No count calorie foods

I am at war with sugars. All of them. Glucose, sucrose, fructose, maltose and table sugar. Definitely also all the artificial sweeteners. I am Diabetic Type 2 and needs to control my blood glucose daily. Alas I am also a prostate cancer survivor.

Cancer cells thrive on sugars; basically simple sugars from carbohydrate. All of them. So I would kill two birds with one stone if I could find the remedy for my love and consumption of sugars.

It is a fact that sugar is the common denominator for all our diseases. Sugar is the basic root cause to our ailments.

I came across Jorge Cruise’s The 100. A book describing his diet in counting only sugar calories and lose up to 18 lbs in two weeks.  Yes it is a weight loss book whose diet is proven by science as usually proclaimed.

I have read many books on diets but none come close to Cruise’s The 100 in practicality, simplicity and conceptually agreeable.

It is a fact that all carbohydrates are indeed sugars, some simple sugars and some complex sugars, nonetheless sugars. Table sugar is half glucose and half fructose. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is 55 fructose and 45 glucose. HFCS is the most threatening carbohydrate.

The old understanding of you are what you eat is further explained that you are what your body does with what you ate. Cutting edge nutritional science proves you are what you eat is only half-truth. You are what your body does with what you eat.

A calorie is not a calorie any more. All calories are not created equal. This debunks the theory that one should be able to lose weight if one consumes less calories than one’s needs. Calories are now determined as sugar calories and no-count calories. You can eat as much no-count calories without any penalties.

Counting calories for weight control does not work anymore. We now know more about the metabolic syndrome and insulin spikes. We now also know how metabolism works and distributes the carbohydrates, fats, nutrients, and proteins to our organs, blood and cells. The whole ensemble and processes of sending and receiving chemical signals and messages are determined by that part of the brain called hypothalamus. The hypothalamus works with the other independent systems in the body including the endocrine, nervous, digestive, circulatory, respiratory, muscular and productive systems. The body’s chemical messages are its hormones. Insulin is the master hormone. Insulin is the main regulator of fat storage and mobilization, and how all energy in the body is disseminated

Cruise had researched what foods are No-count calories foods and these should be the foods we should eat if we want to control our weight. There is no specific mention to cancer fighting benefits with these foods. But then don’t we feed the cancer cells less by restricting consumption of sugars? This is my personal “Ahha” moment.

Chart for No-count calories foods (Zero Sugar calories).

Chicken breast	Cornish Hen	Turkey breast
Chicken eggs	Duck eggs	Egg whites	Goose eggs
Catfish	Clams	Cod	Crab
Flounder	Halibut	Lobster	Sole
Oyster	Sardines	Scallops	Swordfish
Tilapia	Trout	Tuna	Bacon
Beef Jerky	Ground beef	Ham	Lamb chop
Pork	Veal	Bolona	Buffalo
Corn beef	Devon sausage	Duck	Goose
Ham	Hot dog	Meat loaf	Pheasant
Pork roll	Roast beef	Salami	Tofu
Veggie Patties	Alfalfa spouts	Artichokes	Arugula
Asparagus	Bell pepper red	Bok Choy	Broccolli
Brussels spouts	Cabbage	Celery	Swiss chard
Collards	White corn	Cucumber	Eggplant
Endive	Green onion	Fennel	Kale
Lettuce	Romaine Lettuce	Mushrooms	Mustard green
Okra	Pepper Jalapeno	Pickles Dill	Radish
Seaweed	Summer squash	Turnip greens	Watercress
Zucchini	Basil fresh	Chives	Garlic
Ginger	Parsley	Salt	Animal fats
Avocado oils	Flaxseed oils	Butter	Ghee
Olive oil	Sesame oil	Walnut oil	Blue cheese
Brick cheese	Brie cheese	Cheddar cheese	Colby cheese
Cottage cheese	Edam Cheese	Fontina cheese	Gorgonzola cheese
Gruyere cheese	Havarti cheese	Mozzarella cheese	Parmesan cheese
Ricotta cheese	Soy cheese	Swiss cheese	Teleme cheese
Coconut milk	Sour cream	Soy milk	Whipped cream
Almonds	Avocado	Baking powder	Brazil nuts
Cashew nuts	Black coffee	Expresso	Lemon
Lime	Macadamia nuts	Mayonniase	Mustard
Onion	Pine nuts	Pumpkin seeds	Sesame seeds
Soy source	Sunflower seeds	Water	Tea
Tomato	Vinegar

If you want to find out the sugar calories of foods not listed above. Look at the label and multiply the carbohydrate listing by four.

