Testimonials – Weight-Loss Brooklyn N.Y.

The next Life Life Lighter contest/program starts in 12 days and will help bring in the holidays for you… why wait until the new year to make a resolution? Thats the reason why most people don’t achieve goals; there’s no reason to wait until the 31st to think of something you want to change, there is no reason why people should only be merry during the holidays, and there is definitely no reason why you should have to wait for a special occasion to tell the important people in your life you love them!

Don’t just lose weight… Learn how you lose weight and how to apply positive lifestlye changes to any environment and any situation.  The first step is to plan your method of resolving a problem, without planning you will ultimately fail or yoyo back to the weight that just doesn’t seem to stay off permanently.  

Don’t just take my word though, If your interested in results please take a look at the average reponse a contestant has in the 3-month time span the contest is run via Testimonials

What are you waiting for? BRING IT!

Dr. Gordon Kuang C.S.C.S.

Filed under: Current Events on Nutrition, New York, Exercise & Nutrition, Lose 8-10 Pounds in 4 Weeks!!, Nutrition & Pain Management, Practical Nutritional Advice, Brooklyn, New York, Brooklyn Nutrition, Dr. Gordon Kuang, Eat Healthier, Effective Ways of Exercise, Exercise and Nutrition, Ingredients to Avoid, Nutrition and the Healing Process

How to Read Food Labels, Decipher the Jargon, Nutrition Brooklyn, Weightloss Brooklyn

It is essential that you learn and understand how to analyze the foods that you are eating. Educating yourself is the key to long-standing success with any subject, nutrition is no different. Would you put together a piece of electronic equipment without at least glancing at the directions? Probably not, so why would you put something into your body without glancing at what the food is made of? It is not a cliche to say “you are what you eat,” because chemically speaking once everything is broken down to its basic components you really are made up of the food products you consume.

If you can read food labels you are setting yourself up for success because you can decipher total calories, grams of each nutrient, ingredients contained within the product, serving size, how many servings, percentage of recommended daily allowance, vitamins & minerals, and much more. The food label is the blueprint for a particular product and seeing past the marketing jargon will help you avoid the common pitfalls of nutrition. Remember that companies research different marketing techniques to sell their products; they do not try and inform the consumer of the health benefits of their product. The consumer must be aware and avoid the jargon that is present all around you in the supermarket. Words like: Sugar free, fat free, sugarless, real fruit flavor, hydrogenated, light, low calorie, zero calories, just to name a few… when I see these words, red flags are immediately raised and I scrutinize these products even more. Most of the time food products with these catch phrases have artificial sweeteners, preservatives, and tons of chemical junk that you would be better off not consuming.

I teach 2 basic rules when shopping: 1. the rule of pronunciation, if you can’t pronounce it… its probably not good for you 2. The rule of 1 ingredient… always try to get as close to one ingredient as possible in a food product. If you purchase peanut butter it should only contain PEANUTS! There is no reason for peanut butter to have 6 ingredients in it unless its been chemically altered in some way. Take the time to read the ingredients and plan your meals, the first few time you go shopping it might take a few minutes longer but as you familiarize yourself to reading labels and the marketing jargon it will be second nature while shopping. Do You Really Need To Supplement Your Diet Or Is It All Just Marketing Hype?

It is good to know that a food simply labeled organic does not necessarily mean it is a good product, by law a food must only have to be at least 51% organic to be labeled organic. Just recently laws were passed that a food could also be labeled as organic even if it was treated by inorganic pesticides. That is why brand recognition and the place where you purchase your food will play a role in the credibility of food choices. Meat that is bought from grass fed cows will always be a higher quality than those fed by corn or other less optimal feed, some are actually fed ground up pieces of other animals! The best rules are to stick with antibiotic free, hormone free, free range animals. All fish should be wild caught and not farm raised, those fish that are farm raised have been found to contain higher amounts of PCB’s within them. The effects of PCB’s have been extensively documented. You may end up paying a few extra bucks but in the end its worth the quality of food you receive, you will pay for it one way or another… either you pay now for higher quality food or pay later for bad blood chemistry. “All natural” is also a commonly used jargon word that doesn’t mean anything objectively, the best way to check to see if the food product is natural is to look at the ingredient list. If the first few ingredients contain: Enriched white/wheat flour, white flour, modified corn starch, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, autolyzed yeast extract, MSG, and/or hydrolyzed vegetable protein; then the words “all natural” mean nothing because none of those ingredients are close to anything from nature. These common ingredients are man made, synthetic alterations of food products. For example, High fructose corn syrup is a man made form of very cheap sugar (Glucose), it’s made specifically for the purposes of saving money during food production but consuming large amounts has been linked to obesity and metabolic disorders.

When you are in the supermarket always remember that the businesses are set up to sell food products and not to ensure you buy healthy foods. It is up to you as a consumer to do your research and read food labels so you are making healthy purchases. I recommend to always make a list before shopping and think about your meals and how to plan for them. For example, a dozen eggs with celery and cucumbers to make eggwhite salad, a rotisserie chicken to make chicken salad with, cans of salmon for salmon salad, and my favorite salad: diced cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, and avocado’s with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. These are just a few examples of how you can plan what you are planning to buy at the supermarket by thinking about what you are planning to eat.

