Nuts, in moderation, are another good choice for an after-dinner indulgence.

AS DISCUSSED IN detail in chapter 8, cortisol raises insulin levels and is a major pathway of weight gain. Therefore, reducing your cortisol levels is an integral part of your overall weight-loss effort. Reducing stress levels, practicing meditation and getting good sleep are all effective methods for achieving lower cortisol levels. Some useful

The year 1990 marked the beginning of the end for trans fat when Dutch researchers noted that consuming trans fats increased LDL (low-density lipoprotein or “bad” cholesterol) and lowered HDL (high-density lipoprotein or “good” cholesterol) in subjects.15 Closer scrutiny of the health effects led to an estimate that a 2 percent increase in

For example, white bread, which is composed of complex carbohydrates, causes a very quick spike in blood sugar, almost as high as a sugar-sweetened drink.

Bread often contains sugar

But there is an even more insidious form of advertising called sponsorship and research. Big Food sponsors many large nutritional organizations. And then there are the medical associations. In 1988, the American Heart Association decided that it would be a good idea to start accepting cash to put its Heart Check symbol on foods of otherwise dubious

Fructose is also the main sugar in fruit, adding to its halo. An all-natural fruit sugar that doesn’t raise blood sugars? Sounded pretty healthy. A wolf in sheep’s clothing? You bet your life. The difference between glucose and fructose will very literally kill you.

Second, refining encourages overconsumption. For example, making a glass of orange juice may require four or five oranges. It is very easy to drink a glass of juice, but eating five oranges is not so easy.

Fiber and fat, key ingredients, are removed in the refining process: fiber, to change the texture and make food taste “better,” and natural fats, to extend shelf life, since fats tend to go rancid with time. And so we ingest the “poison” without the “antidote”—the protective effects of fiber is removed from much of our food.