Insulin spikes causes the following:

Impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, and diabetes	Elevated triglycerides	Abdominal obesity
Leptin resistance	Inflammation and oxidative stress	Endothelial dysfunction
Microvascular disease	Hyperuricemia	Renal (kidney) damage
Fatty liver disease	High blood pressure	Metabolic syndrome

Fructose

Here is some food for thoughts.

If you are one of those who believes that fruit is healthy no matter how much you eat, I would strongly encourage you to have your uric acid level checked to find out how sensitive you are to fructose. Eat the amount of fruit you feel is right for you for a few weeks and then check your uric acid level and see if your levels are healthy. If they are elevated you might try reducing the fruit to recommended levels and rechecking your uric acid level. Many who are overweight likely have uric acid levels well above 5.5. Some may even be closer to 10 or above. Measuring your uric acid levels is a very practical way to determine just how strict you need to be when it comes to your fructose – and fruit -- consumption.

Fructose in Fruits:

Fruit	Serving Size	Grams of Fructose
Limes	1 medium	0
Lemons	1 medium	0.6
Cranberries	1 cup	0.7
Passion fruit	1 medium	0.9
Prune	1 medium	1.2
Guava	2 medium	2.2
Date (Deglet Noor style)	1 medium	2.6
Cantaloupe	1/8 of med. melon	2.8
Raspberries	1 cup	3.0
Clementine	1 medium	3.4
Kiwifruit	1 medium	3.4
Blackberries	1 cup	3.5
Star fruit	1 medium	3.6
Cherries, sweet	10	3.8
Strawberries	1 cup	3.8
Cherries, sour	1 cup	4.0
Pineapple	1 slice (3.5" x .75")	4.0
Grapefruit, pink or red	1/2 medium	4.3

More fruits:

Fruit	Serving Size	Grams of Fructose
Boysenberries	1 cup	4.6
Tangerine/mandarin orange	1 medium	4.8
Nectarine	1 medium	5.4
Peach	1 medium	5.9
Orange (navel)	1 medium	6.1
Papaya	1/2 medium	6.3
Honeydew	1/8 of med. melon	6.7
Banana	1 medium	7.1
Blueberries	1 cup	7.4
Date (Medjool)	1 medium	7.7
Apple (composite)	1 medium	9.5
Persimmon	1 medium	10.6
Watermelon	1/16 med. melon	11.3
Pear	1 medium	11.8
Raisins	1/4 cup	12.3
Grapes, seedless (green or red)	1 cup	12.4
Mango	1/2 medium	16.2
Apricots, dried	1 cup	16.4
Figs, dried	1 cup	23.0

Listen to Robert Lustig MD, USLC department of Pediatrics’s presentation called “Sugar the bitter truth” here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z5X0i92OZQ

A word of Caution

Do not starve the cancer cells of their food completely. Starving cancer cells activate Cachexia and muscle atrophy, literally eating you up. This is known as the wasting syndrome.

Eat well ya?

Allen Lai

Josh Groban - Brave

Thank you Josh Groban for Brave. I would like to dedicate the song to all cancer survivors. Lets be brave always. This song is so powerful and encouraging. Listen and be brave.

Here are the lyrics:

Wake up, wake up the sun can not wait for long
Reach out, reach out before it fades away
You will find the warmth when you surrender
Smile into the fear and let it play

You wanna run away, run away
And you say that it cant be so
You wanna look away, look away
But you stay cause its all so close
When you stand up and hold out your hand
In the face of what I don't understand
My reason to be brave!

Hold on, hold on so strong
Time just carries on
All that you thought is wrong is pure again
You cant hide forever from the thunder
Look into the storm and feel the rain

You wanna run away, run away
And you say that it cant be so
You wanna look away, look away
But you stay cause its all so close
When you stand up and hold out your hand
In the face of what I don't understand
My reason to be brave!
Oh, oh, oh

Allen Lai

Boost your metabolism

Lets talk metabolism. Lets start by reading 365 ways to boost your metabolism by Rachel Laferrirere MS,RD. This is the most practical and easy to read health book. You can jumpstart your metabolism straight away.

Metabolism is the chemical reactions in your body that converts foods into energy to sustain life. The three major factors that make up metabolism are basal metabolic rate (BMR), physical activity level (PAL) and thermic effect of food (TEF).

