Stop Counting Calories! What To Eat When

LOS ANGELES (February 5, 2019)–What if eating two cups of blueberries a day could prevent cancer? If drinking a kale-infused smoothie could counteract missing an hour’s worth of sleep? When is the right time of day to eat that chocolate chip cookie? And would you actually drink that glass of water if it meant skipping the gym?

Now, a revolutionary guide reveals how to use food to enhance our personal and professional lives–and increase longevity to boot. What to Eat When: A Strategic Plan to Improve Your Health & Life Through Food is not a diet book. Instead, acclaimed internist Michael Roizen, M.D. and preventive medicine specialist Michael Crupain, M.D. offer readers choices that benefit them the most–whether it’s meals to help them look and feel younger or snacks that prevent diseases–based on the science that governs them.

“You’ve been probably told to count calories, eat low fat, high fat, low carb or high carb, and most of the time the results don’t last and then we fail and blame ourselves. So, we decided it was time to ask a different question: not ‘What should we eat?’ but ‘WHEN should we eat?’” says Dr. Roizen, who is chief wellness officer at the Cleveland Clinic.

The doctors’ science-backed advice flips diet dogma on its head (for example, eat your dinner for breakfast, don’t avoid carbs and stop counting calories), and gives us hacks to eat our favorite types of food and still lose weight.

So what should you eat and when?

When You’re Stressed and Hangry—When you’re hangry, you’re especially vulnerable to food cues like scents and aromas. The key is to keep your blood sugar balanced with foods that will bring your emotions to a low simmer and keep you healthy to boot. Examples include: roasted chickpeas, instant oatmeal, crunchy vegetables with hummus, tea.

When You’re Fighting Fatigue—Food is a major root problem that constitutes mental and physical exhaustion. Unfortunately, many of us turn to artificial or unhealthy stimulants to give us the spark we think we need. But in the end, they hurt us. Try water (it’s one of the leading causes of fatigue), healthy fats mixed with protein and fiber—salmon, nuts, avocado, lean meats such as chicken and turkey, and complex carbs like fruits and whole grains.

When You’re Bummed—We’ve all been there, things don’t feel quite right, so our body wants to naturally pick us back up. We turn to foods that are salty, sweet, or some sort of treat. But some of the best Blues-Busters include whole grain toast with peanut butter, berries, fish, vegetables, healthy oils. Omega-3 fatty acids and tea.

When You Get a Lot of Headaches—Because the causes (and treatments) are so varied, no one magic meal will help you fend off headaches. However, a lot of evidence suggests that food can be a common trigger. Chocolate, red wine, and MSG are common culprits, so try leafy greens, garlic, sunflower seeds and olive oil instead.

When You’re Sick—Although we can’t necessarily say that food choices can help make a cough disappear, we shouldn’t diminish the fact that it can play a role in how you handle the random sickness you get from time to time. Get plenty of vitamin C, chicken broth, vegetables, garlic, zinc, salmon or trout and chia seeds.

When You’re in Pain—If you suffer from chronic pain, systemic pain, or a low-grade pain that’s difficult to diagnose, you can help ease it by quieting your body’s inflammation. That’s where food comes in. Foods low in saturated fat, rich in olive oil such as fruits, vegetables and nuts, seem to reduce inflammation. Avocados, walnuts, salmon, ginger, turmeric, coffee, cherries and cherry juice are also helpful for reducing inflammation.

When You Have Digestive Problems—Seems like there are millions of different causes for digestive problems. The BRAT diet—bananas, rice, apples or toast–are gentle on the stomach so they won’t likely trigger any type of bad reaction. Cranberries, raisins, apricots and prunes get your system flushed out. One major cause of constipation is dehydration—so drink that water!

So, as you embark on your new journey—and as you start to feel your body shifting with these new decisions and habits—keep it simple. This book will bring you everything you need to know to help align your food choices with your body’s rhythms. You’ll find that it’s easy to nudge your lifestyle and your eating patterns in this direction.