2020-03-07 New Zealand Listener

MARCH 7 2020 LISTENER 21

INTERMITTENT FASTING has

a lot of merit. Greger recom-

mends not eating between

7pm and breakfast.

A RUSH OF BLOOD TO THE

HEAD sounds unwise, but

administered gently, concludes

the research of space scientists

• and the ancient wisdom
  of yogis – causing blood to
  pool around one’s North
  Pole can speed weight loss.
  Headstands aren’t necessary.
  The Trendelenburg position,
  in which one lies with the
  feet higher than the head, can
  accelerate weight loss. With
  the strict proviso of “consult
  your doctor first”, Greger
  recommends sleeping with

one’s feet tilted to six degrees

higher than one’s head as

another beneficial tweak.

CHEWING GUM: No tick.

Amateur logicians have long

rejoiced in the idea that if

chewing food a lot produces a

“free ride” calorie burn, then

gum must do the same with

knobs on. Not so, says Greger.

Findings are mixed, too, on

whether, through its typi-

cally minty flavour or some

other reason, it can decrease

appetite.

As for COCONUT OIL’s ben-

efits, the question to ask is

“compared with what?” No

benefit has been demonstrated

over placebos for coconut oil,

despite the considerable hype.

A common study cites Pacific

Islanders staying leaner on

their traditional coconut-based

diet than on the modern diet.

“But guess what they were

eating instead ... [a] high

intake of sausages and eggs

and processed foods,” Greger

writes.

PASTA: All right as an occa-

sional scoff – wholegrain,

mind.

BREAD: As above.

FIBRE-ENRICHED FOODS are

better than pabulum such as

Wonder Bread, in Greger’s

book. But why not cut the

palaver and ingest vitamins

and minerals from whole

foods, he says, rather than

hoping to get enough of

them from husked and then

enriched processed foods?

Whole foods ensure better

absorption of nutrients,

among their myriad other

benefits.

“You know things are bad

when one of the top-10

sources of fibre in the Ameri-

can diet is french fries,” he

says, reflecting on a processed

food already stripped of most

of its fibre through peeling.

Ditto the No 1 US dietary fibre

source: white bread.

4 5 6

10 11 12

Spices can be a

quarter-teaspoon

powerhouse

in speeding

weight loss.