Living Well: Daylight Diet can be the key to shedding the blahs and extra pounds this winter

Both Susan Kleiner and her 82-year-old mother live on Mercer Island. They get together regularly. One day, a few years ago, Kleiner noticed her mother didn't seem too cheerful.

"My mom has always been a happy, enthusiastic person," said Kleiner, a nutritionist in private practice. "My dad passed away nine years ago and, as can be typical, my mother became mildly clinically depressed (and gained a few pounds). But she slowly came out of it."

Which is why Kleiner was bothered about her mom seeming a bit blue when usually "she always put on a happy face."

As a concerned daughter, Kleiner tapped into her professional strength. She told her mother about ways to combat mood swings with the right foods. She suggested her mom make fresh salmon or halibut (rub with oil and broil it) four or five days a week. She urged her mother to use flax meal in her cereal and eat a whole egg (the yolk is a brain- and mood-enhancer) five times a week. She talked about getting sunlight every day for 15 minutes, taking a vitamin D supplement in the winter months and being careful not to eat much added sugar in processed foods (including cereals, sweets and even yogurt).

Kleiner didn't have a name for her eating plan. It was simply the advice she has passed on to private clients and athletes (she has worked with the Seahawks and Sonics in the past) for years. It worked to help all sorts of people lose weight and, perhaps even more vital, feel good.

"Virtually every client I work with says the same thing after a week or two," said Kleiner. "The comment is 'I have more energy.' "

Energy can be at a premium for many of us as the winter months beckon. This past weekend's time change and the seasonal gray weather work in tandem to short our sun exposure. It can add up to a moderate to severe case of the blahs.

What Kleiner realized after working with her own mother and hundreds of Puget Sound area residents is she has developed the best eating plan to fend off mild depression, mood swings and, ah- ha, the gray days.

Let's call it the Daylight Diet. It can help us feel more energy this winter and, where appropriate, help see some "daylight" in what might be a perpetual yo-yo effect of losing weight and gaining it back.

"No matter what the goals of clients, I always keep mood in mind," said Kleiner. "It is a huge missing link in weight-loss strategies."

For instance, Kleiner said many people who have tried high-protein diets lose pounds in early weeks or months, but become "mean and crabby" over a longer term. She is decidedly against zero or low-carb meals and snacks while still endorsing significant intakes of lean protein (about 35 percent of daily calories).

Kleiner urges clients to eat about 50 to 55 percent carbs (even a bit less for weight loss) and roughly 15 percent fats. The carbs are healthy varieties, mostly fruits, vegetables and grains rather than any processed foods with added sugar or carbs.

"The main thing any of us can do for weight control and mood improvement is regulate how much added sugar goes into our meals and snacks," said Kleiner. "That extra sugar is everywhere in processed foods."

Kleiner's point is nature itself provides most of the carbs and sugar our bodies need. Milk has roughly 12 grams of carbohydrate per cup, while yogurt with added sugar could easily be twice that.

"If you are going to eat a yogurt with added sugars, that's OK but consider it one of your sweets," said Kleiner.

Sweets are not taboo in the Daylight Diet. But Kleiner suggests an eat-it-only-if-you-love-it approach.

"If you love pumpkin pie, have a slice but maybe skip the crust unless it is fabulous," she said.

The concept is to be more selective about our treat foods, while making sure you get plenty of "brain food." That's where healthy fats enter in your meal plans. For losing weight, Kleiner recommends about 15 percent of your calories coming from good fats (cold-weather fish, nuts, flax, olive oil), Note: Grind your flax seeds or buy it as flax meal; our digestive systems cannot break down the hull of a whole flax seed.

If more energy is your primary goal, you can increase good fats intake to about 20 percent of daily calories.

Along with what foods to eat, Kleiner said three other facets of the Daylight Diet are important. One is proper combining of your meals and snacks. She said never to eat simply carbs, say a bagel or even an apple. Put some peanut butter on your bagel or have a slice of cheese with the fruit. It feeds the brain and satisfies your hunger more completely.

Another facet is timing. Like many sports nutritionists, Kleiner endorses the plan of smaller, more frequent meals rather than three square.

"I tell clients to eat something every three hours," she explained. "One good strategy is to break up your breakfast and lunch into split meals. I eat my cereal (shredded wheat with wheat germ, flax meal, milk and fruit) when I first wake up, then eat an egg and have some coffee about 90 minutes later when my kids are up," said Kleiner.

Splitting lunch is equally good for the body and brain, while Kleiner actually endorses eating more carbs at night. A pasta dinner will actually help you sleep, which is one reason why a spaghetti lunch may leave you more ready for a nap than a staff meeting. For people who have trouble sleeping, Kleiner recommends a tried-and-true method: A glass of milk before bed (and your evening cocktail no later than two hours before bed).

