Herbal Health

To further complicate the picture, the unsaturated fats can be classified as cis or trans and this difference also has health effects. Fatty acids that contain a double bond can align themselves in two different geometric formations. If the hydrogen atoms attached to the carbons that have formed a double bond with each other are on the same side of the molecule, the molecule is called cis. If they are on opposite sides, they are called trans. The cis or trans configuration determines the fate of the molecule within the body.

The trans tatty acids are stiffer and tend to act more like saturated fat in the body, raising blood cholesterol levels. Trans fatty acids occur naturally (e.g. about 5 per cent in butter), or from processing (up to 15 per cent in margarine). The studies which have recently dulled the halo over polyunsaturated fats were done in the US and based on American diets in the 1970s when the harder ‘stick’ margarines were used. These are much higher in trans fatty acid content than the softer table margarines now in use. Manufacturers are likely to lower the trans fatty acid content of foods even further in the future.

We have touched on a few of the metabolic consequences of the type of fat in the diet. As well as affecting blood cholesterol, clotting and inflammation, they may also affect other processes such as insulin and glucose metabolism and tumour formation. For body fat storage, the type of fat is of limited importance and the total amount of fat is still regarded as the most important.

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In struggling to identify precisely the different subtypes of patients with eating disorders, writers have spilled a great deal of ink in the pages of medical books and journals. I’m about to spill a little more, but it’s worth it, because identifying these illnesses and their effects on patients points the way to appropriate treatment.

Hannah reported that one day she was suddenly overwhelmed by the idea that she was fat. At the time she weighed no pounds-by no means an abnormal weight for a girl of thirteen who stood five foot two. Nonetheless, the notion that she was overweight consumed her. She had always been active, but she stepped up her daily exercise to over an hour a day.

When her weight failed to fall fast enough, she began decreasing her food intake. At first she did feel hungry, but she just “trained herself to ignore the feeling. She denied ever inducing vomiting or using laxatives or diuretics.

Strangely, Hannah told me that she believed she “did not deserve food,” and that she wasn’t “good enough” to be allowed to eat. She saw her excessive exercise as a way to “earn” what little food she did consume.

Despite her refusal of food, she began taking over the job of making meals for her entire family. She grew irritable, experienced suicidal feelings, and had trouble sleeping. She never menstruated.

After a couple of months, Hannah said, she was no longer hungry. She managed to get by on as little as one candy bar a day. Although she lost nearly forty pounds over the course of a year- 36 percent of her body weight-she felt as though her weight had never changed.

Hannah’s case is a classic example of restricting anorexia- weight loss through self-starvation exclusively, without bingeing and purging. Restricting anorexics are perhaps the most easily recognized and well-defined of all patients with eating disorders.

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Maureen Keller lost the pounds that marked the end of her old life and the beginning of a new one. And she owes it all to a dog named Bunker.

Recently divorced, Maureen decided to relocate from the Philadelphia area to Littleton, Colorado, to be closer to her family. But she knew it was going to be a long haul, in more ways than one.

During the 6 months leading up to her divorce, Maureen reached a couple of milestones that she found disheartening. First, she turned 50. Second, she climbed four clothing sizes, peaking at 165 pounds. “Even my ‘fat’ pants felt uncomfortable,” she recalls. Overweight and out of shape, Maureen landed in Litdeton with purpose but not a plan. Then she met Bunker, a tail wagging, walk-loving yellow Lab who belonged to her sister, Kathy Irvine, and her family.

Just before Maureen’s arrival, Kathy and her husband, Dave, found their workloads growing. The more time they spent at their offices, the less time they had to walk Bunker. His walks were getting shorter and shorter—and he was gaining weight.

“I volunteered to walk Bunker. I love animals, and I knew we both needed to slim down,” Maureen says. “The first time that we went on a 4-mile route, I was huffing and puffing up the final hill, thinking it would never end. By the end of the walk, Bunker was absolutely exhausted. He slept the rest of the day.”

Their treks soon became a ritual, providing Maureen and Bunker the exercise they needed. It also gave Maureen time for renewal. Gradually, with less stress and more happiness in her life, she lost 25 pounds. “And Bunker’s looking better, too,” Maureen adds.

WINNING ACTION

Let a dog take you walking. If you have a dog, turn your daily constitutionals into workouts. Walk for 30 to 45 minutes at a comfortably brisk pace—and try not to stop at every tree and fire hydrant. What if you don’t have a dog? Ask a friend or neighbor if you can “borrow” hers. Or volunteer as a dog walker at your local animal shelter. Besides providing exercise, having fun with a dog will change your mindset. How can you focus on problems when you’re faced with such a happy, smiling, wagging creature?

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