Friday, April 04, 2008
Diet & Nutrition
How To Get Beach Ready, Brazilian-Style
Allison Van Dusen, 04.26.07, 12:01 AM ET
Regina Joseph was surging in the corporate rat race, trying to manage a heavy workload as a Sony vice president and a commute between offices in Amsterdam and London on a weekly basis.
Then her body began to break down.
Regularly changing time zones, eating airport, plane and hotel food and non-stop meetings were causing her hair to fall out, endless colds, gastrointestinal problems and insomnia. After being diagnosed with adrenal fatigue, Joseph knew if she didn't make a change things were going to get worse.
It wasn't easy leaving behind her job and handsome salary, but in 2002, Joseph quit and resolved to get healthy. In addition to training to become a certified Pilates instructor, she started studying anatomy, biomechanics, kinesiology and nutrition. She also revisited the recipes and lifestyle habits of her parents, who were born in Brazil and grew up in Rio de Janeiro.
"When I started doing research to fix my own system," says Joseph, 41, "the great majority of food and ingredients that could help me were major components of the Brazilian diet."
Knowing that many of her friends and colleagues were experiencing the same kind of burnout and could benefit from what she'd learned, Joseph put her findings into a new book, The Brazilian Bikini Body Program, to be released next month.
A 30-day program, the book doesn't advocate a diet.
Instead, it contains meal suggestions, exercise and motivational tips--all adopted from the Brazilian way of life.
If you want to move like the Brazilians, you could pick up soccer (i.e. "futebol"), volleyball, jiu-jitsu or judo. Or you could try a mix of Pilates and capoeira, an African-Brazilian martial art. While Pilates works the core, capoeira contains cardio elements like squats and lunges, which Joseph explains through a series of pictures and instructions in her book. Together, you've got a full workout, she says.
The cornerstone of Joseph's nutritional plan is the açaí, a berry rich in antioxidants that grows wild in the Brazilian Amazon. It's also now commonly available pulped and frozen in many grocery stores. If you want to add Brazilian flavor to your meals, start your day with a smoothie made using açaí. Or marinate your dinner meat, poultry or fish in a basic Brazilian sauce containing garlic, dry white wine, lime, pepper and Tabasco.
Dr. Pamela Peeke, assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of Maryland and author of the upcoming health and fitness book Fit to Live, says Americans can benefit from copying cultures that incorporate a lot of fruit in their daily diets. But she also cautions that if people can't find or afford Brazilian fruits, blueberries are another great source of antioxidants. The goal, she says, is to strive for five servings a day.
"I encourage people when they go to different cultures to experiment," Peeke says.
"When they come back home they're enriched by the fact that they've tried so many options, and it shows them how to play."
Joseph says following the book's advice isn't going to turn you into Gisele Bundchen overnight. But it may give you more energy, muscle definition and confidence--something beach loving Brazilians know a little bit about.
"I'm not asking you to stop eating carbs or sugar, or get a trainer and a gym membership," Joseph says. "Try changing one thing. And keep your expectations realistic."