We’ve heard it all before, the Australian obesity epidemic, the overwhelming and alarming facts are out there, but let’s take another look at them….. just to be sure, broken record or not, there’s actually a reason why we measure these.
- 61% of Australian adults and 25% of Australian children are overweight or obese.
(Australian Dietetics Association – 2011)
- In Australia, more than 17 million Australians are overweight or obese.
- More than four million Australians are obese (BMI > 30.0 kg/m2).
- If weight gain continues at current levels, by 2020, 80% of all Australian adults and a third of all children will be overweight or obese.
- Obesity has overtaken smoking as the leading cause of premature death and illness in Australia.
- Obesity has become the single biggest threat to public health in Australia.
- On the basis of present trends we can predict that by the time they reach the age of 20 our kids will have a shorter life expectancy than earlier generations simply because of obesity.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are 1.9 times as likely as non-indigenous Australians to be obese.
At the end of the day, these are just figures and facts, useless statistics, useless unless you are actually seeing the bigger picture. So what is the bigger picture, the underlying message, the point we are all, or at least 61% of us are missing? Obesity is a life threatening condition which not only reduces our life expectancy, and costs the Australian tax payers millions of dollars a year in medical expenses, Obesity also severely restricts our quality of life. The associated symptoms and illness which accompany obesity dramatically affects our ability to get out there and experience and enjoy the things we love to do, whether it be spending time with your children in the outdoors, travelling with friends or stepping out in public socializing, obesity limits our health, our confidence and our freedom. Health, happiness and well being; the three couldn’t be any more closely linked. So what does that mean to you? Are you living or surviving? Because although every human being is alive, not everybody lives. Now with the launch of the MonaVie RVL range, there’s never been a better time to; ‘Reveal your best self.’
Weight loss – the simple truth.
The underlying equation which dictates weight loss of any form is as simple as this; Energy Input V”s Output will determine your weight. The amount you lose, the amount you gain, it all comes down to the precise measure of how much energy you consume compared to how much energy you burn. Of course there are other factors such as metabolic rate, health and disease status, age, sex, build, dietary intake, medications and genetic predisposition which will influence weight gain or weight loss, but these only manipulate the input and output factors, not the equation itself.
Like a car requires petrol to run, our body requires energy to fuel our everyday general living activities. When we consume ‘too much’ energy, by over eating or through poor food choices which yield high energy content; fatty, highly processed, sugary foods, the equation is tipped in favor of ‘Input’ thus resulting in the excess consumed energy being converted to fat which is stored in various locations around the body.
RVL – ‘Reveal your best self’ – How can a Meal Replacement give me back my life?
“So what exactly does a Meal Replacement mean for me?” you ask. The RVL Nutrition Shake mix is exactly that, a meal replacement, or rather a low energy yielding, nutrient dense liquid meal. The basic idea behind any ‘shake diet’ is that you replace 1-2 of your normal daily meals with a shake which is specifically designed to meet all the desired nutritional requirement, provide a steady release of sugar into your blood stream in order to supply your brain and muscles with a consistent energy and a stable supply of macro and micro nutrients in order to keep you satisfied and energized enough to effectively carry out your day.
Not all Shakes are created equally – What makes a complete Meal?
RVL includes all three of the major macronutrients; Carbohydrates, Protein and Fat as well as fibre and an abundance of natural vitamins, minerals and phyto-nutrients in the form of freeze dried berries, like those found in your MonaVie juice, making it a complete meal. In other words, you could safely survive off this food product alone for an extended period of time without out becoming nutritionally depleted or deficient of any major nutrient groups.
Meal replacement can be a very dangerous process if you are not supplementing your diet with the right product. Many of the major advertised meal replacements lack a balanced quantity of the macronutrients and are totally void of any added vitamins, minerals and phyto-nutrients leading to malnutrition fatigue and general illness. As a practicing Naturopath, with an interest in the Nutrition and exercise fields, I have seen literally hundreds of different ‘protein shake diet’ products and fads come and go and let me tell you there is a huge difference between that sweet low cost choice available in your supermarket and a premier Weight Loss Solution such as MonaVie RVL Nutrition Shake.
