New diet uses carbs to reduce cravings and lose weight.
There is a new diet plan that helps you lose weight by choosing foods that make you feel satisfied by boosting your serotonin levels. The Serotonin Diet can help you lose weight and improve your attitude by boosting levels of the neurotransmitter that helps to regulate mood and behavior. When serotonin levels become low, depression and food cravings can set in. Developed by Judith Wurthman, Ph.D., and Nina Frusztajer, M.D., the serotonin diet challenges traditional low carb approach. The diet includes reduced calorie, low-fat meals and snacks which include provides a variety of vegetables and lean proteins. Also included are a number of processed cereals and grains, taboo in many diets.
The refined carbohydrates are necessary, according to Wurtman and Frusztajer, to produce the serotonin. According to an article Wurtman wrote in 1995, the brain produces serotonin more efficiently when you consume refined carbohydrates. This is due to chemical changes that take place in the body after eating carbohydrates via insulin release and increasing the ratio of tryptophan, a serotonin precursor, in blood plasma. People who eat diets higher in protein consume competing amino acids that prevent tryptophan from crossing the blood-brain barrier. Other scientists agree with this approach. Other scientists agree.
According to Wurtman and Frusztajer, serotonin is the brain chemical that turns off your eating. To lose weight you have to know how to activate the "off button'" before you either overeat or chose foods that are not on your diet. Rather than use supplements or medication, dieters just need to eat the correct foods. Proponents of the Serotonin diet say that it will help you:
• Turn off appetite by triggering more serotonin before meals
• Stop the universal carbohydrate craving in the late afternoon by triggering more serotonin before the cravings begin
• Prevent emotional overeating by triggering serotonin during those stressful times
• End the overeating that comes with the use of antidepressants by making the brain produce more serotonin
There are three phases to The Serotonin Diet. Phase 1 is designed to boost serotonin levels. In it, dieters eat three meals and three snacks a day. For breakfast, the menu would include a combination of protein and carbohydrate, such as an English muffin with an egg and a cup of melon. Lunch might be a chef salad, and dinner could consist of spaghetti with a green salad, as the evening meal is the highest in carbohydrates. Dieters are limited to in to 1 oz protein at breakfast and required to eat one fruit each day. Small carbohydrate-rich snacks are scheduled an hour before lunch, three hours after lunch and in the evening after supper. Dieter’s don’t count calories, but instead follow portion sizes in the list of choices available to them. This phase lasts two weeks.
In Phase Two, dieters eliminate the evening snack and replace some of the carbohydrates at dinnertime with protein. During this phase, dieters increase the amount of protein at breakfast to a 3 oz. serving. This phase lasts four weeks. If cravings continue, dieters can return to Phase One until they are controllable.
The final phase of the diet is designed to control serotonin levels. In this phase, the before-lunch snack is eliminated. Otherwise, dieters follow phase two. Phase three lasts four weeks, or as long as it takes for the dieter to reach the weight-loss goal.
There is a new diet plan that helps you lose weight by choosing foods that make you feel satisfied by boosting your serotonin levels. The Serotonin Diet can help you lose weight and improve your attitude by boosting levels of the neurotransmitter that helps to regulate mood and behavior. When serotonin levels become low, depression and food cravings can set in. Developed by Judith Wurthman, Ph.D., and Nina Frusztajer, M.D., the serotonin diet challenges traditional low carb approach. The diet includes reduced calorie, low-fat meals and snacks which include provides a variety of vegetables and lean proteins. Also included are a number of processed cereals and grains, taboo in many diets.
The refined carbohydrates are necessary, according to Wurtman and Frusztajer, to produce the serotonin. According to an article Wurtman wrote in 1995, the brain produces serotonin more efficiently when you consume refined carbohydrates. This is due to chemical changes that take place in the body after eating carbohydrates via insulin release and increasing the ratio of tryptophan, a serotonin precursor, in blood plasma. People who eat diets higher in protein consume competing amino acids that prevent tryptophan from crossing the blood-brain barrier. Other scientists agree with this approach. Other scientists agree.
According to Wurtman and Frusztajer, serotonin is the brain chemical that turns off your eating. To lose weight you have to know how to activate the "off button'" before you either overeat or chose foods that are not on your diet. Rather than use supplements or medication, dieters just need to eat the correct foods. Proponents of the Serotonin diet say that it will help you:
• Turn off appetite by triggering more serotonin before meals
• Stop the universal carbohydrate craving in the late afternoon by triggering more serotonin before the cravings begin
• Prevent emotional overeating by triggering serotonin during those stressful times
• End the overeating that comes with the use of antidepressants by making the brain produce more serotonin
There are three phases to The Serotonin Diet. Phase 1 is designed to boost serotonin levels. In it, dieters eat three meals and three snacks a day. For breakfast, the menu would include a combination of protein and carbohydrate, such as an English muffin with an egg and a cup of melon. Lunch might be a chef salad, and dinner could consist of spaghetti with a green salad, as the evening meal is the highest in carbohydrates. Dieters are limited to in to 1 oz protein at breakfast and required to eat one fruit each day. Small carbohydrate-rich snacks are scheduled an hour before lunch, three hours after lunch and in the evening after supper. Dieter’s don’t count calories, but instead follow portion sizes in the list of choices available to them. This phase lasts two weeks.
In Phase Two, dieters eliminate the evening snack and replace some of the carbohydrates at dinnertime with protein. During this phase, dieters increase the amount of protein at breakfast to a 3 oz. serving. This phase lasts four weeks. If cravings continue, dieters can return to Phase One until they are controllable.
The final phase of the diet is designed to control serotonin levels. In this phase, the before-lunch snack is eliminated. Otherwise, dieters follow phase two. Phase three lasts four weeks, or as long as it takes for the dieter to reach the weight-loss goal.
