Taking the REDBOOK Wedding Dress Challenge? This menu planner, which was created by nutritionist Stella Metsovas using the challenge guidelines, will have you zipping up that gown by June! Read more: Meal Planner Tool – Healthy Recipes – Redbook

“You definitely want to limit the amount of fiber you take in 2 hours before and after exercising. In addition to flaxseeds, stay away from fiber supplements, bran, and high-fiber breads and opt for a mixture of protein and carbohydrates instead right before your workout.”

This award-winning nutritionist answers your pressing diet questions.

Between some studies touting the newest superfoods and others declaring those same foods diet-killers, we were feeling nutritionally confused. So we asked Stella Metsovas (pictured), Citysearch’s “Best Nutritionist” and founder of W8less Nutrition, our big questions about food

Q: What’s the best way to get protein in a vegan diet?
A: Click here.

Q: What’s the best dairy-free option: coconut, rice or almond milk?
A: Click here.

Q: I always avoid high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup, but someone recently told me corn syrup isn’t bad–only HFCS is. What’s the truth?
A: Click here.

Q: Someone told me I should take a daily probiotic. I already eat plain yogurt. Is it just as good?
A: Click here.

Time to clean the fridge!

Fred and Barney may have had it right. Humans have been on the Earth much longer than cookies, cakes and individually wrapped cheese slices. And, our lean, mean fighting machine ancestors lived healthful. Today, many people are turning back time with their eating habits, following what is known as the Paleo, or Primal, diet.

Digging up the Diet

After she graduated college, Melissa Ott, 23, of Pittsburgh, wanted to be fit and lean. She and her boyfriend hit the gym and ate lean meats, whole grains and organic fruit. A year later, she remained a size 12. In June 2011, Ott came across Loren Cordain’s book, “The Paleo Diet.”

“I was attracted to the Paleo diet because eating many fruits and veggies was encouraged,” she said. “A caveman wouldn’t have walked past a berry bush without eating some of the berries. I fell in love with the idea of eating like our ancestors because it just makes sense. If our bodies are designed to eat a certain way, we should eat that way for optimal performance. You wouldn’t put diesel in a gas-burning car, so why would you feed yourself grains when your body isn’t designed to burn grains as fuel?”

While there are several variations to the diet — depending on whose book you read — in general the Primal diet promotes eating as our ancestors would: fish, nuts, berries and vegetables. It cuts grains, dairy and legumes.

In her first week, Ott lost nearly five pounds. By the end of the first month, she had shed 10 pounds and was down one pant size. Her energy level was up, her skin was clearer and her migraines and frequent stomach cramps were gone.

“When I make a change to how I eat, it’s not simply to lose weight,” she said. “I change how I eat to see if I can increase my wellness, my fitness and my energy levels.”

Health Benefits of Paleo

Robb Wolf, author of “The Paleo Solution,” agrees that the primary advantage of the Paleo Diet is not weight loss. But, he says, looking smashing in an evening gown or tuxedo is also great motivation.

“The body fat you lose is such a no-brainer, so we rarely talk it. What we’re really interested in is reversing systematic inflammatory diseases that are killing people,” he said, citing his own health issues as the catalyst for his change: In 1998, while he was working as a biochemist and living a vegan lifestyle, he became viciously sick.

“You name it, I had it,” he said, rattling off problems such as colitis, high triglycerides and depression, adding that his mother was also becoming intolerant to dairy and grains.

Wolf thought that if you take out grains, dairy and legumes, what else is there to eat? Then it hit him; before farmers, you had hunter-gatherers. His research led him to Cordain, whom he calls his mentor. Wolf saw immediate results with the Paleo Diet and later opened a gym in Chico, California, where he began teaching the diet to clients.

“This is the most vitamins, minerals and antioxidants for the fewest calories you can get,” he said, citing another one of the benefits: slower aging. People can’t believe he’s in his 40s.

The Paleo Push … and Pushback

While several books contributed to the popularity of paleo, Wolf says everyday people drove the diet’s growth as they began to compare notes online of their successes.

“It just went viral,” he said. “There was once very limited information, and it just exploded. ‘Paleo Diet’ has surpassed ‘vegan diet’ in search terms.”

Ott’s online searches for recipes no doubt contribute to that trend — and make adhering to the diet much easier.

“There is an extensive online community of paleo enthusiasts, so finding good recipes is actually super easy,” she said. “The recipes themselves are easy to make, and nothing tastes weird or funny or different.”

The only drawback for Ott and her boyfriend is the cost. While they already paid a bit more for organic produce, the introduction of eating free range and grass-fed meat daily has upped their grocery bill — a cost they are willing to pay for a longer, more active life.

Not everyone is a believer in the benefits, though..

“Some people give me weird looks when I explain that I eat like a caveman,” Ott said.

Wolf adds that many discount the Paleo Diet because carbs are eliminated. That’s not true, he says. The diet is actually carb neutral and allows foods such as sweet potatoes and summer squash.

Don’t completely withdraw from your current eating regimen at once, cautions Stella Metsovas, a food and science clinical nutrition expert based in Laguna Beach, California.

“Rather, I’d suggest replacing one meal per day and remain paleo within that meal for a complete month,” she says. “The following month, try and replace another meal. Keep track of your health through a journal or online tracker such as LiveStrong’s MyPlate.”

