Overweight

Overweight

I've always liked this letter:

"Please, please, please!!! I know how busy you must be, Dr. Duke, but I hope I'm not being too presumptuous asking for the recipe for those Lean Mean Bran Muffins that you mentioned in USA Today. Oh, do I need to activate my serotonin!!

"I never had a weight problem until ten years ago, when old age caught up with me. Please find it in your generous heart to honor my request, and help me shed those 25 unwanted pounds. Thank you for sharing your expertise (kiss, kiss, kiss!!!)."

That's what happens when you lay a little biochemistry on the national press. A few years back, a USA Today reporter interviewed me about natural secrets of weight control. For the most part, there are no secrets: Just eat a low-fat diet heavy on fruits, vegetables, herbs and whole grains and get plenty of exercise.

But you know the media--always looking for something new. So I mentioned to the reporter that serotonin is the brain chemical responsible for the feeling of satiety, and that pumping up one's serotonin might help people shut the refrigerator.

A key ingredient in serotonin is the amino acid tryptophan. Perhaps you've heard that tryptophan is a sedative. A few years back there was a big market for tryptophan supplements. Then some people got sick after taking supplements from a contaminated batch, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) overreacted by banning it from health food stores. But the FDA can't ban the tryptophan in food.

That's where my Lean Mean Bran Muffins come in. (The recipe is on page 344.) They provide plenty of tryptophan to support serotonin synthesis in the brain, which helps you get the message that you're full.

Green Pharmacy for Overweight

If muffins don't move you, you might try the herbs that may help people control their weight.

Plantain or psyllium (Plantago, various species). Plantain is a leafy plant, and psyllium is the seed of the plant. In one Italian study, scientists gave women who were seriously obese--at least 60 percent over their recommended weight--three grams of plantain in water 30 minutes before meals. The plantain group lost more weight than a similar group of women who simply cut back on their diet.

Russian researchers have found that the weight-loss effect of plantain and psyllium is related to the spongy fiber (mucilage) in the seeds and to specific chemicals (polyphenols) in the leaves.

It may not be practical to make a plantain-in-water mixture, but getting psyllium is no problem at all, since Metamucil and similar products contain psyllium. Just mix a teaspoonful with juice or water and have it before each meal. You should watch how you react to this herb if you have allergies, however. If allergic symptoms develop after you take it once, don't use it again.

Red pepper (Capsicum, various species) and other hot spices. In one experiment, researchers at Oxford Polytechnic Institute in England measured the metabolic rates of people on a standardized diet, then added a teaspoon of red-pepper sauce and a teaspoon of mustard to every meal. The study showed that the hot herbs raised metabolic rates by as much as 25 percent.

If you're trying to lose weight, you get another benefit from eating spicy foods. The hot spice stimulates thirst, so you drink more liquids. If you fill up on water instead of food, you'll obviously take in fewer calories and gain less weight.

So hot, spicy foods just might help you keep your weight down. One caveat, though: Many people use hot spices in barbecue sauce on high-fat foods such as spareribs, hot dogs and sausages. If you have a yen for barbecue sauce, skip the fat with my Hot Doggone. To a hot dog bun, add coleslaw, barbecue sauce, mustard and onions. I know it sounds weird, but this concoction is surprisingly satisfying. (It's best to leave out the hot dog, but if you must have one, make it vegetarian.)

Chickweed (Stellaria media). This herb has quite a folk reputation as a slimmer. Try adding some to your diet and see what happens.

Some people eat it raw in salads, and some steam it and eat it like a vegetable. Personally, I prefer to disguise it by including it with other greens. If you want to try my Weed Feed mixture of slimming, edible weeds, mix chickweed, dandelion, evening primrose, stinging nettle (cooked and cooled), plantain and purslane. You can eat this mixture of fresh herbs in a salad. You can also cook all of the greens and perhaps spice them up with slimming hot sauce.

Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis). If you'd rather not grind evening primrose seeds into flour as I suggest in my Lean Mean Bran Muffin recipe, try taking a half-teaspoon of evening primrose oil three times a day. The oil contains some tryptophan, but not as much as the flour.

Pineapple (Ananas comosus). When I was in Costa Rica, staying at the Monte Verde Lodge and enjoying the beauty and comfort of the Monte Verde cloud forest, the owner of the lodge told me that he had lost 100 pounds on a pineapple regimen. He ate one whole fresh pineapple per day.

Although his story might sound apocryphal, there's more to a pineapple diet than you might think. Pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain, which helps digest both proteins and fats.

Walnut (Juglans, various species). You might think that nuts, which are high in fat, should be avoided by anyone who is trying to lose weight. But a study of more than 25,000 Seventh-Day Adventists showed that those who ate the most nuts were the least obese. Walnuts are our richest dietary source of serotonin, which, as mentioned earlier, helps make us feel full. Possibly the nuts produced feelings of satiety.

It is important to understand, however, that Seventh-Day Adventists are vegetarians who live a much healthier lifestyle than the typical American. It's not clear that nuts would help you control your weight if you're an omnivore eating both meat and vegetables. But you might experiment to see if eating a handful of walnuts helps you control food cravings.