A diet "guru" named Jorge Cruise is rising in popularity. His articles appear in popular magazines, he has been a featured guest on Oprah, and he is a best-selling author. His newest endeavor is his 3-Hour Diet Plan website, where he offers fully-prepared meals, for those of us too busy to revise our eating practices according to his diet plan.
His books include, "8 Minutes in the Morning," the "3-Hour Diet Plan," and "12-Second Sequence." His approach is simple. Eat every three hours. His promise? That we will rid ourselves of dangerous belly fat.
His theories do, in fact, have basis. Health proponents have suggested for years that we eat healthy snacks. By doing so, we replenish energy stores and increase mental capacity.
Mr. Cruise suggests that the release of cortisol (produced by the adrenals), is dramatically diminished when we eat more frequently. He is correct. But why wouldn't we want to produce cortisol when our body asks for it?
The answer is simple. Our body wasn't designed to perform daily tasks through hormones, alone.
Not only does the action of releasing cortisol send messages to other hormone-producing organs to shut down growth, reproduction and immune systems; but the adverse side-effects of long-term cortisol production are well-documented.
The brain doesn't function as well. The thyroid is suppressed. Blood sugar can become imbalanced. We might lose bone density or experience decreased muscle tissue. There is a risk of higher blood pressure, lowered immune capacity and inflammatory responses. Additionally, too much cortisol actually contributes to abdominal fat; the very condition we are trying to avoid.
By supplying a constant level of whole foods, our bodies can more competently respond. The full regimen of B-vitamins (most readily available from whole grains), not only provide stress-calming chemicals for our brain, but lubricates our joints, aids in digestion, and affords us a slow-and-steady release of nutrients, so that sugar levels do not rise or fall suddenly.
The vitamins and minerals from fresh fruits and vegetables nourish internal organs, provide energy and promote calmness. (We are, by now, familiar with the benefits of calcium, magnesium, vitamin c, and zinc for countering stress and protecting our immune system).
The Cruise diet also stresses the importance of fats. Nutritionally, this is also sound. But dieticians complain that he does not discriminate between trans-fats and healthy fats. Cold pressed oils, raw nuts, and avocados, deliver vitamins A,D,E and K throughout our system and keep the cholesterol in our body soluble. Trans-fatty acids however, not only affect cholesterol adversely, but do not have the molecular structure to deliver these all-important vitamins.
It is apparent that Mr. Jorge Cruise does not want to enter into the good-food/bad-food dialogue, a strategy common in diet plans. But nutritionists hope he will educate his readers as to the preference for healthier fats, whenever possible.
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