A final facet of the Daylight Diet is exercise. Kleiner expects her personal-practice clients to be involved in some regular physical activity for three months before she works with them on specific dietary changes.

"Two things happen when we start working out or getting involved in regular physical activity," she said. "One is your self image is more positive. The other is your brain chemicals changes; your moods are more uplifting."

There is plenty of research to back up the Daylight Diet. Kleiner can supply pages of scientific citations. The National Weight Loss Registry provides more proof. It lists individuals who have lost 30 pounds or more and kept off the weight for five years. Everyone on the registry has succeeded by eating less (Kleiner would especially point to controlling added sugar) and exercising religiously.

"Exercise is not the key to weight loss," said Kleiner. "Exercise is the key to weight maintenance. There's a big difference."

Kleiner has one more piece to her plan. It's almost a secret weapon, or a hidden one on certain Northwest days.

"I tell everybody to get outside on sunny days and get at least 15 minutes of sunshine," she said. "Expose your face and arms, at least up to the elbow. To play it safe and compensate for gray days, take a multivitamin/mineral supplement with 400 IU (international units) of vitamin D. Your mood will change dramatically and for the better."

Just ask Mom.

WANT TO LIGHTEN THE GRAY -- AND YOUR WEIGHT?

See if this sounds familiar. You would like to eat better, feel more energy in your life and maybe lose a few pounds. But -- there is always the but -- you just don't seem to find the time.

Struggle no more. Become part of the P-I's Daylight Diet test group with accomplished nutritionist Susan Kleiner (visit www.powereating.com). She will work individually with six to eight fortunate P-I readers for the next three months. There will be a group meeting and each participant will receive weekly phone/e-mail consultations plus support materials for both eating and exercise plans. The P-I will report on the group's progress.

Here's the opportunity. Send us an e-mail stating your goals (lose weight, be more energetic, feel less depressed, you decide and the more specific the better). Plus submit a brief list of vital statistics: age, gender, height, approximate weight, health history, other diets you may have tried and how you handle winter grayness (or don't handle it well). Feel free to write a short essay or letter (500 words or less) to make a case for including you in the Daylight Diet group. Send entries to bobcondor@aol.com by Nov. 15. Living Well columnist Bob Condor and his editors will make the final selections and those participants will be notified by Nov. 17.

The Daylight Diet

The Daylight Diet is intended to feed your brain along with your body. Here are some servings per day ranges, along with a sample 1,600-calorie menu for a 160-pound woman hoping to gradually lose weight. An active woman or man intent on weight loss would consume about 1,800 calories, while an active man should aim for about 2,000 calories per day.

DAILY SERVINGS OF FOOD GROUPS

Bread/grains 4

Fruit 3 (one each from berries, citrus)

Milk 3

Vegetables 5

Very lean protein 5

Lean protein 4

Milkfat protein 1

Fat 5

Basic rules: Egg yolk or soy every day (use more soy if heart disease is an issue); nuts every day; fish 5 times a week.

A SUGGESTED DAY

Breakfast

1 cup shredded wheat or 1 cup Kashi cereal (1 bread)

2 tablespoons raisins or 1 cup blueberries in season (1 fruit)

1 cup fat-free milk (1 milk)

1 egg, prepared any way without fat (1 milkfat protein)

1 tablespoon ground flax seed (1 fat)

Water

Snack

1 milk homemade smoothie: 1 cup fat-free milk + 14 grams flavored whey protein powder + 3 ice cubes. Blend until smooth. (1 milk and 2 very lean protein)

Lunch

1 cup chicken/vegetable noodle soup (1 bread)

2 cups mixed green salad (2 vegetable)

3 ounces turkey (3 very lean protein)

2 tablespoons reduced fat olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing (1 fat)

Water

Snack

1 apple (1 fruit)

1 cup vegetable or tomato juice (1 vegetable)

10 peanuts -- remember, ballpark style takes longer to eat (1 fat)

Water

Dinner

1 cup brown rice + 1 cup sweet potato (2 bread)

1 orange, sectioned (1 fruit)

1 cup steamed broccoli sprinkled with balsamic or raspberry vinegar (2 vegetable)

4 ounces grilled or broiled wild salmon (4 very lean protein)

8 large black olives + 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil rubbed on salmon (2 fat)

Water

Snack

1 cup heated fat-free milk with 1 teaspoon cocoa powder and Splenda or Stevia to taste (1 milk)

Bob Condor writes every Monday about health and quality of life. He is editor of the Seattle-based Evergreen Monthly, which covers health, environment, food, social good, spirituality and personal growth (visit www.evergreenmonthly.com). Send e-mails to bobcondor@aol.com with any questions or ideas for the Living Well column.

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