The Diet Cure: The 8-Step Program to Rebalance Your Body Chemistry and End Food Cravings, Weight Gain, and Mood Swings--Naturally

453 Pages·2012·3.36 MB·English

by  Julia Ross

PENGUIN BOOKS
THE DIET CURE
Julia Ross, pioneering author and clinician, has been directing innovative
counseling programs in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1980. She is the
executive director of Recovery Systems, a clinic that treats people from all over
the world for overeating and mood problems, using an integrative program that
emphasizes nutrient therapy and biochemical rebalancing. Julia trains health
practitioners throughout the United States and abroad. Her work has been
featured on many radio and television programs and in Psychology Today,
Health, Vogue, and other magazines. The author of a second best seller, The
Mood Cure, she lives in Marin County, California. Learn more about Julia’s
work at dietcure.com, moodcure.com, and recoverysystemsclinic.com.
The
Diet Cure
The 8-Step Program to Rebalance Your Body Chemistry and End Food
Cravings, Weight Gain, and Mood Swings—Naturally
JULIA ROSS, M.A.
PENGUIN BOOKS
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A.
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3
(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
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Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published in the United States of America by Viking Penguin,
a member of Penguin Putnam Inc., 1999
Published in Penguin Books 2000
This revised edition published 2012
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Copyright © Julia Ross, 1999, 2012
All rights reserved
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Ross, Julia, M.A.
The diet cure : the 8-step program to rebalance your body chemistry and end food cravings,
weight gain, and mood swings—naturally / Julia Ross. — Rev. ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN: 978-1-101-60404-5
1. Diet. 2. Diet therapy. 3. Food. 4. Nutritionally induced diseases. 5. Nutrition. I. Title.
RA776.5.R685 2012
615.8’54—dc23
2011045720
Printed in the United States of America Designed by Jaye Zimet
PUBLISHER’S NOTES
Neither the publisher nor the author is engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the individual
reader. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained in this book are not intended as a substitute for
consulting with your physician. All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. Neither the
author nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any
information or suggestion in this book.
The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The Publisher is not responsible for
your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The Publisher is not responsible
for any adverse reactions to the recipes contained in this book.
While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers and Internet addresses at the
time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors, or for
changes that occur after publication. Further, the publisher does not have any control over and does not
assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
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ALWAYS LEARNING PEARSON
To
Frances Lillian Ross
and to the women and men
whose struggles have inspired us to find a better way
FOREWORD
F
orty years ago, after I had completed my education at Harvard and the
University of Pennsylvania and at the outset of my medical career, a foolish
optimism gripped my profession. It was generally held that to improve the
nation’s health, all we had to do was make the existing health care more widely
available.
It soon became painfully evident that more health care did not always lead to
more health. In fact, the rapid advances of medical science seemed to be
increasingly overpowered by the well-marketed culture of unhealthy
consumption.
By the early 1980s, this alarming trend found many doctors seeking new ways
to heal harmful habits. Twenty years ago, through my private practice and my
work as a founding member of the American Holistic Medical Association, I
was fortunate enough to become involved with the incredibly effective work of
Julia Ross. Most of the patients with overeating and weight problems whom I
sent to her clinic received major benefit. Eventually, I was so impressed that I
signed on as their backup physician.
I am delighted that her unique approach, now in an updated edition, will be
even more accessible. May it help guide you in your efforts toward greater
health and well-being.
Richard Shames, M.D., author of
Felling Fat, Fuzzy or Frazzles?,
Thyroid Mind Power, and others
San Rafael, California
January 2012
AUTHOR’S CAUTIONARY NOTE
I
f you have a known or suspected medical condition, are taking medication of
any kind, or have specific health concerns, you should consult a qualified
health care provider before following any of the suggestions in this book.
Supplement and pharmaceutical dosages are meant to be guidelines only, and
dosage and results will vary according to the specific needs of each individual.
The dietary guidelines, too, need to be tailored to each individual. Because this
book cannot respond to individuals’ needs and circumstances, as we do in our
clinic, you should ask for a qualified health care professional to help you assess
and apply The Diet Cure. Although we did our best to provide sound and useful
information, we cannot and do not promise results to a reader. Neither the
publisher nor the author is engaged in rendering professional advice or services
to the individual reader. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained in this
book are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician. All
matters regarding your health require medical supervision. Neither the author
nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly
arising from any information or suggestion in this book.
CONTENTS
FOREWORD BY RICHARD SHAMES, M.D.
AUTHOR’S CAUTIONARY NOTE
AUTHOR’S PREFACE TO THE REVISED EDITION
INTRODUCTION: 8 STEPS TO THE DIET CURE
THE QUICK SYMPTOM QUESTIONNAIRE
Part I
IDENTIFYING THE EIGHT IMBALANCES
ONE Depleted Brain Chemistry: The Real Story Behind “Emotional”
Eating
What Happened to Your Natural Mood and Appetite Regulators?
Eating for All the Wrong Reasons
The Top Cause of Emotional Eating
Using Amino Acids to End Food Addicition
TWO Malnutrition Due to Low-Calorie Dieting: The Number Two
Cause of Overeating, Weight Gain, Bulimia, and Anorexia
The Calorie Controversy
A Few of the Health Consequences of Low-Calorie Dieting
The Legacy of the 1970s: The Dieting and Junk-Food Generations Grow Up
Malnourished
Anorexia and Bulimia: The Direct Consequences of Nutrient Restriction
Is There an Ideal Weight?
How Dieting Causes Weight Gain
Hidden Risks of Low-Calorie Dieting
The Low-Fat, High-Carb Recipe for Food Addiction and Diabetes
Vegetarians’ Special Challenges and Risks
THREE Unstable Blood Sugar: Carb Addiction, Hypoglycemia,
Diabetes, and Adrenal Exhaustion
The Blood Sugar Blues
Is Your Blood Sugar Rising or Falling?
Low Blood Sugar and Carb Addiction
Are You Overstressed? Do Your Adrenals Need Help?
FOUR Unrecognized Low Thyroid Function: Tired, Cold, and
Overweight
The Function of the Thyroid
Symptoms and Causes of Low Thyroid Function
Testing Your Thyroid Function
Are You Allergic to Your Own Thyroid?
FIVE Food Addictions and Allergic Reactions
Have You Ever Been on an Allergy-Free Diet, but Didn’t Know It?
Grains, Milk Products, and Sugar
Testing for Food Intolerances
Are You Afraid of Feeling Restricted or Deprived?
SIX Hormonal Havoc: PMS, Menopause, and the Food-Mood
Connection
The Male Box
Estrogen and Progesterone in PMS and Menopause
What Is Hormonally Hazardous About the USA?
Your Hormonal History
Hormone Imbalances
Menopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy
New Insights into HRT
SEVEN Yeast Overgrowth: A Hidden Cause of Food Cravings
What Is Candida and How Does It Cause Cravings?
The Emergence of Yeast as a Major Cause of Food Cravings
Testing for Yeast Overgrowth
The Problem with Parasites
EIGHT Fatty Acid Deficiency: Why You Can’t Stop Eating Chips,
Cheese, and Fries