Q&A with Dr. Pamela Peeke: Dieting & Nutrition

Dr. Pamela Peeke, award-winning author of Fit to Live, joined us for an online chat with the Discovery Health Community. Here are your real health and fitness questions, and her answers!

Question: If you could encourage people to eliminate one food from their diet, what would it be? What about adding one food to their diet to change their health?
Dr. Peeke: I would eliminate refined sugars, and I would add fruit, which is natural sugar.

Question: Is it OK to drink pop in moderation? I started the challenge yesterday and I had a craving for pop, but I measured myself out 4 oz and limited my entire day to just that 4 oz. Is that ever OK?
Dr. Peeke: It's all right to do diet colas, but if you remember in Fit to Live, Christine was drinking 40 ounces of fully sugared and caffeinated soda a day, which was getting her into trouble. Therefore, having 4-8 ounces of a diet cola, preferably decaffeinated, is OK. My preference is clearly water or tea instead of colas or sodas.

Question: I have been working out intensely for the past month. My eating habits are pretty good. I don't eat out, and don't eat red meat or pork. I eat lots of veggies, chicken and fish, and no fried stuff. I have not lost a pound or any inches. What am I doing wrong?
Dr. Peeke: Number one, you may be eating appropriately in the quality of the food, but not the quantity. Beware of eating mountains of quality food. It's time to rein in the portions, especially if you are a woman over the age of 30.

Question: I think I'm having trouble with portion control. What do you recommend?
Dr. Peeke: Portion control is the greatest challenge of all. So it's very important to start paying attention to how much you eat.

Question: Bally told me to only eat 1500 calories. How do you know how much of those calories should be protein, carbs or fats?
Dr. Peeke: OK, here's the percentages - anywhere from 20-25% protein, 25% fat, and 50% carbohydrates. The carbohydrates should be mostly vegetables, with the rest split between some fruit and multi grains.

Question: I have a beer belly (both upper and lower abdominal is fat) without the beer drinking, and I also have love handles. I am looking for a great workout that will target these areas.
Dr. Peeke: You have a beer belly without the beer? I'd guess you are over the age of 40, and as a woman you have to pay attention to quality and quantity of food after the age of 40, even if you've never paid attention before. This is the time to be mindful and aware that you can pick up more belly fat and especially fat deep inside the belly, which is highly associated with heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. So it's time to rein it in and get that physical activity as well.

Question: I drink Rock Star Sugar Free Energy drink. What do you think of these?
Dr. Peeke: Again, be very careful. Read the labels, and realize that many of these drinks that say they are energy drinks are also laced with caffeine, as well as ginseng and other herbals and related chemicals that make you feel speedy. Just because it's sugar-free doesn't mean it's safe. Read the label!

Question: Is peanut butter good or bad?
Dr. Peeke: Peanut butter is fabulous, depending on how much you use. If you get an organic peanut butter, it has lots of fat, but if you use a small quantity appropriately, it's quite delicious. Or buy reduced fat peanut butter, which is a favorite of mine. It makes a wonderful snack if used on a multi grain cracker, for instance.

Question: I'm constantly arguing with my mom about my children's sugar intake. She says fruit sugars are ok, but I thought fruit sugars can also be bad if not in eaten in moderation. Can you put our argument to rest? Can fruit sugars be abused too?
Dr. Peeke: Absolutely! Any sugar can be abused. Anything in moderation. You can eat one apple, but you don't want to eat six at one time. That's a lot of fruit sugar So it's all about appropriate servings and portion sizes.

Question: With so many fad diets that you try, I've been told it messes up your ability to lose weight so my question is how do you level out your body to get it back on track?
Dr. Peeke: Stop the fad diets now and go back to basics. In my book "Fit to Live," I make it very clear that your ability to lay down a strong calorie-burning foundation is doable by avoiding radical diets and instead following my three precepts: quality, quantity, frequency. Clearly the quality is important. The quantity: rein it in, especially if you're over 40. Frequency: eat every 3-4 hours, smaller balanced feedings and your appetite will be reined in, as well as the total calories you ingest.

Question: Dr. Peeke, I have started working out, but I am so hungry all of the time, even more so. How can I help this?
Dr. Peeke: Be careful you don't mix up hunger with appetite. Most people do. Hunger addresses the issue of what do I need. Appetite addresses the issue of what do I want. When they work together, it's magic. But be careful when appetite goes off on its own, and you're in a constant state of I want, I want. This is the essence of cravings as well. If you are truly hungry, with a growling stomach, headache, etc., then you're undereating and you need to start eating small balanced feedings every 3-4 hours. If it's appetite that is the problem, the good news is eating every 3-4 hours solves that problem too. Then all you're left with are some bad habits. If you're stressed out and you eat, you need to learn how to handle stress better.

Question: What were your snacks today?
Dr. Peeke: My snacks included yogurt with sliced almonds. Another was a Gala apple with 2 low fat string cheeses. In the past, I have used chocolate protein powder with skim milk to make a protein drink.

Question: How many grams of sugar should you have in a day?
Dr. Peeke: Again, going back to what I said before, 50% of your diet is carbohydrate. Of that 50%, we're looking at the majority being vegetables, which are low in sugar. Next is whole grains, then fruit. If you're talking about sugar in general, natural sugar, then that's the kind of template you're looking at. If you're talking about refined sugar, it is important to try to minimize this as much as possible. Don't worry about the total grams; just stick to the basic template of mostly vegetables and complex carbohydrates. Also, try to eliminate white sugar from your diet as best you can.

Question: How do you feel about artificial sweeteners? What is your recommendation for people about diet drinks, Crystal Lite, or other products?
Dr. Peeke: Generally, Splenda or sucralose is fine with me in moderation so long as it does not lead to a binge. People react to sugar substitutes differently. There are natural sugar substitutes you may want to try. Stevia is one, another is agave which, although it has the same number of calories as refined sugar (50 calories/teaspoon), is much sweeter, so you only require 1/4 the amount of refined sugar. So you get a better deal all the way around.

Question: I was wondering is it normal for skin to change because of weight gain?
Dr. Peeke: Maintaining a healthy weight allows you to have a healthy glow and clean pores. When you gain weight because of self destructive eating, it's easier to accumulate blemishes, and especially in the absence of physical activity you actually appear to look older and age more rapidly.

Question: Does a low calorie intake produce a low metabolism?
Dr. Peeke: Absolutely. Never starve yourself, because it contributes to a lowered metabolic rate. Instead, allow yourself to eat every 3-4 hours to stoke or stimulate your metabolism.

Question: I know I'm supposed to eat 6 small meals, but I'm just not that hungry! Should I force myself to eat every 2-3 hours even if I'm not hungry?
Dr. Peeke: It's not 2-3 hours, it's 3-4 hours. And you don't have to eat 6 small meals, you can do 5.