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CNN Saturday Morning News

Summer Shape-Up: Interviews With Brenda Cobb, Randi Konikoff

Aired July 06, 2002 - 08:44   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ROBIN MEADE, CNN ANCHOR: OK, now that we've shown you some alternative exercise and I got involved there, how about some alternative eating? Well, this is not really for everybody, so take what you like, leave what you don't.

Joining me right now from Miami is Brenda Cobb. She is the founder of the Living Foods Institute and she also is the author of the book called "Living Foods Lifestyle."

Brenda, nice to have you here.

BRENDA COBB, LIVING FOODS INSTITUTE: Thanks. It's great to be here.

MEADE: So tell me what is, for basics here, the living foods lifestyle? So how would you characterize that diet?

COBB: Living foods lifestyle is organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains that are not cooked. And so we prepare wonderful, delicious gourmet raw and living foods dishes and we nourish our body a really optimum, healthy way.

MEADE: So I want to stress again that you do not cook the foods that you would eat, then, in this diet, most of them anyway.

COBB: Well, we...

MEADE: How would that help, then, make us feel better and make us thinner, if we need to be?

COBB: Well, you know, because we don't cook the food, we don't destroy all the enzymes. And did you know that you cannot lose a pound or gain a pound without enzymes. And also, none of the nutritional value is compromised in the food when it is all raw and uncooked.

That doesn't mean that it doesn't have to taste good because we make a lot of gourmet raw and living foods dishes that are really delicious.

MEADE: Tell me as we're looking here, I -- we have some examples here on the set. So obviously we have some nuts. We have some raw vegetables here. When you say foods uncooked, obviously you mean vegetables and fruits, not things like meats and fishes and stuff like that, I'm assuming?

COBB: That's right. Vegetables and fruits, nuts and seeds. And when we eat our nuts and seeds, we do soak them first so that we can release enzyme inhibitors and help us to be able to digest them better. But we don't use any meat products or any dairy products.

MEADE: Tell me your story. You say that you did this diet and it worked very well for you.

COBB: Yes, it really did. It worked great for me. I weighed 192 pounds in February of '99. I went on the living foods lifestyle and you can see how I look today. I'm down to 117 and I was one of these yo-yo dieters all of my life. I've gained and lost the same pounds, plus more, over and over.

And I think I've probably gained and lost at least one, maybe two people. So this is the first time that I have ever been able to take weight off and it has stayed off. It's been over three years since I've been practicing this lifestyle and beside that, I feel great.

MEADE: You know, obviously the pictures, some would say, would be as evidence, as we saw the picture, and now we see you live in person.

COBB: Yes.

MEADE: And a big difference there.

COBB: Yes.

MEADE: But what about scientific evidence? Do you have any scientific evidence to back up the claims of enzymes helping the digestive system and therefore you losing weight and feeling better?

COBB: Oh, yes. Absolutely. In fact, there are many books that are out there about enzymes, medical studies, research, scientific research on enzymes. And the body actually requires enzymes to be able to function on every level. So our heart, our lungs, all of our internal organs have got to have enzymes. We've got to have them to be able to digest our food or even to blink our eyes. And there's more and more studies that are being done about enzymes today and scientific research.

So they're out there, plenty of books, plenty of research.

MEADE: All right, thank you, Brenda.

Nice to talk to you.

Again, that's Brenda Cobb with the Living Foods Institute. And as we mentioned, the living foods lifestyle is not for everyone. In fact, you need to be very cautious that any time you exclude anything from your diet.

Joining us now to talk about that is Randi Konikoff from Tufts University. Hi, Randi. Nice to see you.

RANDI KONIKOFF, TUFTS UNIVERSITY: Good morning, Robin.

MEADE: So, from what you know about the living foods lifestyle, what you've heard, anyway, how do you feel about it?

KONIKOFF: Let me start off by saying that there's not really one approach that fits for everyone. So it's difficult to say to Brenda that this didn't work for her and it may not work for somebody else. But it obviously worked well for her. I think it definitely has a lot of positive benefits. It has a lot of high fiber and high folate in the diet.

