Phoenix Gilman, Nutritional Expert and Author Shares Food Choices For Weight Loss

This interview is an excerpt from Gianni's Fountain of Youth Summit, which can be found at fountainofyouthworldsummit.com. In this excerpt, Phoenix Gilman shares choosing foods for weight loss.

The Fountain of Youth World Summit with Phoenix Gilman, the author of “Diet Failure - The Naked Truth About Weight Loss.”

KEVIN: When we go to the supermarket, and we see all those low fat, no fat, net carb, everything that you just said, you know, what’s the policy?

PHOENIX: Oh, stay away from them. Stay away from because... here’s the thing again. Yeah, it’s not, which I’m so surprised that there’s so much of them still on the shelves. I’m such... I’m just still so fascinated when I go to the grocery store to see what they are perpetuating on the trusting consumer. And so many consumers, with all due respect, they don’t have the time to do what I did to research some stuff. They want to trust what the food manufacturers are telling them. So, they put on the label, “It’s fat-free.” For those who believe it’s ... fat, then they’re going to grab it. And they’re probably going to eat it in excess because they think, “Well, it’s no fat.” And it’s the same thing with the net carb and impact carb. It’s all BS, if I may say.

KEVIN: Yeah, sure.

PHOENIX: Because anything that has disclaimed that, there is some sort of label trickery behind it. I tell my clients, “Look, do they ever put that on a nice tomato or a nice piece of fruit?” No. Because their goal is, on those foods, is to really, I mean, how does the food business stay in business? They do it by selling their food. And how they make sure they sell it and make us a loyal faithful customer? They’d have to get us addicted. And how do they get us addicted? By hiding sugar and under all kinds of names. So, for those foods, again, it’s not about eating good healthy fat. I’m not talking about trans fats that you find in the processed potato chips and crackers and stuff like that. I’m talking about good healthy fat. So, it is about eating those good healthy fats and staying away from all the deceptive labeling that comes under the low fat, you know, net carb and impact carb products.

KEVIN: Yeah. And talking a little about good fats and bad fats, what are the good ones, a lot of people, here, good fat, good fat. Well, what is it, you know?

PHOENIX: Well, good fat, Kevin, would be things as eggs, whole eggs. Eggs is one of the most perfect foods for those who are concerned about cholesterol. Another myth. I talked about it in great detail in the book, that is, you have to eat good, healthy fat, and with good healthy fat comes good healthy cholesterol. So, eggs, the whole eggs.

KEVIN: And why have people been saying that, you know, egg whites...

PHOENIX: Egg whites only?

KEVIN: Yeah.

PHOENIX: Well, that was perpetuated many years ago by the cereal industry and I would say that that was a huge success, wouldn’t you?

KEVIN: Yeah.

PHOENIX: Because it really is. For those who understand really how the body works, again, you have to trigger the insulin because the body ... fat. And healthy fat does not cause that insulin response.

KEVIN: A-ha.

PHOENIX: So, by eating good healthy cholesterol, you have to actually eat cholesterol with every meal, Kevin, to stop your body’s internal production of it. And if you don’t eat good healthy cholesterol with every meal, your body will make it out of the carbohydrates that you eat, and that is not a good form. That is what will lead to plaquing of the arteries.

KEVIN: OK. So, your body’s creating those hormones from cholesterol?

PHOENIX: Yes. Your body will create cholesterol on its own. It has its own internal mechanism to make it. If you don’t make it, if you don’t consume food that contain it, which is what, then when you do eat it, it shuts down its own production of it.

KEVIN: OK.

PHOENIX: But some other healthy fats are olive oil, extra virgin olive oil, grapeseed oil, flaxseed oil, nuts and seeds, unsalted please with none of those smoked, you know, and salty things. Avocados, organic mayonnaise, fresh white cheeses, your mozzarella, feta and goat. Those are all wonderful good healthy fat. And of course, in your fishes, you know, like salmon and things like that you’ll have the health, I look at it more as a protein source, but you also get good sources of fat in that as well.

KEVIN: A-ha. What about fish oils and flaxseed oils, are those good as well?

