DMAR® Nutritional Path to Wellness
Although I prefer to teach patients about nutrition so they can make better food choices, some need an actual diet to follow.
Here’s my basic nutritional recommendations for good health:
- Eat all the healthy fats and proteins your body needs
- Eat a variety of non-starchy vegetables
- Eat fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains
- Drink adequate amount of water
- Eat locally grown organic foods whenever possible
- If overweight, eat fewer carbohydrates than your metabolism requires
- Limit manmade carbohydrates and artificial sweeteners
- Limit sugar, caffeine, and alcohol
DMAR® HEALTHY FOUR
Protein: Protein provides the building blocks necessary for new tissue growth. The more lean body mass (LBM) you have, the more protein you may need. Men need more than women.
Calculate LBM by getting your body fat measured and subtracting pounds of body fat from total body weight.
For example: 120lbs woman with 20% body fat has 96lbs LBM
120lbs – (120lbs x. 20) = 96lbs
Protein rich foods: fish, poultry, meat, eggs, nuts, legumes, diary
Goal = 0.5-0.75 gm/pound LBM
1 gm protein = 4 calories
Fat: Fats are essential for healthy cell membranes and hormone production. Eating healthy fats helps you feel satiated by slowing down the exit time of the food from your stomach. Listen to your body, it will tell you when it has had enough.
Omega 3 from fish, flax, walnuts
Omega 6 from veggies, nuts, seeds
Omega 9 from olive oil, canola oil Limit saturated fats including tropical oils
NO TRANS FATS
Goal = 0.5 gm/pound of LBM
1gm fat = 9 calories
Carbohydrates: Carbs are energy foods. The more active you are, the more carbohydrates you can consume. You do not count non starchy vegetables because they are low glycemic index foods (they do not easily convert into sugar). You must count all the rest – starches, fruits and starchy vegetables.
Avoid white flour, white sugar and highly refined foods.
Goal= limit intake to 40% of total
1 gm carbs = 4 calories
- Overweight/sedentary: 15 gms/meal
- Overweight/active or Sedentary/low metabolism: 15 -30 gms/meal
- Ideal weight/inactive: 30-45 gms/meal
- Ideal weight w/insulin-meter of midline fat: 15-45 gms/meal
- Ideal weight/athletic: 30-80 gms/meal + 15-30 gms/snack
Water: The human body is composed of 40 to 50 percent water. Fluid balance is necessary for true health. There is no substitute for drinking water.
