Book Giveaway Time!
DIET REHAB
28 Days to Finally Stop Craving Foods That Make You Fat
By Dr. Mike Dow
Hello everybody!
Today I have a pretty cool giveaway from Dr. Mike Dow (co-host of Freaky Eaters) who (along with Antonia Blyth) is offering the chance to win DIET REHAB: 28 Days to Finally Stop Craving Foods That Make You Fat (Avery; $26.) If you are in need of overhauling your eating habits—this could be the book for you. Plus, I have two copies to giveaway.
Here is a photo of Dr. Dow:
I was fortunate enough to ask Dr. Dow a few questions about his book & his TV show, Freaky Eaters:
- How would you describe “food addiction?”
Like any other addiction, food addiction means two conditions are present: tolerance and withdrawal. Simply put, this means that we need more and more of our unhealthy foods to get the same response in the brain. And if we stop consuming them, we will go through a period of uncomfortable symptoms which make it hard to stop. New studies have shown that food addiction is actually quite similar to drug addiction. In the food addicts I have treated, the hopelessness and depression I see are the same feelings I see in the drug addicts I've worked with. The good news for people is that if food addiction is "real," then it's not your "fault" that you can't lose weight and keep it off. You do, however, have to treat your food addiction with the same proven treatment strategies that work in treating other addictions.
In Diet Rehab, I use gradual detox and replacement therapy - which means I help people to add foods and activities that will help them to get the serotonin and dopamine they used to get from unhealthy and addictive foods. Another piece of good news, food addiction doesn't require abstinence like drug addiction does. Neurochemical studies show that occasional exposure doesn't cause addiction. So you will always be able to eat your favorite treat - but they will just that: treats...and not your everyday and every-meal go-to self-medication!
- Do you think is a modern phenomenon or are we just now realizing the faults of additives in our food supply?
Food addiction is an increasingly common phenomenon - all we have to do is look at the staggering stats of obesity in this country. Two-thirds of the country is overweight and obesity is surpassing smoking as the number one cause of preventable death. We also have to look at how our foods have changed. When was the last time you saw a Coke bottle that was 8 ounces? Some of today's children's cereals are 40-60% sugar by weight! There's also a lot of stealth marketing. Consumer beware: all-natural, organic, and gluten-free doesn't necessarily mean it's good for you!
I believe we have to look at what foods do in the body as well as the brain. Soda and even fruit juice are mainlining sugar into the body (without any of the good stuff like fiber that keeps you full which is found in whole fruit) while it floods the brain with serotonin. It's like a mainline of addictive and unhealthy substances. Some of the simple swaps I recommend in Diet Rehab is trading a whole fruit, vegetable juice, or sparking water for soda or fruit juice. And if you love orange juice or soda, go for it. Just do it in moderation, as having it all the time sets you up for weight gain in the body and food addiction in the brain
- If there is one food you would like to ban permanently from the market—what would it be?
If there was one ingredient I would ban from our food supply it would be partially hydrogenated oils. This is a cheap way for food companies to get a lot of fat in the treats you're eating. They're terrible for the body, and they also get you hooked on that fatty taste - keeping you hooked on the dopamine that it releases in the brain. Of course, most companies put it in foods that are also high in sugars and processed carbs (releasing serotonin) and salt. This recalibrates your taste buds to prefer this salty, sugary, fatty food that is essentially like a speedball for your brain. It may sound extreme to compare these foods to a speedball (mixing heroin and cocaine), but neurochemically, these foods are giving you the same mix of uppers and downers in one delectable, creamy treat.
- What are your favorite foods to boost memory and serotonin?
My favorite foods to boost memory are the dopamine booster foods. We see low dopamine in ADD/ADHD, and some people who consume tons of caffeine and fat may be medicating an underlying issue. Lean proteins, healthy oils, and sustainable amounts of caffeine can help you to boost dopamine in a sustainable way. So replace the energy drink and cheeseburger with green tea, a couple of grilled chicken breast with hot sauce, and a bed of greens with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. They'll give you a great, sustainable boost of dopamine, giving you energy and improving your memory.
My favorite foods to boost serotonin include serotonin booster foods like quinoa with asparagus and balsamic vinegar, decaf coffee with cinnamon and skim milk, and whole grain cereal with organic whole berries. These serotonin booster foods will give you a sense of calm while giving your sustainable energy for brain and body.
- How did you get interested in treating food addiction?
I got interested in treating food addiction because of some of the experiences I went through with my family. My dad has had two heart attacks and two bypass surgeries, and my brother and grandparents had strokes. While I was never obese, I used to have high cholesterol and weighed more than I do now. I knew that I would have to stop drinking 6 sodas a day with a box of macaroni and cheese for dinner eventually. And I did it naturally by what I added to my life when I started to feel good about myself by helping others, by creating meaningful relationships, and gradually discovering better, healthier food options.
I have so much compassion for the food addicts I've worked with in my practice and on the TV show Freaky Eaters, because I know what it's like to feel that way. You feel like it's impossible to change. And it's hard - especially when people are telling you to cut all these things out (calories, carbs, TV) without adding the things you're going to need to feel happy and healthy. I really hope that this is what Diet Rehab will help people to do for the first time.
- What is your favorite “cheat” treat?
My favorite cheat treat: macaroni and cheese. It's still my go-to, childhood favorite. But it is a once-a-month treat which I only make when I have someone to share it with! I know that if I cook the whole box, I eat the whole box!
- Who came up with the idea for Freaky Eaters and what was the hardest case you worked on?
Freaky Eaters started as a British show on the BBC, and TLC acquired the rights do make an American version. (Of course, now they're airing the American version of Freaky Eaters with me in the UK and across Europe.) It was a life-changing honor for me to work on this show, because I was doing something every day that was in line with my calling in life.
The toughest case on Freaky Eaters was a wonderful woman I worked with named Kelly who was addicted to cheese fries. It was difficult because she was addicted to this food which flooded her brain with serotonin from the carbs and dopamine from the fat - but on top of that, she had a phobia of most other foods since a traumatic childhood incident where she was forced to eat a food and threw it up on the table. I knew I had my work cut out for me when she gagged even smelling a vegetable. She wouldn't even be in the same room as her husband when he ate meat or veggies! I'm happy to report that we helped her successfully conquer her food addiction, and cheese fries is no longer the only food she eats. I spoke to her recently and she has lost a lot of weight and is much happier!
From the publishers of DIET REHAB:
In Diet Rehab, there’s no calorie-counting and you won’t feel deprived. You can continue eating your favorite snacks—not diet versions of them, but the actual foods themselves. After 28 days, you’ll find that you just don’t want them as much, because your brain is getting natural and healthy boosts of the feel-good chemicals you crave, instead of relying upon the foods you’ve become addicted to. You’ll be freed of your food addictions because you’ll be able to get all the same mood-boosting effects in healthier ways. Eating will finally return to its rightful place in your life—and your new weight will show it. DIET REHAB is more than just a book—it’s an easy-to follow lifestyle overhaul that will create balance and happiness in all areas of life.
If you want more information about Dr. Dow, be sure to check out his website: www.DrMikeDow.com, or on Facebook (DrMikeDow) and/or follow him on Twitter @DoctorMikeDow
I have two copies to giveaway so if you are interested; all you have to do is just hit me up either by posting on this Blog or reaching out to me via Twitter @BrooklynFitChik (Continental U.S. only please.)
I will randomly pick the lucky winners next Thursday, January 19th at Noon (Eastern) and contact them directly. Good luck!
Ox Ox,
BFC
Brooklyn Fit Chick
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