years ago – cut calories. No it’s not as sexy as South Beach or as novel as Atkins. But it’s the only surefire way to lose weight.

Here’s the deal – forget about tempting marketing claims of low carb or low-fat ‘diet’ foods – enjoy the real thing. Just eat less of it! Like I’ve told you before, portion size counts. Check out the serving size on food packaging or peruse cookbooks that list nutritional information to learn how much you should be eating. For example: the general rule for one serving is four ounces of meat or one-half cup of rice. By sticking to the appropriate serving size, you’ll easily cut a few hundred calories a day. And ditch the junk food. No matter how tasty, low-cal or calorie-free garbage has no place in a health weight-loss plan.

In addition, eating at least three balanced meals and a healthy snack or two a day is what most active people need to feel well. That means including lean protein, “good” fats like olive oil and a healthy amount of complex carbohydrates in your meals.

Losing weight is almost always a good thing, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of a healthful diet. But then, if you’re an ANMB reader, you already knew that.

One Last Thing ...

If you’re looking for a magic bullet to speed your weight loss, there are none. But a small study from Maastricht University in the Netherlands has found that grape seed extract could help keep active people from overeating.

The researchers found that GSE reduces the calorie intake in people with above average energy requirements. In their randomized, double-blind, cross-over study, 51 normal to overweight men and women took 300 mg. of GSE 30-60 minutes before breakfast, lunch and dinner, for three days. Lunch and dinner was eaten in the university restaurant while standard breakfasts and snacks were provided for eating at home. All of the participants were told to eat until they felt full.

After a washout period of three weeks, the subjects repeated the exercise, but this time with a placebo pill.

While the scientists didn’t see any overall difference in how many calories the subjects consumed on either the GSE or the placebo, the 23 subjects who were the most physically active actually ate four percent fewer calories when they supplemented with GSE.

While previous animal studies show that the polyphenols in GSE stimulate the breakdown of fat, the Maastricht researchers believe that grape seed also delays the absorption of food, which means that dieters don’t feel hungry and therefore eat less food. But, if this study is any indication, it only works if you’re active – and that means exercise.

This Just In ...

The other day, I got a plea from one reader named June, who asked if I knew of anything that could help ease the psoriasis on her hands. Apparently, June has tried every drug on the planet to relieve her symptoms and nothing has worked – not surprising, since conventional medicine really doesn’t have an effective solution for this chronic skin disorder.

June’s e-mail couldn’t have been more timely, since I had just read a study that seemed to offer a real solution – and the most amazing thing is that the part of the answer has probably been in June’s kitchen all along.

According to the study, which appeared in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine, a simple mixture of honey, olive oil and beeswax is an effective topical remedy to ease both psoriasis and eczema. For two weeks, 21 people with eczema and 18 with psoriasis applied the honey mixture to half their body and a placebo cream to the other half. By the end of the trial, 63 percent of the psoriasis sufferers experienced marked relief. The eczema patients fared even better, with 80 percent reporting a significant improvement in their symptoms – especially the itching, scaling and oozing.

How can something so simple be so effective? All three ingredients are anti-inflammatory agents. And the honey and olive oil also boast antibacterial properties and contain flavonoids that help protect cells. The result is less pain, faster healing and a decrease in scarring. But you won’t find this natural remedy on store shelves. You can, however, make it at home. Just combine equal parts of raw honey, beeswax and cold-pressed olive oil in a small pan and slowly warm over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the beeswax has melted. Remove from the heat and pour into a clean glass jar. Cap tightly and store in the refrigerator. While this mixture should keep for up to three months, you can add a teaspoon of vitamin E oil to extend its shelf life and boost its healing powers. Now that’s what I call sweet relief!

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References:

Al-Waili NS. “Topical application of natural honey, beeswax and olive oil mixture for atopic dermatitis or psoriasis: partially controlled, single-blinded study.” Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 2003 ;11:226-234.

Hoggard L. “Carbs. vs. Calories: The Great Diet Debate.” WRAL.com. 15 Apr 2003.

“Low-carb craze, or low-carb crazy?” Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter. October 2003; 4-5.

Vogels N, et al. “The effect of grape-seed extract on 24 h energy intake in humans.” European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2004; 58:667-673.

“What do "net carb," "low carb," and "impact carb" really mean on food labels?” Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2003;11:18.