PHOENIX: Absolutely, for your Omega-3 and the 6’s and things like that, I recommend, you know, in my book I do give a list of, I do chapters of, just one chapter of excellent low GI carbohydrates.

KEVIN: A-ha.

PHOENIX: And then a list of foods that somebody would find in my house on any given day and that is a list of all types of whether good healthy fats, low GI carbs, different food for, different fish for your Omega-3’s and things like that. So... I’ve had many people who say, “Oh, you need to write a recipe book.” But it was more important for me to give the tools to people to teach them how t to think for themselves because that will take you a lifetime versus, who lives off a cookbook? I mean, it’s not going to happen.

KEVIN: Yeah. Could you give us a snapshot of some of the things that are in your house right now?

PHOENIX: Oh, sure. I just ... hey now, no, it’s ... This morning, I had three eggs with mozzarella cheese...

KEVIN: A-ha.

PHOENIX: ...with some tomato and olive oil.

KEVIN: A-ha.

PHOENIX: I always have, I have about two dozen eggs, I go through about two dozen eggs a week and they’re a great snack as well for people who say, “Oh, I don’t know what I’ll have for snack.” Boil some eggs, they make for a great snack.

KEVIN: A-ha.

PHOENIX: I have some raw almonds, I make my own trail mix, I usually have an assortment of almonds, macadamias, walnuts, I mix those together and make my own trail mix.

KEVIN: Oh, great.

PHOENIX: I have fresh whipping cream that I put in my decaf green tea, which I have sitting right here topped with a little cinnamon, absolutely wonderful, better than any latte.

KEVIN: So, fresh whipped cream, you mean, just straight from the farm, or...

PHOENIX: Yes. Fresh whipped cream which, you know, not the spray cream, but the fresh, real, whole whipping cream.

KEVIN: A-ha.

PHOENIX: And why? Because it’s, even though I try to limit my intake of any cow products, it is a good healthy source of fat and it has zero carbs which means zero sugar. So...

KEVIN: Got you.

PHOENIX: ...it’s not about the fat-free milk or the skimmed milk which, again, is a carb and as a liquid carb, it’s going to affect your blood sugar level even more dramatically. So for me, it’s whole whipping cream.

KEVIN: And could you explain that a little more? I think a lot of people don’t realize...

PHOENIX: The liquid carb?

KEVIN: ...that milk, dairy, lactose is a sugar and that there are carbs.

PHOENIX: Well, no, exactly, Kevin, and the thing is two just like the fruit. When I tell people, “Oh”, I mean, the fruit juice, they go, “Oh, you’re telling us that it’s not healthy?” I said, “No, no, no. It’s how you consume those carbs.” Because fruit has fructose, which is fruit sugar.

KEVIN: A-ha.

PHOENIX: Milk has lactose, which is milk sugar. And so, when you have, not only is it a carb, but as the fruit juice and the milk, you will have a liquid carb. And as a liquid carb, you will affect the blood sugar level much more dramatically. Why? Because it’s nothing more than liquid. It’s going to go much quicker into the bloodstream. It has nothing, the body doesn’t have to take time to break it down.

KEVIN: A-ha.

PHOENIX: So, which is why I recommend, of course, I want you to eat fruit. There are better fruits than others and mine, when I’m really working with clients who have an excess insulin gauge which is where that weight you carry around your midsection which is the most harmful to your health, it is about your lower GI fruits, which, for me, the berries. I highly recommend any of the berries. But again, eat them in their natural state. Don’t take them in a juice form. One only has to look at any bottle. When you go into the grocery store, Kevin, you can pick up any bottle, look at all the fruit juices that are marketed, just read the panel. Look at how much sugar is in there and look at how many servings are in there. There is often amazing, at least thirty, if not sixty to eighty grams of sugar in one of those juice products. So again, it’s about taking your carbs in their natural form. The fruits and things like that, so that the body has its ability to break down the fiber which will help lower the blood sugar responses going to be caused by it.

KEVIN: So, these juices, when you look at them in the grocery store that say a hundred percent juice?

PHOENIX: Yeah, but they can say a hundred percent juice or they can say whatever, but it’s still, it’s just pure sugar water.