By David Blyweiss, M.D., Advanced Natural Wellness

May 31, 2019

T.J. has struggled with weight for most of his life.

Yet somehow, every time he gained an extra 20, 30 or 50 pounds, he managed to drop them again. Usually using drastic measures… like fad diets and extreme workouts.

Once T.J. achieved his weight loss goals, he would revert back to his regular habits. His weight would creep up again. And a couple of years later he would go through the entire weight loss process all over again.

It was like a Merry-Go-Round. Up and down… up and down.

But now that he’s in his 60s and his metabolism is slowing down, this hit-and-run style of weight loss isn’t working anymore.

Instead, he recently tipped the scales toward obesity. Even worse, T.J. became pre-diabetic. And as far as my efforts to persuade him to switch to a Mediterranean style diet are concerned, the big man refused to consider it.

He was convinced that this way of eating would make him feel like he was starving all of the time. (It won’t. But he didn’t know that yet.)

Does this sound like you?

Are you struggling to regain your youthful weight and blood sugar levels – and worried that changing your eating habits will send you on a binge that will spiral out of control?

If so, let me share a few fun and tasty food tricks with you.

Guacamole, Chocolate and Nuts are NOT Off-Limits

Do you like guacamole? Would you eat it every day if you could?

Well, T.J. sure liked that idea. He loves it with tacos, nachos and chips.

“Here’s what to do,” I told him. “Buy yourself two fresh, organic Hass avocados. Mash them up and add around 1/3 cup of minced onion, a chopped tomato, about a half bunch of cilantro and a couple of cloves of garlic. Give it a squirt of lime juice and a dash of sea salt.

But don’t just put it on chips and tacos. In fact, give them up entirely. Instead, put it on everything else.”

We were off and running!

In only a few seconds we were talking about guacamole smothered eggs, salads and wraps.

Little did he know that I had an ulterior motive.

As it turns out, replacing an unhealthy, refined carb (like chips and taco shells) with avocado reduces an unhealthy insulin response, increases satiety and may even help with weight loss.

He was all for it, and loved every second of it.

But I didn’t stop there.

I had another trick up my sleeve. “Do you like chocolate?” I asked.

T.J. said he did, but knew it was fattening. So he avoided it.

That’s when I gave him an even better surprise.

I advised him to buy a bar of dark chocolate with a cacao content of at least 70%, break it down into squares and store it in the freezer.

Then, once a week, crunch down on about 3.5 ounces of it.

Despite popular belief, conservative consumption of dark chocolate is not associated with weight gain or other health problems. Quite the opposite.

The flavonoids in dark chocolate appear to improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity by restoring B-cell activity in the pancreas.

Plus, when you choose dark chocolate over milk chocolate for a quick snack, it helps to keep you feeling fuller and more satisfied throughout the day. This, of course, helps prevent mindless snacking.

Next on the list? Nuts!

In T.J.’s youth, nuts only appeared during Christmas holidays. He and his brothers had a great deal of fun cracking them open and eating them… but in a matter of weeks they were gone. It never occurred to him that they could be a part of his regular diet.

So I gave him a mission.

“Whenever you want to have a bagel, English muffin, croissant or toast, grab a hand full of tree nuts instead. I don’t care if it is walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, pistachios or pecans.”

You see, every time you replace an unhealthy carbohydrate with tree nuts, you can lower your blood sugar and increase feelings of satiety. This, in turn, contributes to weight loss and can have a decidedly healthful effect on your life.

T.J. loved these recommendations so much that he became a believer.

These days he’s eating like a Mediterranean, looking much slimmer… and feeling healthier than he has in years.

I urge you to take the same steps. It could literally save your life.

SOURCES:

Zhu L, et al. Using the Avocado to Test the Satiety Effects of a Fat-Fiber Combination in Place of Carbohydrate Energy in a Breakfast Meal in Overweight and Obese Men and Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Nutrients. 2019 Apr 26;11(5). pii: E952.

Wien M, et al. A randomized 3×3 crossover study to evaluate the effect of Hass avocado intake on post-ingestive satiety, glucose and insulin levels, and subsequent energy intake in overweight adults. Nutr J. 2013 Nov 27;12:155.

Ramos S, et al. Effects of Cocoa Antioxidants in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Antioxidants (Basel). 2017 Dec; 6(4): 84.

Shah SR, et al. Use of dark chocolate for diabetic patients: a review of the literature and current evidence. J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect. 2017 Sep 19;7(4):218-221.

Jenkins DJA, et al. Nuts as a replacement for carbohydrates in the diabetic diet: a reanalysis of a randomised controlled trial. Diabetologia. 2018 Aug;61(8):1734-1747.

Jackson CL, et al. Long-term associations of nut consumption with body weight and obesity. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014 Jul; 100(1): 408S–411S.