Basal metabolic rate measures the calories burned when our body is at rest. This represent 60 -70 % of your total energy expenditure. 25 % of your metabolic rate supports your physical activities and 10% of your metabolic rate is expended during ingestion, digestion, absorption and transportation of your calorie intake. Stress reduces the metabolic rate and contributes to storing extra fat. Sleep and rest repairs muscles and rejuvenate the body.

Your physical activities will burn the amount of calories depending on the activity’s intensity and duration. And the thermic effect of food measures the increase in the metabolic rate caused by digestion and absorption of nutrients following a meal. The amount of calories burnt will depend on the size of the meal, the ratio of carbohydrates to proteins to fats, the fiber content, caffeine content and also spiciness.

The harder your body has to work to digest the foods that you ate, the higher your metabolic rate.

Men burns mores calories than women. The more muscle you have the higher the metabolic rate. The more you exercise the higher your metabolic rate. Metabolic rates are also determined in your genes and thyroid functions.

Metabolism slows down about 5% per decade with age, after the age of 30 years old.

Metabolism comprise two simultaneous processes. They are complementary and opposing actions. Catabolism which breaks down the foods and Anabolism that builds up the cells, move muscles and carries out other vital functions.

Calories provide energy for your body, but your metabolism decides how it is going to use the calories you ate. If you ate more than your body’s needs, metabolism turns the excess to fat. And if you ate less than your body’s requirements, metabolism will take the energy from your stored fats. Meditation increases energy levels and stimulate metabolism. Vitamin D is known to boost metabolism. Cortisol hormones affects metabolism negatively. Deep breathing keeps the oxygen and blood moving throughout the body; enabling effective metabolism.

Now that you know. Metabolism is more than just plain digestion. It is a matter of life and death.

You can boost your metabolism by:
a. Knowing your body.
b. Exercising and moving your body.
c. Do strength training.
d. Spicing up your food intake.
e. Practice interval training.
f. Taking adequate nutrition and supplements.
g. Adopting healthy eating habits.
h. Avoid dehydration.
j. Maintaining your correct weight.
k. Having an active lifestyle.
l. Control and reducing fat intake.
m.  Reducing stress.

Allen Lai

Gymworks

IKN Putrajaya

Our new Institut Kanser Malaysia located in Putrajaya. It is next to the Hospital Putrajaya in Presint 9. The institut should be fully operational by early 2014. We hope to see the best screening / imaging setups in the country. I believe the institut will be specializing in brachytherapy. 

Patients will need to be referred to the institut.

Allen Lai

More on METs

Here is another list for METs score in daily and sport activities.

Daily Actvities	METs
Lying quietly	1.0
Sitting, watching TV	1.0
Sitting, sewing	1.5
Walking from house to car	2.5
Loading / unloading car	3.0
Taking out trash	3.0
Walking the dog	3.0
Household chores, moderate efforts	3.5
Vacuuming	3.5
Lifting items continuously	4.0
Raking the lawn	4.0
Gardening, no lifting	4.4
Mowing the lawn (Power mower)	4.5
MILD ACTIVITIES ( Less than 3 METs an hour)
Playing the piano	2.3
Canoeing (leisurely)	2.5
Golf (with cart)	2.5
Walking (3 km/hour)	2.5
Ballroom dancing	2.9
MODERATE ACTIVITY ( 3 – 7 METs an hour)
Walking (5 km/hour)	3.3
Cycling (leisurely)	3.5
Calisthenics ( No weights)	4.0
Golf (No Cart)	4.4
Swimming (Slow)	4.5
Walking (6.5 km/hour)	4.5
Chopping wood	4.9
VIGOROUS ACTIVITIES (5 – 12 METs an hour)
Tennis (Doubles)	5.0
Dancing (Fast tempos/ square dancing)	5.5
Cycling ( Moderately)	5.7
Aerobics	6.0
Roller blading	6.5
Skiing (Cross country)	6.8
Climbing Hills (No loads)	6.9
Swimming	7.0
Walking (8 km /hour)	8.0
Martial arts adapted for cancer patients	8.0
Jogging (10 km /hour)	10.2
Rope jumping	12.0
Sustained martial art training	12.0
Squash	12.1

Energy spent in different activities measured in METs

NCSM booklet production sub committee meeting

Hi all,

Eight of us managed to sit down for a working lunch last Friday. This was the first meeting over lunch hour as some members are still in the work force. This meeting was very successful with Adeline representing NCSM.

Adeline serving lunch

The committee