MonaVie RVL; Premier Weight Solution Nutrition Shake Mix – Deciphering the Nutritional panel & labels
Carbohydrates & Protein;
Our body requires carbohydrates just as we require protein and fat, these are the three 3 macronutrients, all with differing functions which we cannot survive without. However, it is the types of carbohydrates and the amounts we consume which play a pivotal role in the ‘Input V’s Output’ equation which undeniably depicts weight loss. The best forms of carbohydrates, due to their high vitamin, mineral, antioxidant and water content are vegetables and fruit. Secondary forms of carbohydrates include grains, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds, but it is important to note that it is these forms which, when consumed in excess, create insulin resistance leading to conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and many more. Carbohydrates; glucose, primarily functions to provide our body with energy, including our brains and muscles, however once the requirement is reached, excess glucose is converted to fat and stored, predisposing those lovely ‘muffin top’, ‘jelly belly’ and ‘thunder thighs’.
Whereas carbohydrates serve to fuel, protein is a ‘builder;’ immunity repair and growth of hair, skin, nails, brain tissue, muscle tissue etc. It is rare that our body would need to convert ‘unused’ protein to stored body fat, which is why consuming a diet higher in proteins and lower in refined grains is a beneficial way to manage weight control.
Artificial Sweeteners;
Aside from the fact that artificial sweeteners are chemical compounds which poison the brain and are linked with allergies, gastro-intestinal disturbances, mood disorders, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, Dementia, ADHD, Autism and general neurological damage, these nasties still stimulate our sweet taste buds, which in turn signals the body to expect an influx of calories. So when this doesn’t occur, normal biochemistry is distorted, which actually prompts certain reactions which lead to weight gain. MonaVie RVL does not contain the common suspects; Splenda and Aspartame, rather uses natural organic cane sugar to sweeten the shake, making it palatable, without causing serious neurological damage.
Fibre;
If it doesn’t contain a decent serve of fibre, don’t even bother with it. As I mentioned before, protein is a building food, so if you’re supplementing your diet with a meal replacement shake with a moderate to high protein content, let’s just say, you won’t be ‘eliminating’ unless your shake contains a decent serve of dietary fibre, ideally 12gm, like that found in RVL MonaVie Nutrition Shake. Drinking plenty of water and including fresh vegetables in your other meal of the day will also help keep you regular.
You can’t fool your body; Forget Skipping – try Replacing!
With a weight problem, too many of us can be fooled into patting ourselves on the back if we happen to skip a meal here and there, sometimes it’s just because we have been so busy we haven’t had the time to prepare breakfast as we’re running out the door in the morning, and we naively think, ‘less calories, mean more weight loss – win, win”. Really? Wrong! Whatever the reason, it’s time you understand the real consequences of meal skipping.
If you are already overweight it is more than likely that you are suffering from some degree of insulin resistance; your body fails to produce adequate amounts of insulin in response to ingesting a glucose containing meal. What this means is that our blood sugar levels remain high, a process which is toxic, leading to the symptoms closely associated with Diabetes; neurotoxicity, blindness, kidney failure, poor circulation, gangrene, canker sores and cardiovascular disease.
When you skip a meal, or even go more then 4-5 hours without eating, your body starts going all “Man V’s Wild” on you, slipping into survival mode; energy conserving mechanisms kick in, energy is stored, and I know you know what we store energy as (think that squishy yellow stuff, sounds like Cat, but with an ‘F’) as our body prepares itself for the possibility of starvation. What this means is that our metabolism slows down completely, so to reserve what ever energy and stored glycogen our muscles have, which means we are no longer burning through a high amount of energy. This also stimulates our brains and bodies to crave more calories, so when you do get around to eating your next meal, it’s inevitable we will over consume calories and our body will again store these, rather than effectively burn them up as fuel. Ever heard the expression ‘I only have to look at food and I put on weight’, well honey, that’s because your metabolism is functioning at such an incredibly slow rate; you’re storing, not burning!
The Good, the Bad, the Ugly and the Flat Out Truth.
Let’s talk health, let’s talk business and let’s talk facts. According to the latest market research in this ever popular, ever growing (pardon the pun) topic, it is predicted that the Global Market for Weight Loss will be worth US$586.3 Billion by the year 2014. At the end of the day, no one actually enjoys being overweight and as ignorant as we try to appear, the average person is well aware of the serious threat obesity places on our health. And this is exactly why millions of dollars are spent each year on potions, treatments, diet plans, weight loss consultants and magic pills to assist with weight loss.
This health crisis isn’t going anywhere fast, the figures are there, the money is being spent somewhere, so why not steer those in need toward a Superior Weight Loss Solution like MonaVie RVL? Nutrient dense, preservative free, quick, easy and tastes great, together we can all ‘Reveal our best self’ and start really living!
Stacey Foat
Naturopath & Nutritionist
