November 21, 2004

The Philippine STAR, Opinion Page

From Politics to Health

By Babe Romualdez

I really don't want to intrude into my fellow STAR columnist Dr. Charlie Chante's column on health, but I felt maybe this would be a good time for me to digress a little bit from the usual discussion on politics and the country's perennial problems and share with our readers some of the good news that I have experienced in losing weight — the safe and healthy way. 

Many of our friends including Secretary Bert Romulo, Mexican Ambassador Enrique Hubbard, ABS-CBN's Ricky Carandang who is much younger than I am, and even First Gentleman Mike Arroyo (who has lost 30 Ibs.) have succeeded with the now well-known South Beach Diet.  I assume they feel the same way I do.  We all feel good and certainly look better. 

But let me tell you, I have tried so many darn diets over the past 35 years of my life and believe me, it was a constant struggle having tried all diets from the sonomabitch to the Atkins Diet to the 3-Day Diet.  I even contemplated the Zone Diet or the 40-30-30 plan, Eat-right-for-your-type, the Dr. Phil Diet, etc.  Now, the South Beach is something that I believe is really effective and healthful.  

During my broadcasting days, I had to look 10 Ibs. leaner because as everyone knows TV really adds a lot of pounds.  As a matter of fact, when I celebrated my 50-something birthday recently, I thought that age had finally caught up and there was absolutely nothing one could do about weight and the bulge. 

I must say, the South Beach diet really works to make one feel so much better.  It is very important though to consult one's doctor before going into it. 

Every time I go on a diet, slowly but surely, the pounds start to come back after a couple of months.  These fad diets really don't work in the long-term.  So far, the South Beach Diet has been good because it is relatively easy to sustain the weight loss.  

One feels lighter and can elicit a few good compliments. But I must admit that I got a lot of help from some people like a good dietician, Nadine Tengco, a cousin of our friend Al Tengco who was extremely helpful in developing a healthy diet that certainly worked well. 

Of course, there is Gaita Fores who is the best caterer in town.  You don't really have to go to a caterer for the diet, but it certainly made it easier to stick to the two-week regimen. 

To simplify everything, I strongly suggest to just follow the "low-carbohydrate-no-sugar diet", which essentially is the South Beach diet.  For people my age, this can lead to healthy lives as we approach the twilight of our years. 

As my brother Dr. Quasi, who was the former Secretary of Health during Erap's time, told me that if one has no major illness between the ages of 55 to 65 then one can expect to have a longer, healthier life.  

The right time to start the diet is now, especially before the holidays because precisely you want to have some measure of control before the usual tempting Yuletide feasts.

The South Beach Diet was basically created by well-known cardiologist Dr. Arthur Agatston.  The diet teaches one to rely on the right kind of carbohydrates and the right kind of fats. 

It means staying away from food with plenty of sugar and refined food carbohydrates.  It has three phases that you could follow for the rest of your life.  It does not promise a quick-fix, instead it offers a changed lifestyle in terms of eating habits. 

The first step teaches you to get rid of your cravings because cravings tell you that you need more food.  It encourages you to eat normal helpings of meat and chicken.  For the first two weeks, you should cut down on bread, rice and pasta in order to help you get rid of your cravings. 

After the first two weeks, carbohydrates can be reintroduced in the diet again.  The premise is that you will be eating less of these foods that used to create those cravings so it will be easier for you to reach your ideal weight.  

The diet's emphasis is on developing a healthy lifestyle.  This makes the plan less of diet and more of a way of life.  You really don't have to follow it strictly, the key is to control your intake of carbohydrates, fat and sugar.

Anyway, there are a lot of healthful food items available like the sugar-free berry ice cream and café latte from a local ice cream maker "Fruits in Ice Cream."  These are excellent alternatives and absolutely delicious, especially if you are fond of dairy-based goodies and pastries. 

Sugar-free Nestlés Crunch and the new Splendo sugar substitute are available, too.  And of course, I highly recommend the good old high-fiber unpolished red rice, which is available at Rustan's Supermarket or at Healthy Choice where they have all sorts of tasty and healthful alternatives. 

Organic food is the way to go.  I think that when one goes over 50 we shouldn't necessarily be concerned with looking good anymore, but mainly, feeling good. 

The diet has become such a craze all over the world and in fact, our publisher Max Soliven, who just got back from Poland, told me that there are copies of the book in Polish being snapped up by people like pancakes.  Worldwide, this diet has become so popular that even well-known restaurants from New York to San Francisco and Los Angeles offer low-carb, fat-free cuisine. 

For whatever it is worth, I highly recommend it to everyone, including my enemies though I don't have a whole lot them, perhaps one or two, but just the same, I recommend it to them so that they can have a lighter life.  And believe it or not, I pray for them because they need to lose weight so, they can feel light and see the light.

There is no doubt that eating smarter, consuming more organic foodstuff and exercising regularly can prolong one's life and help sustain the productivity that we want to have well past our "retirement years." 

As the old saying goes, "You can neither be too rich nor too thin" and what better way to illustrate this than what Enrique Zobel (may he rest in peace) told me shortly before he died when he said he would give up all his wealth just to be able to walk again.  So, being healthy, feeling good and enjoying life are what really matters most in life because in the end health is wealth.

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