Experiencing weight gain???? Got a get-fit resolution? You’re not alone. Problem is, of all of the Americans who ring in the New Year with a resolution, 35 percent of them ditch their vows by the end of January, according to one FranklinCovey survey. Meanwhile, by year’s end, only 23 percent of people have kept their resolutions.
The solution to your resolutions: “Cut the CRAP!” says certified health coach, Maura M. Knowles, a.k.a. Mo the Morselist, founder of Mac-n-Mo’s Morselicious Treats, host of the new online show Mac-n-Mo’s, and author of themorselist.com and two e-cookbooks, including the MORSELICIOUS 21 day DETOX e-cookbook. But no, that’s not just a dose of tough love. See, in Knowles’ book, CRAP stands for Carbonated sodas – Refined sugars - Artificial anything - Processed/Preservatives. “Cancer and most chronic inflammatory diseases (obesity included) are caused by consuming CRAP,” she says.
“Let’s reverse that by choosing to eat a balanced, real-food diet. Eat clean, whole, unprocessed foods,” says Knowles, who advocates a whole different kind of CRAP: Clean – Real – And – Pure foods. “We will be more satisfied and our bodies will balance. I tell my clients not to be afraid of fat if it’s the good kind.” In fact, in one British Journal of Nutrition study, researchers found that participants who consumed the most unsaturated fatty acids had lower body mass indexes and less abdominal fat than those who consumed the least.
Follow Knowles’ 85/15 rule: 85 percent of the time, eat clean, real, and whole plant-based foods. But let yourself splurge the other 15 percent of the time. After all, too-strict diets aren’t sustainable, and can lead to the yo-yo dieting with which we are all far too familiar. While the weight women lose during a typical Near Year’s crash diet is composed of both muscle and fat, weight gained is 100 percent fat. That’s a big problem, especially for menopausal women who are already prone to muscle loss.
Even worse, many so-called healthy food labels actually trick women into eating CRAP when they think they are eating well. “There is a big misconception that a fat-free diet is healthy. When fat is removed from a food-like product (note, I do not call it food) more CRAP goes in and our bodies don’t recognize it as food, but the addiction cycle continues and we crave and eat more,” Knowles says. “There are gluten-free and vegan-free products out there loaded with sugar and salt.”
In fact, “low-carb,” “healthy,” “energy,” and “fitness” labels aren’t regulated, so manufacturers can slap them on pretty much whatever they want. Even foods sporting the yellow Whole Grain Stamp, which designates that various nutritional standards have been met, are still higher in sugar and calories than whole grain foods that don’t flash the label, according to new Harvard University research.
That was the challenge that spurred Knowles (Mo) to mix up her first batch of Mac-n-Mo’s Morselicious Treats. Her dad (Mac), a diabetic, had just been discharged after a successful quadruple bypass surgery—and he was craving something tasty, but needed something healthy.
“Dad begged me to make him a treat that complied with his strict dietary restrictions. My mission was set in motion to create ‘legal’ treats he could enjoy. Dad needed a treat that was pure, clean, low in sugar, had no chemical sweeteners, and even had very limited amounts of fruit because of his diabetes, plus no sodium,” Knowles says. “If there is a low-sugar treat out there, it usually has sodium. If there is a low sodium treat, it usually has sugar or sweeteners or cholesterol or this or that—you get the picture. I had zero clue what, how, where, but I was steadfast on the why!”
The bite-sized morsels she whipped up in her parents’ kitchen in Sacramento, California, are now available in more than 30 retail locations and even more online stores. As her Morsel Rap says, “Cookies have eggs, sugar, butter and fat. Mac-n-Mo’s Morsels have none o’ that!”
Suffering in silence is OUT! Reaching out is IN!
