That is a tough question. Many people   simply don’t know how to eat.  Maybe you can understand  Natalya, who wrote this: “I now realize that I was punishing, well actually  killing myself with food.   It was slow suicide and I dont really know why I did it. All I know is that I found the Food Tree. I am doing the program,  reading the book and my life has totally changed.  I love my new life and I can’t believe I ever ate the way I did. Never again! If If you are ready to change your life, you can do what she did.    To learn more visit www.FoodTreeMD.com

Most patiens who come to me  tell me they skip breakfast to lose weight because eating breakfast makes them tired and hungry all day long. This like starting your car in the morning with the gas gauge on Empty!  The problem is not eating, it is what they eat:  That pastry does not do it, in fact, it raises insulin and sets   blood sugar on a slalom curve that soars and plummets driving sugar cravings all day long. The dips in blood sugar cause  fatigue and irritability. The first thing we do here is to get patients to include  15 grams of protein for breakfast. One of our protein drinks does just that. No fuss, no excuses, everyone can do this.This simple manouver  stabilizes blood sugar, levels mood and energy,  and sticking to the rest of the program becomes easy.  If you are struggling with breakfast, try it for yourself.

To learn more visit www.FoodTreeMD.com

And what does that have to do with nutrition? A lot more than you think. Testosterone is a determinant of sex drive in men and women both, and overweight can cause hormonal imbalances including low testosterone in both sexes. It  is one of the defining features of Insulin Resistance in men. (See my review article on my web site) and  diabetics often suffer low libido.  The amazing thing is that nutrition will reverse this. Listen to a woman who came to me three years ago:  I have lost 30 lbs, I walk better, breathe better, I am tapering off my medications. Best of all, I have rediscovered my husband!  We have resumed our long lost marriage, and we are both so much happier! I am telling this story to help others who might be in the same kind of  rut we were.   The Food Treee saved me. It can do the same for you.

 Really? And you thought fructose was the root of all dietary evil. Fructose in nothing but the next innocent bystander to the blame game because we dont uderstand  obesity.  It is a naturally occurring sugar in fruits and vegetables,  and has almost double the sweetness of table sugar at a third of the glycemic index (22). Pure fructose was  the sweetener of choice for diabetics before articical sweeteners because small amounts of it does not raise blood sugar and insulin. It is my sugar of choice and I recommend it to my patients. A drawback is exessive browning when used for baking.     Like table sugar, “high fructose corn syrup”  is about half fructose and half glucose, which is the real culprit at glycemic index 100.  Did you know that you eat some 75 lbs of fructose a year in table sugar? You see, the problem is their commercial overuse. There is no medical condition due to fructose, but there is a bad one due to table sugar because of its content of glucose - diabetes type 2.  Bottom line:  The villification of fructose is about  as scientific as that of protein some years back - unfounded.  Use it as your low glycemic index sugar –  in small amounts – in good health.   To learn more visit www.FoodTreeMD.com  

Cookie

 If you want to eat right but miss that cookie, we have just the thing  for your sweet tooth: This little treat packs 15 grams of protein and is a snack or a little meal on the go.  The total carb count is 22grams , 6 of which is low glycemic index sugar and 6 grams of fiber.  The  calorie count is around 170 as opposed to the average cookie at 400 kcal and no  protein. It can be cut in half and toasted for  breakfast, and is delicious with a little butter or just plain. It comes in three flavors and is a favorite here.

The Food Tree is a simple visual image of nutrition for normal weight and good health. Though based on the latest medical research, it is easy to learn, user friendly and portable. It reverses overweight, diabetes type 2 and other chronic illness  No more medications! Rather than dieting, it shows you the keys to choosing good food, being full and having great energy.

Dr Elvebakk teaches The Food Tree in her offices in San Francisco and Oakland helping people get well.

If you need help doing it, and you cannot reach us here, you can create your own program from the book.

You may visit www.FoodTreeMD.com   for more information, or www.Amazon.com  to preview the book