My concerns are is that by eliminating the meat and dairy portions, you're pretty much depleting your sources of calcium and protein, which isn't good.

MEADE: Well, I know the diet talks at meatless sources of protein like nuts and sprouts and that kind of thing.

KONIKOFF: Sure.

MEADE: So, you know, with so many different diets and conflicting ideas -- I mean you have this diet, something that is raw. Then you have a diet that really bases itself on protein consumption and low carbs. How do you decide what is going to work for you?

KONIKOFF: Well, it actually needs to be something that you can stick to. The problem with a diet in general is that it's something that we go on for a short amount of time and think that as soon as we've reached our goal, we're done. But actually it shouldn't be a diet, rather, a healthy maintenance plan that we can use to maintain a weight for a long time.

So if your diet naturally has more protein in it, go for it. If you find that you, you know, for many reasons, choose not to have protein, it's important to find good sources of protein, because it is essential.

MEADE: Let me ask you something.

KONIKOFF: Sure.

MEADE: Is it more, in today's world, more about the food that you put in your mouth or is it more about the exercise and the calories that you expend?

KONIKOFF: That's a good question. It's actually both. It's actually probably about a 70-30 equation is what the numbers were showing. It's important to have a good diet and that's the basis of everything. But it's equally as important to continue to exercise and have good physical activity. In fact, that's what's been shown to actually keep weight off.

MEADE: So what would you say... KONIKOFF: What would you get you there is actually more the diet. To continue to maintain the weight and stay healthy, that's physical activity.

MEADE: So what would you say to someone who said, you know what? Let me come to you, I know you're a nutritionist and I'm thinking about going on this living foods lifestyle. What would you say to them?

KONIKOFF: Well, first, I'd evaluate their lifestyle. I mean if this is something where they're already on a vegan diet and they're consuming lots of good sources of protein, maybe they're taking a calcium supplement and they don't have any other coexisting health problems, it may be right for them.

MEADE: So, then tell me again about how you feel about diets that leave certain things out, like carbs and protein. You kind of touched on it in the beginning.

KONIKOFF: Well, you know, personally I think, and I've, you know, seen in my patients that a balanced diet really is the way to keep it off for a long time. It's something that most people can stick with and by having most things in moderation you'll do OK.

MEADE: All right, that is Randi Konikoff from Tufts University.

Very nice to have you with us now.

Now, we don't want to let Brenda or Randi go just yet.

Coming up, they're going to answer your phone calls and your e- mails about organic eating and nutrition. So go ahead, call us now at 404-221-1855. We'd love to hear from you and we'll be right back at you after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MEADE: All right, welcome back to CNN on this Saturday morning. The time, 8:53, so just a few minutes before 9:00 Eastern. Very glad to have you with us. I'm Robin Meade.

Now, in the last segment, we heard from Brenda Cobb and Randi Konikoff and now we would love to hear from you, if you have questions, that is, for our guests about nutrition or living foods lifestyle.

Let me give you the phone number. You can call us now at 404- 221-1855 and ask them questions about the different diets you've heard about or any kind of things that you're wondering about when it comes to food and nutrition and diet and health and exercise.

We do have an e-mail from Dale. Dale wants to know, "Do you think that it is possible to maintain a healthy diet by eating only nuts, vegetables, fruits, grains, herbs, mushrooms without taking vitamins?" I think that's his point there. That is, to get all nutrition out of these foods only. So, in other words, I think he wants to know do you need supplements here.

Let me talk to -- Randi, what do you think about that?

KONIKOFF: Well, you know, while all those foods are terrific, and as I mentioned, they have a lot of nutrients in them, in fact, most of them are power packed, you're missing out on calcium, which is an important nutrient, potassium, some of the other things that are, you know, very important to your diet.

So, yes, you would need a supplement.

MEADE: All right, right now let's go to Julie.

Julie's on the phone from Tennessee.

Hi, Julie. Glad to have you with us.

JULIE: Hi. How are you?

