Jenni Gilbert A study from the US National Institutes of Health showed there are specific groups of microbes living in our gut that can protect against obesity.
Ultimately this indicates that, despite a healthy diet and exercise, gut microbes could be working against us when it comes to dropping those stubborn last 5kg.
If we can figure out how to change their balance we might be able to tip the scales in our favour.
As microbes rise in importance, expect fermented foods, like sauerkraut, kimchi and yoghurt to be the “new kale” of diet. The process of fermentation is said to imbue our food with probiotics.
And we have already seen a surge in diets that promise to heal the gut by removing perceived problematic foods such as gluten, difficult-to-digest grains, sugars and starches.
A professional diet system that has been reaping consistent results for nearly 20 years, UltraLite, has also been serving to heal unhealthy guts, long before it became a mainstream concept.
Adelaide naturopathic practitioner Lynn Riedel has been successfully using Ultralite with her clients for 16 years.
“The diet hinges on eating all fresh and whole food, which takes pressure off the gut and allows bacteria to normalise,” she says, for the following reasons:
- There are no refined sugars in the diet. Sugar is the biggest driver in the gut flora as it stirs the balance of bacteria (imbalance indicated by wind and bloating).
- It is gluten free. Gluten causes inflammation of the gut and bowels (indicated by constipation).
- It is yeast free. Yeast also causes inflammation of the gut and bowels.
“Being overweight and a poor-functioning gut go hand in hand,” says Lynn. “They drive each other. The body gets toxic with poor gut function, meaning nutrients are not absorbed and the liver gets overloaded.
“Toxins are tucked away in fat cells and, once the liver is overloaded, the body won’t release fat cells. A well working liver equals effective fat loss.
“The whole body is affected when the body is low on nutrients, including the brain, resulting in lethargy, low energy, stress, depression, and anxiety.
“Once my patients embark on the diet, they see results very quickly.
“For instance, within a week most women lose 2-3kg, and men, 2-4kg. Reflux generally disappears also within a week, as does bloating, diarrhoea, constipation, and insomnia improves.
“But there are other remarkable improvements. A female client was taking six super-strength painkillers a day due to chronic back pain.
“Due to the anti-inflammatory effect of the diet (not only in the gut, but systemically too) she had completely eliminated the meds within a week.
“Clients with depression and anxiety often request a long appointment at their initial consultation. After a week of being on the program, many of these clients have reported their distress disappearing and so do not request long appointments.”
Adding a reputable diet system such as UltraLite to your salon, spa and clinic would not only maximise the outcomes of clients’ aesthetics treatments by helping them to lose weight and boost their wellbeing, but would almost certainly fatten your profits.
When choosing a system to align with, look for a way to provide clients with a solution combining weight loss with proven health benefits and nutritional counselling that is sustainable and economically feasible for lasting results.
“Our company has been able assist a number of top spas, salons and fitness centres to break into the huge growing wellness market,” says Ultra Lite owner and CEO, Malcolm McLean.
- “It is a very profitable business model with the support of 12 health funds. He cites the following reasons that salons, spas and clinics are ideally suited to embracing this concept: Clients come with the expectation that they are to pay a fee for a treatment.
- Solutions such as UltraLite will provide full training and support without the need to employ extra, specialist staff.
- Gyms are focused on memberships; pharmacies are busy trying to manage their PBS obligations and on selling product. Spas, salons and clinics are focussed on ongoing client service.
“This is where the aesthetics industry can focus on genuine fee-for- service to bring about body transformation, improved health outcomes and long-term weight and health management.
“Existing staff can be trained – provided that they have the passion to take the journey with their clients. Training takes two days with one of the Ultra Lite licensed trainers.”
UltraLite is based on a ketogenic diet. The concept is not new – it has existed in many forms and has similarities to popular diet regimes such as the Atkins, South Beach and Paleo.
The majority of kilojoules are derived from good fats and protein, which forces the body into a process called ketosis, where fats are burned instead of carbohydrates for use as energy.
“Ultra Lite is not product-driven with meal replacements and pre- packaged foods,” says Malcom. “We focus on education and empowering the Ultra Lite trained practitioners to have the confidence to provide sound advice, and to be remunerated for their knowledge rather than just products. This has proven to be a real differentiator in the marketplace.”
According to Megan Flux, the owner of First Things First Wellness Centre in Townsville, “our first attraction to the program was that it was based on real food and was adaptable to all lifestyles.
“The second was that it educated clients for long-term results. It was also affordable for them, there was health fund support and it was backed by naturopaths.
“We adopted the program in 2009 and it has generated around $500,000 in revenue over the past five years.
“We spend just 30 minutes with our clients initially to give them an overview of UltraLite and the conversion rate has been a staggering 85 percent, with incredible results.”
LYNN RIEDEL: 08 8342 2111; ULTRALITE.COM.AU; FIRSTHINGSFIRST.COM.AU