Last updated on: Sep 26, 2011

Resources

• WBUR; Living Prehistorically In a Modern Age; Andrea Shea; May 2010
• Robb Wolf: The Paleo Solution
• Mark’s Daily Apple; Charcoal Roasted Pork Loin; Mark Sisson
• “The Primal Blueprint”; Mark Sisson; 2009
• “W8less”: Stella Metsovas

Jim Nesbitt cross-trained five days a week and was fairly trim at 174 lbs. Except, he says, “my belly stuck out.” Frustrated, the Tustin, Calif., computer network broker, 46, hired nutritionist Stella Metsovas, who noticed he ate a lot of floury foods. “I love my pizza, pasta and bread,” says the dad of 7-year-old twins. He now embraces high-protein snacks like nuts and drinks less wine but still eats his favorites in moderation. “I’ll have pizza with my kids maybe twice a month.” The result? “For the first time in 30 years, I have a flat stomach.”

BEFORE 174 LBS. LOST 12 LBS.!

“Monday when I sent the email, it was a very, very, very bad day for me. I was at a point were I thought I was going to explode from frustration, anxiety, desperation. By Tuesday, I was a little better and getting your answers help out.

Then I was explaining to my sister the replies you sent me on the questions I had. In explaining it to her I had a huge breakthrough in the mental process of doing this cleanse. It was weired that i understood everything and what the purpose was and new that part of it was getting past the trickery my mind was playing on me over the craving ect. Yet somehow it was not really sinking in the way it was supposed to. Needless to say that explaining it to my sister helped it finally sunk in, and what a huge difference it makes. I can now stop fixating on the food and really listen to what my body and mind are telling me. I figured out that Its about pushing through the pain (in a sense), pushing through those moments where i just cant take it anymore and i want to give in. That’s the deciding moment that defines whether you succeed or not. At least that what it all means to me. The part were you said your brain is tricking you into thinking you are hungry was the ah ha moment. Knowing that and understand that has made a world of difference. Somehow it has made the awful starving feeling go away, I’m feeling fuller and for longer period of time after each meal. And the crazy sugar craving are manageable. I’m assuming I will still struggle and have good days and bad day, but truly understanding is making the process bearable and enjoyable. And oddly the food seems to be tasting

Jennifer Before Starting Program 10/1/2010

Jennifer 3 Months AFTER

Overview

The slippery elm, a tree native to North America, has provided natural remedies for a variety of ailments since the Native Americans discovered its medicinal properties, before the first European settlers landed in America. More recently, slippery elm has gained popularity as a weight loss supplement. Unfortunately, no scientific studies have shown weight loss benefits from this herb. Contact your doctor prior to taking slippery elm for any purpose.

Function

Most of the medicinal properties of slippery elm result from the effects of the mucilage, a thick, gluey substance produced by the tree. The mucilage can help sooth irritation or inflammation, softens hardened areas of skin and calms coughs. Common uses for slippery elm include cough, sore throat, gastroesophogeal reflux disease, ulcerative colitis, Chrohn’s disease, diarrhea and external wounds such as burns, psoriasis and boils, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.

For Weight Loss

The exact reason slippery elm may help with weight loss remains a mystery. It has the potential to bind to substances in the intestines that the body does not need, such as saturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids and excess sugar, and may prevent or slow their absorption into the body, explains Stella Metsovas, a Clinical Nutritionist in Laguna Beach, California, who is “very hesitant to recommend this herb as a cure all fix for weight loss. Tea made from slippery elm can help maintain your nutritional status while on a very low calorie diet, explains Stephan Dorlandt, a Clinical Nutritionist and Executive Director of L & S Natural Inc in Los Angeles, California. He goes on to explain that slippery elm can also have a diuretic effect that may help you eliminate excess water weight.

Dosage

The powdered inner bark of the slippery elm tree comes in the form of capsules, tinctures, tablets, powder and lozenges. Traditional uses of slippery elm require taking 800 mg to 1,000 mg in a capsule form three to four times a day, according to the University of Michigan Health System. Dorlandt advises making a tea by boiling a mixture of one tablespoon of powdered slippery elm and one cup of boiling water for 30 minutes. He states, “if you make the tea a quart at a time, you can drink it when you are thirsty without having to go through the process of making more.” The tea will be slightly thick, like that of cream soup.

Precautions

Use caution when taking slippery elm with any other medication or herbal supplement. While there are no known interaction between slippery elm and other medications, Dr. Kimberly Wilson, a Naturopath for Innovations Wellness Center in Plano, Texas, advises patients not to take any other medications two hours before or after ingesting slippery elm, because the herb can slow the absorption rate of medications and decrease their effectiveness.

Considerations

Dorlandt advises not relying solely on slippery elm for your weight loss solution. Combine this herb with a nutritious, reduced-calorie diet and regular exercise. This combination will allow you to adapt new lifestyle habits and keep the weight off even after you stop taking slippery elm.

References

• University of Maryland Medical Center: Slippery Elm
• Stella Metsovas B.S., CCN; Clinical Nutritionist in Private Practice; Laguna Beach, California
• Stephan Dorlandt; Clinical Nutritionist and Executive Director of L & S Natural Inc.;Los Angeles, California
• University of Michigan Health System: Slippery Elm
• Dr. Kimberly Wilson; Innovations Wellness Center; Plano, Texas

Article reviewed by MER Last updated on: Jun 14, 2011