Once you go over the jargon a few times, you will always know what words will raise red flags… learning to read the labels will help you estimate calories, which will help you lose weight or gain lean muscle mass depending on your goals. Making healthy lifestyle choices starts with the ingredients you choose to put into your body… know that whole foods are the best types of foods to be eating and supplementation should only add to a solid, healthy foundation of eating habits. Stick to the perimeter of the supermarket and buy foods that don’t have ton’s of ingredients which will automatically decrease the amount of ‘garbage’ you consume. Contact me if you are interested in getting more specific information including food lists, menu plans, a lifestyle workbook that goes over basic physiology and nutrition (Fats, carbs, proteins, vitamins & minerals, and much more), and comprehensive evaluation of your current lifestyle and past history. I focus on teaching you how to live healthy and why certain foods are good for you, just being ‘spoon fed’ what to eat may help you reach your goals temporarily but in the end if you don’t know what or why you made these choices you will always revert back to your old habits. Remember…. LIFESTYLE CHANGES are what create permanent changes, not a “diet” or 3 months of food restrictions.

These suggestions are made to focus on maintaining overall health, which in turn should help your immune system and body become stronger and hopefully more resistant to developing disease. Nobody truly knows the exact type of “diet” that will keep your from developing certain diseases such as cancer. The suggestions above in conjunction with exercise, proper sleep, and stress reduction can only help your body, so why not at least insure your body has the best chances for survival in a toxic planet? Every little bit helps and its all cumulative! Don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions.

Dr. Gordon

Filed under: Practical Nutritional Advice, Brooklyn, New York, Brooklyn, Decipher Marketing Jargon, Food Ingredients, Ingredients to Avoid, New York, Nutrition, Nutrition and Wellness, Weightloss

The Danger of Artificial Sweeteners! Nutrition, Brooklyn

How many times do you drink diet soda a week?  How often do you put equal, splenda, or sweet n low in your coffee?  If you are consuming any of these food items its imperative you read on! Artificial sweeteners can cause significant health risks.  Some of those risks which were discovered in a 1994 Department of Health and Human Services study are as follows: seizures, chest pains, insomnia, weight gain, tremors, vertigo, arthritis, asthma, and migraine headaches.  Think to yourself…. In what types of products do we see a lot of artificial sweeteners?

If you answered diet products, you got it!  Does anything here seem a bit fishy?  Many of our diet products contain artificial sweeteners yet one of the side effects is weight gain. Artificial sweeteners may actually increase appetite including carbohydrate cravings.  The reason for this is because artificial sweeteners decrease the production of serotonin in your body.  How is this done?  Well eating sugar and other foods that are sweet has been shown to increase the natural production of serotonin, thats part of the reason why eating chocolate feels so good and actually can put people into a good mood.   Through time excess production of this brain chemical causes a decrease in the overeall natural production of this neurotransmmitter.  Think about it the same way a person’s pancreas becomes insulin resistant from ingesting too many sweets too often.

Serotonin is also a neurotransmitter that controls mood and sleep.  Mood has a direct effect on our appetite and therefore can cause weight gain and lack of sleep will sabotage any weight-loss since sleep is important recovery time and helps burn calories.

If you thought that was bad, it gets worse!!  Are you aware of what formaldehyde is?  It is a fluid that is used in embalming.  When our bodies enzymes break down certain artificial sweeteners in our small intestine, it breaks down into formaldehyde.  That formaldehyde gets broken down into formic acid.    That formic acid byproduct that is created can cross the blood brain barrier and is considered a neurotoxin. Don’t believe me? Click HERE for a YouTube interview with Dr. Mercola, a doctor of osteopathy and best selling author on health and wellness.

They have found that large doses of artificial sweeteners in laboratory rats has actually caused neurologic damage! Genotoxicity testing of artificial sweeteners have been disturbing to say the least! Notably aspartame, acesulfame-K, and saccharin.

I know what you are thinking.  If all of this is true why isn’t the FDA doing anything about it?  Its very simple, what does the world revolve around?  MONEY!!!  If you walk through the supermarket you will see that billions of dollars are made from products containing artificial sweeteners.  I urge you to be careful when making “healthy” choices.  If you ever have questions or concerns I’m here to help! I offer everything from an hour’s worth of nutritional counseling to full comprehensive 12-week wellness programs.  In conjunction with nutritional counseling I offer pain management and exercise to help fulfill to complete approach to health care – Chemical, emotional, and structural.

Don’t sabatoge your health, learn to read ingredients and know what you are putting into your body!

Filed under: Current Events on Nutrition, New York, Artificial Sweeteners, Brooklyn, Dr. Gordon Kuang, Ingredients to Avoid, New York

What’s in your food? Nutrition Brooklyn, Weighloss Brooklyn, Burn Fat Brooklyn

NYC is a city where everyone wants everything done yesterday, in the fast paced world of “eat and run” there has been a trend for the food industry companies to make foods that require little effort or time.

