their depression disappears, and their outlook on life becomes much more
positive. They get more muscles and lose fat. You might be thinking, “But I
can’t afford HGH, Doctor.” That’s okay, because the Perfect 10 Diet will raise
your HGH levels naturally. Once you begin to eat the right amounts of protein,
incorporate exercise in your daily life, lose weight, and get adequate sleep, your
HGH level will go up.
FOODS AND OTHER FACTORS THAT CAN HELP BALANCE
GROWTH HORMONE INCLUDE: vegetables, fruits, poultry, eggs, fish,
anaerobic exercise, weight loss, and fasting.
FOODS AND OTHER FACTORS THAT NEGATIVELY AFFECT
GROWTH HORMONE LEVELS INCLUDE: low-protein diets, alcohol,
vinegar, white bread, pasta, low-fat products, cereals, and a sedentary lifestyle.
CORTISOLSOURCE: Adrenal glands
NORMAL LEVELS: 180 ng/mL from 8 to 9 a.m., 45 ng/mL from 4 to 8
p.m.
FUNCTIONS: Energy and inflammation controlThe adrenal glands, which are located on top of the kidneys, secrete a number of
hormones. On the Perfect 10 Diet, I limit the discussion to two hormones, DHEA
and cortisol, that play a role in weight.
The role cortisol plays in the shape of our waistlines is at times debated, but
there is no doubt that it plays a role in abdominal obesity (the spare tire). If your
waistline is wider than your hips, this central fat plays a role in the inflammation
of the arteries and increases your chance to develop heart disease.
Cortisol, a stress hormone, gives us energy. Just as with insulin, we have a big
cortisol problem; it’s too high in many people, and too low in many others. If
cortisol is too high or too low for too long, you won’t live very long. This major
hormone keeps us alive thanks to its three essential and powerful properties: it
increases blood sugar levels (and thus energy levels), raises blood pressure, and
neutralizes inflammation. In the 1990s I published a paper in a major medical
journal on the strong anti-inflammatory effects of cortisol. It truly does wonders.
But how did cortisol get impaired by our modern diet? Again, the answer is
excess sugar. Let me explain. You see, sugar, fruit juices, and just about anything
else sweet releases sugar quickly into the bloodstream. That doesn’t just impair