Caffeine and weight loss; Debunking popular myths...
Caffeine and weight loss; Debunking popular myths
Posted by darren craddock in Alternative Health News on February 19, 2010 | no responses
Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing author, researcher and Naturopath Dr Jeffry Weiss abnout his proven theories with regards to metabolism, caffeine and weight loss. Were I to say that the interview was fascinating would be an understatement. Where many people expound upon their theories in this realm, Jeffry has not only researched this subject extensively over several decades, he has also put it into practice clinically with very impressive results.
In his book; THE CAFFEINE DIET: SIPPING YOUR WAY TO SLIM, Jeffry has sought to explain in great detail why it is nigh on impossible to effectively lose weight on a conventional diet. The reasons for this are as follows: Basically when you begin to lose weight, the body thinks you are starving and subsequently slows your metabolism. Jeffry explains that were we to try to lose weight with only dietary means, we would have to reduce caloric intake to somewhere around 800 calories a day or less, rendering it very hard for us to obtain all necessary vitamins and minerals. This would affect many essential processes in our body and swiftly become detrimental to our health. Even the strongest of dieters would start developing cravings that would soon sabotage their most noble dieting efforts.
A profound question thus arises: How can we increase metabolism and thus not have to suffer draconian dietary restriction that ultimately sabotages us. Increased metabolism makes it possible for us to burn calories more effectively and also leaves us with a more consistent energy level. Low metabolism is not confined to a handful of people. Back in the 50′s about 10% of our population were dealing with this challenge. Experts like Dr Weiss and others conservatively estimate that those percentages have dramatically shifted and that we currently can count on at least 50% of the population suffering from low metabolism. When we become more aware of this we find it hardly surprising that obesity rates are skyrocketing. So what is the culprit, one might ask. The answer lies to a large extent in our water supply and it is fluoride. Fluoride competes with iodine in the thyroid gland, the gland responsible for maintaining optimal metabolism. With our diets low in iodine and high exposure to fluoride, it becomes increasingly difficult for us to maintain a healthy metabolism. Even as little as 1 part per million of fluoride inhibits DNA repair activity by as much as 50% and in animal studies such a level has shown demonstrable chromosome damage. Moreover the forms of fluoride used in municipal water supplies; sodium fluoride and aluminum fluoride are hard to remove from the body and have numerous detrimental effects from poor thyroid function, brain related disorders such as Alzheimers and others. Good water filtration is essential, and although few systems offer effective removal of fluoride from water there are a few that do. One that I have experience with is the Berkey Water filters which have an add on component called a PF-2 filter that will remove fluoride and arsenic up to 99%. This is essential if you are serious about reestablishing a healthy metabolism, as is the use of a fluoride free toothpaste. Most health food stores offer them but not all of their toothpastes are fluoride free. Other chemicals such as chlorine and PCB’s affect thyroid function and happily these can all be removed from your water with the use of Berkey Water filters .
Knowing now how important the thyroid gland is in metabolism and maintaining a healthy weight, one might ask how else we can improve thyroid function. Mainstream allopathic medicine prescribes synthetic thyroid to basically do the thyroid’s work for it. The drugs commonly prescribed are a one size fits all approach that is not effective in restoring a healthy metabolism.
Dr Weiss’s research and from the patients he has seen in the last 20 years, it is clear that the thyroid gland is sensitive to a variety of influences; dietary, lifestyle, and environment. Basically if we eat more toxic foods and are increasingly more exposed to pollution, petrochemical and industrial wastes, and heavy metals thyroid problems will continue to be a major problem in our society. The facts show that around 80% of women and men in the United States have thyroid issues. So what of other factors play a role in weight loss?
Exercise, calorie reduction, boosting metabolic rate and promoting fat burning. We have seen that calorie reduction does not work effectively. Exercise does help a great deal but to boost metabolism and reduce weight we need to increase our metabolism more consistently than just during a workout. This is where caffeine comes in. If you drink the equivalent of 100mg of caffeine, about 1/3 of a cup of coffee just before you eat will help reduce cravings, help you eat less and burn more calories. Try a healthier coffee called Nutricafe and you will eliminate jitters plus get additional benefits too.
