Raena Morgan: Hello, I'm Raena Morgan with iHealthTube. We're visiting with Robert Kowalski the Author of The Blood Pressure Cure. Let's talk about weight management and blood pressure. This is a big issue isn't it?
Robert Kowalski: It sure is and it's getting worst all the time Raena.
Raena Morgan: You have some alternatives to this weight management, but first tell us why it affects negatively?
Robert Kowalski: Well, it's a very simple thing. As our weight goes up our blood pressure goes up. As our weight comes down our blood pressure comes down. That's the bottom line. It'll take time. It took time to gain the weight; it'll take time for the weight to go away. I don't think that's there's any value in the fat diets where you just peel off 10 pounds or more a week, I guess that weight stress is going to come right on back. It just doesn't work.
Raena Morgan: The commercial weight lost industry have it looks at those people in constantly.
Robert Kowalski: No question about it.
Raena Morgan: --
Robert Kowalski: Yeah, there's always a new weight loss book on the best seller list.
Raena Morgan: Absolutely.
Robert Kowalski: This trick or that trick. Ultimately it comes down to making some lifestyle changes.
Raena Morgan: At which a lot of people go huh.
Robert Kowalski: Yeah but, you know.
Raena Morgan: You've got some good, unique ones though.
Robert Kowalski: Would you believe that snacking can help you lose weight? What's behind this is research that was done way back in the 60s at Michigan State University. What they had people do is eat one slice of bread 20 minutes before lunch and before dinner. Just a slice of bread the trick was 20 minutes before dinner. What would happen? They spoiled their appetite. That bread was enough to bring the blood sugar levels up, so that they weren't as hungry. Now, they sit down to lunch or dinner and they consume less food because they simply don't feel that hunger. Most people don't take the time to let the body signal that you've had enough to eat. If you watch most people eat, you'll see that their fork never leaves their hand.
Before the food has been chewed and down the throat, the next forkful is being shoveled in. It becomes just an unending kind of a process. You're eating way beyond what it takes the body to raise the levels of blood sugar in order to signal the brain in a little thing called the hypothalamus up here that says, "Okay, we've had enough food for this meal."
Now, by eating that snack, and in the studies that was done in the 60s I find this really funny, they used a slice of white bread like Wonder Bread.
Raena Morgan: That's what I was thinking.
Robert Kowalski: That's the last thing you'd tell people to do to date.
Raena Morgan: That's like eating candy before your meal.
Robert Kowalski: Right, there are no nutrients at all. So, what's a good preemptive snack a handful of nuts?
Raena Morgan: Okay.
Robert Kowalski: That would be about an ounce, ounce and a half of nuts. Those people who do that on a regular basis, that is to say virtually daily, have less incidence of heart disease, heart attack and stroke than people who don't eat nuts even if the total fat content raises their percentage higher than those who don't. There are benefits to eating the nuts.
So, you're actually getting two benefits at one time. Have that little handful of nuts 20 minutes before a meal and when you sit down at the table, once again, you're not as hungry because the blood sugar levels are already starting to go up. It could be a little handful of grapes or some raisins or other dried fruit.
Raena Morgan: How about some protein?
Robert Kowalski: A piece of cheese low fat of course.
Raena Morgan: Of course.
Robert Kowalski: Of course, but many, many, many things that are good for you or for that matter, if you're the one preparing that meal and you're making the salad and you're slicing the tomatoes into the salad, slice a little tomato for yourself or take one of those carrots that you're making for the vegetable for the evening and eat the carrot just munch on it as you're cooking. Now, again, the blood sugar levels go up, you're not going to eat as much at dinner.
Raena Morgan: Well, that's a very clever trick.
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