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.

I was amazed when I looked at myself when I was 38 years old and I was 250 pounds. I was at least 75 pounds over weight. I hated myself. I looked at my wife and wondered,  ”how she could have been attracted to me when I was so fat.” My back was always killing me and I could not even keep up with my 5 kids.

I was in my second year of my Emergency Medicine Residency. Yes, a doctor who is morbidly obese. How can that happen? Aren’t doctors supposed to know how to stay healthy? Aren’t doctors taught everything there is about nutrition?

The reality of it is that I, like most of us, had been hit with multiple stressors over several years. To include becoming a disabled United States Air Force Veteran, a herniated L5-S1 vertebral disc, a reconstructed ankle, getting divorced and remarried, moving from Charleston, South Carolina to Lubbock, Texas, starting medical school, graduating after 4 years of grueling school and then moving to Columbia, South Carolina and at this point in time 2 years of grueling Emergency Medicine Residency and the birth of two of my 6 total children. There were a lot of great times and some very hard times. But life as we all live it is never stress free. When we are stressed two things immediately get pushed aside, how we eat or how feed us and how we “move our bodies” (exercise).

As I looked at myself in the mirror one day and said, “I can’t do this anymore.” I realized after 6 years of medical training I had no clue what to do about my nutrition. Should I do a “Low-Carb Diet”?. Should I do a “Low-Fat Diet”?. Should I do a “High-Protein Diet”?. Most doctor, according to a recent Congressional hearing, get less than 3 hours of nutritional education in their entire 4 years of medical training. Most people spend that amount of time watching TV each and every day!!! So I tried Atkins (Low Carb), Sugar-Busters, Slim Fast, The Zone and essentially lost a little bit of weight but then put it right back on.

I started to learn and research everything I could find about nutrition and the science of Obesity and how to treat it. Yes, OBESITY, that is what I have as a diagnosis. I will always have it. Obesity has been defined by just about every medical organization including the World Health Organization as a Chronic Relapsing Medical Disease and I have it.

As I start these Podcasts/Blogs I will explain to you the concepts I have learned about treating myself and thousands of patients for Obesity. The science of nutrition, what is the right combination of Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats. How much and when should your nutrition be eaten. It is not as easy and many people think. If it was we would not have a country and world that has become obese.

After I realized how little I knew about my own nutrition and treating patients for Obesity for several years. I realized that all these patients had one thing in common. They need to be shown what, when, and how to eat. For myself as well as my patients there were several common themes. Not eating often enough, Not eating enough, and a term called Food Amnesia. The beginning of my concept for “CarbEssentials” was born.

Read On!!.

The Definition of a Sneal

The word Sneal is a new word that yours truly (Dr. Ray Powell) came up with to describe a new way of eating and a way of describing the quality of nutrition to my patients. I use the word as a test with my patients/staff/practitioners to see if they are learning something and WE as a total team effort are teaching them something as they go through our programs from weight loss to weight maintenance.

I want them to learn that from this time forward a “Snack” is a dirty word and should never be used again. It is a dangerous concept created by the American Food Industry. “Snacking” is what has made the American population as overweight and obese as it is.

So the first thing I need to do is define a SNACK,

The “American SNACK” is usually an American “white carbohydrate” (junk) and/or a fat. {Snack = Junky Carb and/or Fat}

The American food industry (grocery store) does not feed us SNEALS. They feed us snacks that have HUGE amount of calories, high in simple, white, sugary, bad carbohydrates. These jack your blood sugar through the ROOF and just to top it off they add in as much FAT as they can to make it REALLY taste good.

No more SNACKING!!!

The Physician’s Plan “SNEAL” A good carbohydrate (fruits and veggies) AND a LEAN Protein. {Sneal = Good Carb + Lean Protein}

OR

just a LEAN Protein.

{Sneal = Lean Protein}

{Range 60 to 250 calories/sneal}

SNEALING–How to do it?

When patients are first learning how to SNEAL and are in the process of losing weight they are started on very high quality SNEALS from the nutritional store that I have created for myself, my family and friends and for my patients and customers. The store is called Carbessentials, because Carbs are essential!!! But so is protein and a small amount of fat.

What I have done, essentially, is I have become the “purchasing agent” for products that fit all the requirements to become a SNEAL.

I initially started with the medical nutritional companies that provide prescription nutritional products to physicians for a medically safe weight loss. I continue to search for unique products from specialized companies that cater to a growing variety of nutritional niches. I have even tapped into the body building industry and have found some excellent products that fit my requirements perfectly.

So to review the concept again, a SNEAL is designed to be a small (60 to 250 calories), convenient, quick, easy, and high quality morsel of food that you eat every 2 to 3 hours.

It is designed in such a way nutritionally to keep the blood sugars leveled by providing the body with at least an equal amount of a complex carbohydrate and an equal amount of a very high quality lean protein or just a lean protein source if desired. What this also does is suppresses hunger and gives you more energy. People that just try to eat only high protein are not getting enough immediate energy because their bodies immediate carbohydrate stores have been depleted and if they don’t feed themselves any carbohydrates (i.e. trying to Atkins Diet) they will feel low energy and like they are running on empty.

So, SNEALING every 2 to 3 hours with nutritional products that have been hand-picked for you by someone with the scientific and medical background and intense desire to continue to learn and research nutrition is an added plus. When you look at nutritional products that are sold at the retail stores, BUYER BEWARE!!! Not all products are created equal and many of these so-called nutritional products are basically expensive looking candy bars.

So keep looking at my website, www.Carbessentials.net. I am always adding new products as I continue to find them in my journeys.

Dr. Ray Powell, MD