Grain free diet proving helpful in weight loss, health issues

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Calabasas resident Jacqueline Schaffer followed the advice of her trainer to toss the toast, pass on pasta, and remove rice from her diet.

"I don't take any grains in my diet. It's changed my body, how I feel. I sleep better at night," said Schaffer. "Everything that I do is between 15 to 20 grams of protein with about each meal and all the vegetables in the world."

Jenn Zerling, Schaffer's trainer, tells her clients if it is grown from the ground or falls from a tree, eat it! But she says 'no' to processed food. So why are foods like oatmeal out?

"At the end of the day it causes an inflammatory response and increases your insulin, which makes you old and makes you fat," said Zerling owner of JZ Fitness.

The 'it' Zerling is referring to is food that is high on the glycemic index. That's a number that helps doctors understand how fast blood sugar rises after a certain food has been eaten.

Many processed carbohydrates are high on this scale.

Physician Yvonne Maywether is quick to say that if you eat a good quality whole grain like steel cut oatmeal and mix it with a good fat, it will lower the glucose response.

"The key is not having large or quick rises of glucose so you won't have spikes in insulin levels, which can trigger inflammation," said Maywether.

And there's another benefit.

"There's been many studies to show that low glycemic diet helps curb your appetite," she continued.

There's no doubt weight gain and obesity are the most prevalent problems in America, but it's hard to avoid quick convenient carbohydrates, yet Zerling says there's lots of alternatives. And yes, there's an app for that.

Egg white veggie omelette, tuna lettuce wraps, rice free turkey gumbo are a few examples of meal options found in her JZ Fitness Nutrition app, created for those who need a little help figuring it all out.

One of Zering's clients, Jeremy, lost 125 pounds. Another client, Donovan, lost over 85, thus convincing her it's healthier to go against the grain.