The Schwarzbein principle
shows 5 steps to optimal health. Dr Diana Schwarzbein is the endocrinologist to
the stars and the doctor of choice for Suzanne Somers, Larry Hagman and many others.
Schwarzbein encourages extensive testing for hormonal imbalances and then suggests
various diet and exercise programs and selective hormone replacement to treat
any deficiencies.
She says that poor eating and lifestyle habits are the cause
of degenerative disease and that eating real food including healthy fats is
essential for health.
Her program includes balanced nutrition, stress management, exercise,
the elimination of stimulants and other drugs, and hormone replacement therapy.
This is a complete program designed to balance insulin and all other hormone
levels.
Dr. Schwarzbein's
diet principles are laid out in The Schwarzbein Principle, her 5-step plan to
optimal health.
Schwarzbein Principle 1:
Healthy Nutrition
is the first step of the Program, and includes ten important rules:
Never skip a
meal again
Eat real, unprocessed
foods
Eat balanced
meals
Choose a protein
as the main nutrient in your meal
Add some healthy
fats
Add real carbohydrates
Add non-starchy
vegetables
Eat snacks
Eat solid food
Drink enough
water
Schwarzbein
Principle 2:
Stress Management
Make downtime
a daily practice
Put your life
in perspective
Keep track of
stress signals
Get enough sleep
Schwarzbein
Principle 3:
Avoid all toxic
chemicals including:
Nicotine
Alcohol
Refined sugar
Artificial sweeteners
Illegal drugs
MSG, additives
& preservatives
Fake fats and
fat blockers
Caffeine
Certain prescription
drugs
Schwarzbein
Principle 4:
Practice cardio,
resistance and flexibility/relaxing exercises.
Exercise to
improve our flexibility and calm our system.
Resistance and
adaptive training exercise to improve our musculature.
Cardiovascular
and stimulating exercise.
Schwarzbein
Principle 5:
Take hormone replacement therapy as needed to achieve optimum health. The hormones
should be bioidentical hormones and you take them in such a way as to mimic
normal physiology.
Don't take a
hormone that's not low or missing.
Take only bioidentical
hormones.
Mimic normal
physiology as much as possible.
Track the hormone
levels and their effects.
Heal
your metabolism first!
Following the steps above to balance your hormones, will heal
your metabolism. When you have healed your metabolism, you are primed to lose
fat weight.
You can begin burning fat only after your hormones are completely
normalized and your metabolism is healed.
Transition to health
To
restore your metabolism, achieve an ideal body composition and obtain optimum
health you need a transition.
Only when you improve
your habits, your body will begin to rebalance its hormones.
The
transition to a healthy metabolism and optimal health consists of four main
stages:
Initial starting
point
Healing phase
Fat-burning
phase
Healed state
Dr Schwarzbein
says it takes time to heal. If you follow the principles, first you will get
healthier, then you will lose fat. If you start with a damaged metabolism, it
will take longer time to heal, but the advantage is that you know what you need
to do to shorten your transition time.