Most of these prepared or semi- prepared meals in a box contain preservatives, colorings and other additives that make things like ‘macaroni and cheese’ taste better and last for years in the cupboard. Unfortunately many of these additives may have serious side effects that consumers should be aware of. Here is a summary of some of the more common preservatives in foods.

The majority of foods produced and sold at supermarkets these days lack the proper nutrients for a healthy lifestyle and can contribute to obesity, weight gain, type II diabetes, heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue, and many more diseases.  It is better to completely eliminate these following ingredients from your nutritional habits and substitute with fiber and whole foods such as fruits and vegetables.

High Fructose Corn Syrup

Is a cheaper form of sugar and found in the majority of food products made in the USA.  There is a direct link from obesity to the over-consumption of this chemical (Food Additive).  This compound raises your blood glucose higher then regular sugar and has been shown to increase systemic inflammation leading to a variety of heath issues. Research on High Fructose Corn Syrup in the past 10 years have not been positive.

Aspartame (artificial sweetener, Equal or Nutra-Sweet)

Aspartame is used as a sugar substitute in many “diet” drinks and sweets. Its made of amino acids, methanol (a known poison) and phenylalanine.

Check my upcoming blog on artificial sweeteners and the effects these chemicals have on the body such as contributing to obesity, type II diabetes, and increasing the inflammatory process

BHA and BHT (Butylated Hydroyandisole and Butylated Hydroxytoluene)

BHA and BHT keep foods containing oils and fats from going rancid. The WHO World Heath Organization considers them carcinogens. BHA and BHT are not necessary in foods and can be avoided by safer chemicals like Vitamin E. These additives are found in potato chips, cereal, crackers and Quaker Granola Bars to name a few.

Colorings (Blue 1 and 2; Red 2,3 and 40; Yellow 5 and 6)

Red 3 has caused thyroid tumors in rats, according to the FDA, which has recommended that the coloring be BANNED. Yellow 5 has been known to cause mild allergies in aspirin sensitive people. Yellow 6 may have links to cancer and tumors of the adrenal gland and kidney and may also cause allergic reaction. Most food dyes are found in junk food, candies, Kraft Dinner and soft drinks. Maraschino cherries, found in fruit cocktails, contain Red 3.  Food colorings have been proven to be carcinogenic and should be avoided whenever possible.

MSG (Monosodium Glutamate)

MSG is an amino acid that brings out the flavor by activating taste buds, allowing food producers to reduce the amount of real flavorings or ingredients, making it cheaper to produce.

• Reactions can include headaches, nausea, burning sensations in the back of the neck, wheezing and difficulty breathing, all of which are increased in the situation of an allergy. MSG is not hard to find. Many Asian and non-Asian restaurants use it!  Is that why dim sum is sooo good?  It’s also commonly found in soups (Campbell’s uses it frequently), salad dressings, chips, frozen dinners, and HVP (hydrolyzed vegetable protein).   MSG has been proven to be a NEUROTOXIN:  That means that is causes NERVE DEATH when used for long periods of time.

Studies have linked MSG to be an exacerbant of chronic idiopathic urticaria (A kind of skin rash notable for dark red, raised, itchy bumps).

Nutrition is about compromise and learning what battles you need to fight and which battles are better left alone to help keep you morivated.  It is not measured in days but months and years of lifestyle choices.  No matter what your ultimate goal is there are many different paths you can choose to follow to bring you to the same end result, a healthier you! Looking at the alarming health statistics of today, it’s never too early to start paying attention to what you are consuming.

Being able to read a food ingredient label is the foundation to making the correct choices in the supermarket, at the restaurant, or meal planning.  Would you build a house on an unstable foundation?  Then why would you decide to address your nutrition without the proper education on the guiding principles of healthy nutrition.

Schedule a time to meet one-on-one with Dr. Gordon to go over your health goals.  He will teach you how to meal plan, read food labels, shop for food, and much more.  The objective is to learn how your losing weight so you understand the principle and can then apply it whenever you want.  Just like a wise person once said, why continue to buy fish when you can have someone teach you how to become a fisherman and sustain yourself.  At Optimumhealthcare NY we just don’t help you lose weight or get rid of your pain, we show you how to recreate and maintain your health so you never have to be treated over and over for the same problem. For a comprehensive evaluation which the doctor uses to create a customized NUTRITIONAL PROGRAM BROOKLYN, NY follow the link or call 800.980.9172. WEIGHT-LOSS BROOKLYN, NY is a service that could be partially covered by major medical insurance. Follow the link and input your insurance information and a staff member will call you to set up a time to sit down with Dr. Kuang and discuss your goals.

Dr. Gordon Kuang C.S.C.S.

Filed under: Practical Nutritional Advice, Brooklyn, New York, Brooklyn, Dr. Gordon Kuang, Eat Healthier, Ingredients to Avoid, New York, Nutrition, Obesity, Optimum Healthcare NY, Stop Cravings, Weightloss, Whole Foods