The holidays are officially over. The barrage of ads for the gifts of the season are gone. Gone also is the shopping day countdown and the endless one day sale lures. (Although now we do have those post-holiday one day clearance sales?every day, or so it seems!) ?The fat lady has sung,? so to speak and no pun intended. The diet and weight loss ads have begun. It is as if it is somewhere written that on the first day of the new year, thou shalt diet.
I am not opposed to weight loss, but I am opposed to the advertising world?s approach to dieting. They suggest that if we take a pill, drink a shake, or eat certain pre-packaged, portioned foods, that we will become model-thin and enter the world of happily ever after. Trial and error has shown us all that there are no lasting quick fixes, and every January 1st we are reminded of that.
As a nutritional counselor, I do not believe in skipping meals, drinking meals from a can, or taking pills to speed us up, fill us up, or otherwise rush us to eliminate foods that we shouldn?t eat in the first place. What I do advocate is a gradual health and life changing approach to weight management. It can be as easy (or difficult) as you choose to make it. I believe, and am witness everyday to the fact that
sensible food choices, with deference to your specific blood type will result in lasting weight management.
I offer this up to you as a challenge. Why not let this be the year that really counts? Instead of counting calories, make your calories count. Try thinking of empty calories in the same way you think of empty promises?who needs them? There is life after cool whip! Take advantage of the ever-increasing evidence thatour foods do effect virtually every aspect of how we think, feel, act, age and appear. Invest in yourself this year. Invest in your future. Make your calories count.
For more information on the blood type connection, be sure to read Peter D?Adamo?s newest book, Live Right 4 Your Type. If this doesn?t help you to stand up and take notice, nothing will! Available at Healthy Alternatives, and from our website under books in the health and wellness section.
About the Expert: DONNA LORENZ -- Naturopath -- Donna received her Bachelor of Arts in Education from St. Joseph's College in New York. Her interest in healthy alternatives was nurtured as a manager of a health food store in which she read everything she could get her hands on relating to natural health. Her first "official" complimentary health course was through the Touch for Health Association in March of 1993.
She then went on to complete her Master of Holistic Healing (with Highest Honors) with famed herbalist Steven Horne The Nature's Field Institute. This rigorous and comprehensive training included both enormous amounts of bookwork and actual hands on experience. It encompassed nutritional herbology, traditional Western and Chinese constitutional analysis, body systems muscle testing, constitutional iridolgy, glandular body typing, attitudinal healing and health consulting.
In February of 1997, Donna received her Doctor of Naturopathy from the Trinity School of Natural Health, completing all requirements to be a Registered Naturopath (N.D.). In August of 19977 she completed all requirements to be recognized as a Certified Nutritional Consultant (C.N.C.)
Donna is a member of the American Association of Nutritional Consultants.