CarbEssentials was opened in early 2003 by Raymond Powell, MD and his wife Dominique Powell. Dr. Powell, a board certified bariatrician, and has treated thousands of medical weight loss patients in his clinics and is always looking for high-quality, nutritional products to help his patients achieve their goals.  He calls these foods sneals.

This search for sneals takes Dr. Powell all over the United States. He personally selects each product sold in his stores to ensure that they meet his strict nutrition criteria. A majority of the products are medical grade, but a growing number of products are from the sports nutrition and unique niche industries. All products are taste tested by his family, employees and patients.

He has coined a term called a Sneal.  That is how he shops for these nutritional items.  He understands the reality of most of our lives.  He understands that most of us have very busy lives and need high quality nutrition that has to be; quick, convenient, portable, single-serving, and has to taste great.  That is where the word sneal came up.  It is a way to teach his patients a whole new way to think about nutrition

Dr. Powell also treats a growing number of patients who have had or about to have Gastric Bypass surgery and for those that are beginning to regain their weight back. He also consults with many other Gastric Bypass patients who are confused about what they should eat and take as supplements to get adequate nutrition while keeping their weight down. He has spent countless hours researching companies offering specialized products for weight loss patients. These low to moderate carbohydrates, low fat products are also available to the public and are excellent nutritional products for anyone, whether you have had Gastric Bypass surgery, trying to lose weight, or just looking for great nutrition.

These sneals are great for kids to take to school.  Again they are quick, convenient, portable, single-serving, high quality morsels of food that taste great.  Perfect to help treat and prevent childhood obesity or just to give kids great food to eat through the day.

Whether you are a medical weight loss patient just trying to lose a few pounds, or an athlete trying to optimize your diet, try our low to moderate carb, low-fat, high-protein, nutritional items. CarbEssentials and the Sneal a better low carb diet solution.  You can learn more about Dr. Powell, MD and Snealing at www.Physiciansplan.net and www.Snealtime.com.  You can shop for sneals on-line at www.Carbessentials.net.

The following is an internet interview that I did for a Mount Shasta Newspaper

Hi Dr. Powell,

Thanks so much for the interview! I’m planning to write a feature article about keeping New Year’s resolutions, and wanted your input in the losing weight section.

How many people have you helped to meet their weight loss goals?

Between my father, Dr. Richard J. Powell, MD and myself we have been practicing Bariatrics (medical treatment of Obesity as a disease) for over 35 years.  I have 4 offices and we see several hundred patients per week.

Why is it important/helpful to be under a physician’s care when losing weight?

Managing your weight is a complex task and depending on a persons initial weight and underlying medical conditions it can be medically dangerous to do it on your own.  There are thousands of diets out there and probably more than half of them are crazy and dangerous.  Whether a person has to lose 20 pounds or 200 pounds I would much rather have a person come in and have it medically managed than to do some crazy over the counter Fad diet that can be medically dangerous.

Is diet or excercise more important for those wanting to make a healthy change in their lives? Or are they equally important?

Exercise is very important for a persons cardiovascular health as well as their mental health.  For weight loss the exercise would have to be very aggressive and almost every day for it to effect your weight.  It should be continued if the person is doing it.  The change in nutritional behaviors and becoming “in-control” of one’s nutrition and being educated on what you are actually putting into your body and actually eating higher quality nutrition in smaller amounts more often is critical to keep the metabolism going.  One of the most critical item I see on a daily basis is that people don’t eat all day long and then they tend to overeat.

What is the one tip you would give to those wanting to lose weight in the new year?

Take the time to take care of yourself.  Start spending more time taking care of yourself then you do on your car.  Don’t start on some dangerous fad diet.  If you plan on changing your nutrition drastically seek medical advice.

What is your opinion on th e value of Nintendo’s Wii Fit? (I was considering adding a bit about it into the article).

We have one and it is AWESOME.  Our whole family uses it.  Of course the kids are a bit better at it then us adults.  It is the next generation in video gaming where you actually interact in a physical sense.  I recommend it to the parents of my teenage patients.  It was actually mentioned in lectures at the America Society of Bariatric Physicians in Tampa Florida in October of 2008.

What programs do you offer at the Mount Shasta office?

We offer medically directed programs that follow the guidelines of the National Institute of Health and the American Society of Bariatric Physicians.  We individually customize our programs around the patients medical conditions.  Our programs range from very aggressive Very Low Calorie Nutritional plans to Low Calorie programs.  One of my concepts is that of the “SNEAL”.  It is too long to describe here but please go to my blogs at www.Physiciansplan.net and I have a complete description of a SNEAL.

Plus… a few motivational statistics regarding weight loss… and anything else you think is of interest.

A 10% weight loss is a 57% reduction in risk for medical diseases directly related to weight (high blood pressure, diabetes, cancers, stroke, and many more)

A 10 pound weight loss take 100 pounds per square inch off of your knees.

A very famous statement that I think most of us have either forgotten or never heard is, “Make Your Food Your Medicine”  What an incredible statement.  What we have done is made our food our Poison.  The person who said, “Make Your Food Your Medicine”—–Hippocrates—over 2,000 years ago and we still haven’t figured it out.

Here one of mine, ” The Cure for Hunger is——FOOD!!!”

You need to learn to “SNEAL” (my word) See www.Snealtime.com.  You need to learn to find Quick, Conveinent, High Quality, Single-Serving, Tasty morsels of Food.  It is NOT a snack.  Refer to my previous blogs on my website:

www.Snealtime.com

www.Physiciansplan.net

www.Carbessentials.net

Initially quite often the patients we treat want to have their nutrition taken away from them Temporarily and that is why we have several different aggressive plans where we supplement them with “SNEALS” of our own. We sell tham at each office and we have three separate nutritional stores (Redding, Chico, and on-line @www.Carbessentials.net.

If you’d like to do the interview via phone, that would be great… my number at the office is ——–. I’ll be in most of tomorrow between 8:30 and 2 or so (I know it’s a holiday, so that might not work for you). I’ll also be in and out on Friday and Monday.

I am having an Epidural injection in my back (yeah me) on Friday morning and i will be home the rest of the day.  E-mail me a number that I can reach you on Friday and I will call you.

If hours during the evening are good for you, my cell number is ——–. Or email me a time, and I can call you then. Or, we could do it via email if you’re pressed for time.

Talk to you soon.  I hope this helps