SHAPE UP
Eating organics not a green light to munch out on bigger portions

By Dave Patania

Q. I eat organically but would like to lose some pounds. Friends tell me that I should try some protein shakes and bars between meals to keep my metabolism up. I am afraid of the ingredients in these types of products. What do you think?

A. Continue to eat healthily, but assess your habits and see if you can improve upon them. If you decide to use supplements, be sure to shop wisely and read all labels to make sure any products you buy are of high quality, such as ones with low sugar and low saturated fats.

Because there is no regulation on supplements, whether labeled organic or not, you must read labels carefully because there are companies that cut corners and use tricks to sell products, just like some mainstream companies do.

For example, I saw a protein bar at a health food store labeled "sweetened with fructose, no processed sugars." Sounds great, but fructose — despite coming from fruit — is still sugar and gets converted to fat in the same way as conventional sugar, especially in high amounts. This particular bar had a whopping 46 grams of sugar derived from fructose, which is as much, or more, than most mainstream candy bars.

For what you are trying to do, eat five to six well-balanced but small meals every two to three hours during the day. For example, have a food-based meal for breakfast, two to three hours later have a quality protein bar or shake, two to three hours later have a food meal, two to three hours later another bar or shake, two to three hours later have dinner, and so on.

Eating organically doesn't give you the green light to have bigger portions because the food is organic. Too much of any type of food can cause weight and body fat gain. I had a client who ate nothing but organic foods who was 50-plus pounds overweight and in the danger zone for a heart attack. Organic egg omelets with organic cheese, organic pasta, organic puffed rice, organic whole milk and organic bread almost ended his life.

Moderation is the key.

Dave Patania, a certified personal trainer, writes for the Cincinnati Enquirer. Send questions to Personal Trainer, the Cincinnati Enquirer, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati, OH 45202, or e-mail davpatania@aol.com.