Big Waistline and Food, What about Stress?

By Dr. Neli Stoyanova

Are big waistline and food related? No way! (Just teasing you).

Every one knows that a person’s waistline can go crazy after big holidays or a family reunion. Too much food, too much soda, too much alcohol.

OK you get the point but what exactly does too much means? Is it only about quantity or is it about the kind of food you eat that makes for a big waistline?

I think both quantity and quality matter equally but how you eat is even more important when it comes to big waistline and food.

I know many people who eat only expensive, quality food in appropriate quantity and still have big waistline (also called abdominal or central obesity). I call it the Big Bad Fat around the waist.

One of the reasons I started this web site was to raise awareness about big waistline and the role of other factors as stress, sleep, and physical activity

Why is it important to understand the food, stress connection?

Because big waistline is a predictor of heart disease, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

When you say big waistline I want you to think about the stress in your life. This site is about baby boomers’ stress and big waistline, and the options available to control stress, big waistline and food. So let us start with food and drinks.

First, we need to agree that the body needs food. Right?

We can not starve ourselves and expect to be in good health. Period. Food is essential to provide building elements (like proteins for the muscles or fat for the brain), micro elements (like iron, calcium, selenium, magnesium from various metabolic processes), and of course energy (quickly released from honey or chocolate or slowly released from other carbohydrates like bananas).

Anything that the body needs to restore and replenish itself can be found in the food (if it is various and well balanced). Keep in mind that any food processing destroys most of the vitamins and important ingredients (like for example allicin from garlic that potentially lowers blood pressure).

If you are not a big fan of raw fruits or vegetables keep in mind that a single apple can go a long way, so try to make it a routine to eat at least one fruit serving a day. But if you still get some food cravings find out what they are telling about you.

When to stop eating?

Don’t eat at least 1-2 hour before your bed time. Don’t drink caffeinated beverage a few hours before going to bed (unless you have a great suspense book and you are determined to read till the wee hours). Don’t eat and drive. Give your self 5 min to eat while doing nothing else. This allows the brain to register that you have eaten. Only 5 min- of course you can do this!

How much food do you need?

We are talking about big waistline and food quantity and here is the biggest misunderstanding of the century (just teasing you). People don’t think of their can of soda, bottle of 100% juice or beer as a food. No way. It is just a drink, especially if it is a diet drink. Right? Yes, but next time you drink it check the calories it contains.

Soft drinks, sweetened iced tea or fruit juice are liquid sugar (the equivalent of 5-10 teaspoons of sugar) and depending on how many of them you drink it could be up to 25% of your total calories for a given day (and you haven't even started to eat). You can bet it will show up on your waistline.

I have read that the average American drinks a gallon of soft drinks ( no not per year) per week. Just be aware of the liquid food- the so called “empty calories”- it is no fun at all. Let me tell you-forget about the soda. Look around –there must be a water cooler near by or take your own bottle of water.

I am not a fan of any crash diet or permanent restrictive diet for that matter. I believe that it is not realistic to expect any one to live forever on some kind of diet. This is why I recommend the Mediterranean diet which is actually a way of eating rather than a diet. The purpose of the Mediterranean diet is to provide a healthy living. The weight loss comes as a result of this process.

I am convinced that if people are educated properly they can make the right choices, because no one makes mistakes on purpose. Mistakes come from lack of knowledge.

Let’s see how many of you know how many calories we need per 24 hours in order to live normally? You don’t know?! I understand- it could be so confusing to sift through all of the information on the web. Most of it is only for people who want to lose weight. But what if you don’t want to lose and you don’t want to gain either? This is what I call "live normally".

The number calories you need depend on gender, age, life style, height, body weight, ratio of fat to muscle, genes etc.

Usually, calorie needs are accurately assessed by using two components: Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and physical activity.

BMR for men is around 1800 and for women between 1350-1400 Numbers that will come handy:

1. No physical activity: Weight x 14 = estimated cal/24 hours 2. Physical activity 3-4 times per week): Weight x 17 = estimated cal/day

3. Physical activity (5-7 times per week): Weight x 20 = estimated cal/day

How about quality of the food you eat? Organic vs non-organic?

It is your call. Depends on the budget. I buy some organically grown vegetables but I am not very strict. If you can afford it, I would say- go for it.

Keep in mind though that organic food does not guarantee you good health. It is the combination of quality food, quality sleep, physical activity and stress control. (I know I am repeating myself but just in case you forgot).

What kind of food to avoid?

Avoid: Bread, pizza, potatoes, rice, sugar, cookies, cake, doughnuts, bagels, soda, sweet drinks, alcohol, cream cheese- the list goes on. Avoid alcohol if you have high triglycerides but consider one drink a day (especially red wine) if you have low HDL ("good") cholesterol.

Substitute with: White rice with brown rice, white bread with whole grain bread, doughnuts with bran cereals, soda with water, and have a baked potato instead of chips and French fries.

If you crave fattening foods such as pasta, bread, potatoes or doughnuts when you are under stress, get a turkey sandwich or a banana (the effect on your brain will be the same- all of them raise the level of serotonin – a chemical that makes you feel good).

Now that you have good eating habits you can enjoy your food but keep in mind that good eating habits are only one part of the process to keep your heart healthy. Finally, make sure you get rid of the toxins that can make you fat.

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