MEADE: I'm good, thanks.

Say, what's your question regarding diet or nutrition?

JULIE: I've been on many diets for health as well as weight loss, and I have like 20 last pounds to lose. I'm 45 years old. I've followed nutritional eating. I do a lot of supplements. I just went on a nine day, low carb, between 20 and 30 carbs a day diet, getting most of my protein and calcium from supplements and greens -- or from proteins and greens, from meat sources, OK? But on nine days of a low carb diet, you should lose at least five pounds. I lost one pound the first day and nothing thereafter.

What is wrong with the system, because that should have worked?

MEADE: Brenda, I don't know, would you like to respond to that?

COBB: Yes, I'll be happy to. One of the things that I want to say is that one reason that we are able to take off weight so easily in the living foods lifestyle is because of all of the enzymes that have not been compromised because we don't cook the food. And also, I want to mention this calcium and protein issue. You know, your greens have plenty of calcium in them, as well as sesame seeds are high. And alfalfa sprouts, sprouted mung beans, sprouted lentils are actually higher in protein than your meats are. And protein is compromised when it's heated, we believe.

So you can get high protein and you can use these fruits and vegetables and the pounds will just melt away. I've had many people to come that have not been able to lose weight through any other way, or they lose it and they gain it back, and once they get on the living foods lifestyle, the weight comes off and they're able to maintain that weight loss.

So, you'll get plenty of protein and plenty of calcium right in those wonderful plant, vegetables and fruits.

MEADE: You know, staying on the calcium beat there, John from Florida has some questions, I think, about calcium.

Hi, John.

Go ahead.

JOHN: This is for Ms. Konikoff. Where would you suggest we get our calcium?

KONIKOFF: Well, there are a variety of sources. If you're someone who enjoys dairy products, low fat milk, cheese, yogurts are great sources. Listen, even some of the premium ice creams -- not that I recommend that you indulge in, you know, a lot of it, but you can certainly get some calcium from that, as well.

MEADE: All right, we have an e-mail right now. This one is from Steve in Connecticut. He says, and now listen to this one, "I drink a double martini and a 12 ounce glass of red wine every night, so I wonder how does this affect my ability to lose weight, number one, and my hydration levels? I guess that would be important because that could cause you to lose water, as well.

So let me talk to -- I hate to hit Randi again, but let me do that first.

Randi, go ahead.

KONIKOFF: Sure. First, let me address the calories, and usually for about four ounces of wine, you're talking about 120 calories. So multiply that times three and you're getting, you know, some excess calories that you may not need in addition to that martini.

In regards to your dehydration question, that's actually very correct. Alcohol does dehydrate the brain, which explains a hangover. But it also dehydrates your body and your muscles and all the tissues that need fluids. So if you are going to drink, and it is, you know, controversial, you know, whether or not it is a good thing or a bad thing to have a glass of red wine, but, you know, if you are going to have a drink, make sure that you also have some water with that.

MEADE: OK. Now, Chris is on the phone from Pennsylvania.

Chris, good morning to you.

CHRIS: Good morning.

MEADE: You have a question for the living life, the living foods lifestyle person Brenda.

CHRIS: Yes. Brenda, I noticed you said that the fruits and vegetables should be organic and I wondered why you encouraged us to eat organic fruits and vegetables.

COBB: Well, I encourage that because of all the pesticides that are sprayed on the conventional fruits and vegetables, as well as the chemical fertilizers that are used many times to grow these fruits and vegetables. We believe in the living foods lifestyle that these are toxic, poisonous chemicals to our system and, in fact, many people, when they are detoxing, these chemicals will actually come out to leave their body.

So I always eat organic fruits and vegetables and I encourage you to do the same. I hope you'll try it.

MEADE: All right, Brenda Cobb, thank you. And Randi Konikoff, thank you both for your time this morning and your advice for our callers and our viewers.

KONIKOFF: Thank you.

COBB: Thank you.

MEADE: All right, well, that, folks, does it for this week's installment of CNN's Summer Shape Up.

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